Tuned up

The Cars franchise gets a nice little rebirth with Cars 3, a much, much better movie than Cars 2, and a slightly better movie than the first Cars.

If you’re keeping score—and, really, you shouldn’t be, for there are far more pressing matters in your life—that still makes Cars 3 one of the more mediocre offerings from Pixar. Still, a mediocre Pixar film is better than most animated movies.

Jettisoning the stupid spy movie bullshit—oops, I just cursed in a review for a G-rated movie … sorry, kids—that made the last installment convoluted and useless, the folks at Pixar choose to go an earthier, more emotional route with this one, and it works, for the most part. They also find a way to get the voice of the late Paul Newman into the mix, and hearing his beautiful growl again definitely warms the heart.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is getting on in years, and he’s facing fierce competition from newer model cars like Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), a strong, highly trained vehicle that is beating McQueen on the racetrack. After a calamