Cars 2

I'll stay out of the argument about what it's appropriate to show your kids, as I was only allowed to watch the Disney Channel as a kid and eagerly looked forward to staying with a babysitter so I could watch the "cool" cartoons the other kids liked to watch. I also happen to think that no one should show something to their kids just because it's by Disney/Pixar and rated G, but I digress. I watched this film right after the first a few days ago, and I'm again impressed by it in absolutely every way. Pixar managed to keep the world and characters from the first film, and create a film with a COMPLETELY different theme and feel. For anyone who thought the first Cars film was too slow, there's more action in the first half hour of this film than the whole of the first Cars combined. The jokes, the camera-work, the visual fidelity (WAAAAY more color this time around), and the variety of characters and settings have all been cranked way up to 11. There isn't really much of a story aside from again one of friendship and finding your usefulness in a world you don't understand, and sticking by your friends, but that doesn't matter because there's so many thrills to be found. From a design viewpoint this might be the greatest Pixar film ever, with more incredible gadgets and clever uses for them than any other Pixar film I've ever seen. Literally this film keeps your eyes glued to the screen just to see what crazy visual gag or feat you will see next. Parents will want to tread lightly if they're showing this to a kid who should be playing with large building blocks and coloring books instead of watching TV, but just about everyone else who likes their cartoons action-packed and filled with motion, color, and cleverness with love this film. And yes, there's some fridge-horror when you realize that every one of those cars that gets zapped, explodes, or is thrown into the sea is DEAD! ....Shudders....

Like a lot of other reviews, I was counting the days down with my 4-year old and 2-year old. This was the first time he marked the days on the calendar and we went. We loved it. We saw it three times. As for the violence, come one, really? I hate guns and don't have them, but this movie was in context, it was a James Bond movie with talking cars. No nudity, no language, and there were several messages that I have talked about with my kids. The animation was great, the sound was great, it was well produced - is it Pixars "best" no, but a lot better than other things on the market over the last few years. I have no problem having my kid look to Lightening and Matter as heros - infinitely better than Shrek or Kung Fu Panda. As far as violence, I won't let them watch "The Incredibles" because though I liked the movie, it is not appropriate yet. Now let's talk about the animation genre. It is not just for kids. In my opinion, what made Pixar great is the weaving of adult interest with kid friendly story telling. Toy Story 3 - which I thought was horrible, and my kids have never played with or shown interest in a buzz toy since, was totally an adult movie. Just because something is animated doesn't mean it is for kids. Have you seen cable animation lately? I like the Cars franchise including the short clips we watch on the new Disney Roku channel. As with everything, parents needs to be engaged with their kids, talk about the messages they see, and make decisions. From time to time, we go to the movies for entertainment. Cars 2 is very entertaining with lots of eye candy. My kids have not increased their violence but they love playing with their Cars.

Alright this movie is just one of the best spy movies out there and it's a spy movie with cars. I see the main problem that most parents have with this movie is the large amounts of 'deaths' that happen in the movie. I will point you attention to the fact that these are 'CARS' not people. I saw it as it came and understood that it was just the death of a car not a person. We see cars get destroyed all the time in everyday life so it wasn't something that came as a shock to me or my little six year old cousin when we saw this movie together. Also it's not all guts and gore or even blood so I could see how the movie got a G rating. The amazing part of this movie was the growth of Mater and the resonating friendship that he and McQueen have with one another. That's the part that makes you know that it's a Pixar movie is that kind of deep emotion that makes your heart go out to the characters. The action was what had you at the edge of your seat in anticipation and the jokes just flowed right in and like some of the more recent Disney films you had NO idea who the villain was until the end. To sum it up Cars 2 is an amazing movie to be enjoyed by kids everywhere but some parents need to see that these are cars and that your kids have see worse off cars on the side of the road during a drive then what happens here. Francesco will make you laugh, Mater will be Mater, McQueen will learn that a true friend doesn't care about what others say, and McMissile is the new Bond. The heart is there with a lot of action making this movie a really good all around family film.

I'm really glad I went ahead and bought this for my two year old son. We LOVED the first cars movie, and really wanted to buy the second. I hesitated buying it because of the negative reviews saying there was too much violence for a G rated movie. I really wanted to avoid any movies with violence for such a young, vulnerable age. I waited on it for a while, and kept reading the reviews here before making the plunge and purchasing it. Before doing so, however, I ended up going to YouTube to see if there were any short videos of the "violent" parts, and am very happy I did. I highly recommend anyone else questioning whether or not to buy this movie to do the same, and to make your own decision based on your personal comfort level. The short scenes are out there, so be an informed consumer and watch before you buy. You should only buy this movie if you're comfortable with the worst scenes. We, personally, were fine with the "torturing" scene, as bad as that sounds. Sure, they could have skipped it all together and I wouldn't miss it whatsoever, but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I also really wish they didn't use the word "kill" throughout the movie, since saying let's "GET" him would have the same impact. But, again, these issues weren't prevalent all throughout the entire movie and didn't effect our decision to purchase and ENJOY the movie. As for the wheel to wheel car fighting - well, that's just funny. My two year old smashes and crashes his cars together all the time - what's the difference? It's a fun movie, the races are exciting and the friendship lessons are great. There are some explosions and gun fire as well - so in the end you just have to decide what you're okay with your child being exposed to. If you do a little research before you can make an informed enough decision so you won't regret your purchase. To each their own - but we LOVE the cars movies!!!

I think the biggest thing that comes along with any sequel is that people tend to tie it in and compare it to the first movie. Just as when moviegoers try to compare a movie to a book it was based on, they will often be disappointed. So I have taken the standpoint that when I see any movie, with any familiar actor, book tie ins, sequels or prequels, that I compare it strictly to itself and the experience of watching the movie. In other words: I stay open-minded, and refrain from expectations. So for me, this movie was a lot of fun! My 7-year old daughter was about 3 or 4 when she first saw the original Cars movie. So we own it and watched it the week before Cars 2 came out, to get "in the mood". Mind you we've seen Cars so many times, that we can both randomly quote lines verbatim. We also own the soundtrack and we can both tell you where each track is played in the movie, and know all the words. LOL. So trust me, we loved the first Cars movie. That being said... WE STILL LOVE THIS NEW MOVIE! It is adventurous (something a 7-10 year old appreciates), silly, still maintains the heart of the original characters, but gives a new exciting story line. I mean really, I'm sure some of you parents might also be tired of the original story at this point, and probably can appreciate a new movie concept that still has characters your child can identify with. Anyway, Cars 2 is very entertaining, and we will buy (we've had it on pre-order with Amazon for two months) it and we'll watch it repeatedly too. LOL. Unlike Toy Story 3 (my daughter owns the first two, and hated #3), which we won't be buying.

I had a very unusual experience seeing this movie in theaters. I watched it, I had a great time, I laughed, cheered, was thrilled, and the moment the credits started to roll the people in the row behind me IMMEDIATELY started spouting off how much they HATED it. I was flabbergasted. I was sorely tempted to turn around and ask them if we even just saw the same movie? How could anyone hate something that's so much FUN?! But after thinking about it, I could see actually why they didn't get into it. Cars 2 is the first Pixar movie where you really have to 'get the joke' of the premise, or the whole thing falls apart like a house of cards. What this movie is, is the best James Bond movie of the last 15 years (not counting Casino Royale which transcends Bond movies to be just a great spy movie), with a bit of The Accidental Spy thrown in. I LOVE Bond movies. The crazy opening sequences, the insane gadgets, the quippy lines. And Cars 2 hit pitch perfect parodies of every Bond standard. But you could never say of any Bond movie that it's got a deep emotional core, that's not how they're made. They're made to be balls to the wall fun and thrills, and that's what this movie is. Which of course makes it the polar opposite of the original Cars. It could hardly be more different. If you get the joke, that this is a James Bond movie with cars, it's a riot. Loads of fun. It's not deep, it's not going to tug at your heart strings, it will not make your mother cry three or four times (as virtually ever Pixar movie ever made prior has done to my mother, I take her to Pixar movies with a bucket). It's just riotous fun. And I'm amazed that people are punishing Pixar for making a movie that's just pure fun. Granted Pixar is famous for it's deep emotional stories, and I suppose people expect that sort of thing every time. Even if you make a fun and entertaining movie, if you don't do what people expect, they bite your head off for it. I went in with few expectations cause the early reviews bashed it to pieces, and I was frankly not that big a fan of the original movie. In the first Cars McQueen spends an enormous amount of the movie whining, and I found him generally unlikeable until fully halfway through the movie. It was a good movie, with a lot of heart and a message, but not one I would describe as a lot of FUN. Mater especially, a little of him went a long way in the first movie, and I was really worried about him being the star of this movie, because if a little of him annoyed me in the first movie, this one has 10 times more of him. And yet, he actually annoyed me LESS this time around, cause he had something to do instead of just hanging around being Mater. They struck a perfect balance in his 'mater-ness' where the Accidental Spy nature of his story is charming instead of just annoying. And even more to my amazement, Mater's unique perspective DOES actually help solve the mystery. He's not just a bumbling idiot gumming up the works, he does actually help. I was also constantly amused at the imagination that went into Cars-ifying the world. Even little touches like the swanky party in Towkyo (not a typo! ha!), the elevators are giant pistons that come out of the floor. I didn't expect it at all but once I saw it was it was so perfect. To sum up, I have to say, I enjoyed this movie MORE than the original Cars. Yet at the same time I'll fully agree that the original is a technically superior film in writing and character, but Cars 2 is way more fun. If you go into this with the right attitude, that you're seeing a James Bond movie with Cars, that it's meant to be pure fun and embrace it on that level, there's a lot to love. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is it IS shallow. I won't say it's a perfect film on every level cause it's not. But it doesn't deserve the hate it's getting, it's just a fun movie, and there's nothing wrong with that. If it doesn't quite transcend to the levels of brilliance of The Incredibles or Wall:E, that doesn't make it BAD, it suffers only in comparison to other Pixar work, compared to anything else, it rocks. :)

I think I’ve seen this no less than 100 times now. My four year old is obsessed.

We've had this movie for a while now, we initially purchased it for our daughter, but it quickly became one of our son's all time favorites. Because he's non-verbal with only a few word approximations, and on his speech device he usually only wants to request things he wants, and only occasionally tell us what his emotional state is. And, as many a person finds out, if you ask him to say hi to them his usual response is "no," so I'm going to have to give you what I, as his mom, think may be the most likely reason he loves this movie so much. Because it has far more plot then he usually has any sort of interest in. It's all about Mater, and most of this movie involves a plot line about Mater. Mater is his own kind of cool, but as Lightning's discomfort indicates in the early stages of the movie, probably not cool by the standards of many of the actual "cool" kids of the cars world. He doesn't keep his paint job looking nice, he's missing parts, he's covered in dents, he's socially awkward, frequently says things that are not quite appropriate for the occasion, and he sometimes does gross things. And yet, he unwittingly saves the day and gets a chance to have the girl, which are things that aren't as often shown happening for characters with Mater's type of "cool." I imagine Mater is pretty easy to relate to for a child who is doing the very best they can, but because of challenges beyond their control, be it Autism or genetic disorders causing intellectual disability or whatever, just can't quite fit in. Maybe they are like my son, and don't understand the basic rules society operates under. Maybe they can't handle the way stylish clothes feel on their bodies. Maybe they're just not sure how to talk comfortably with others. And maybe they are like Mater, who is shown as being viewed as less intelligent then those around him, to the point where one of the other characters mentions that he's doing a great job acting the part of the fool (because this character just assumed, I'm guessing, nobody could actually be that awkward or seemingly unintelligent, etc. therefore it must be an act.). This is the reality of many special needs kids, they are definitely their own kind of cool just like Mater, and they want to feel like they can save the day and get the girl or the guy. And I think that's why my son likes Mater and he loves this movie. Mater's silly (and my son loves silly), he's not perfect, other people laugh at him (and unfortunately he knows what that is like as well), and yet, Mater still saves the day. He's the only one in the end who figures out correctly who the bad guy is. I know some people feel like the spy plot doesn't work. But I love that this movie makes Mater the hero, because I think Mater is a character that many kiddos with specialized needs can relate to. And they need to see that characters/people who don't look or act perfect can still do heroic things, and so can they. Mater's his own kind of cool, just like my son, and so is this movie.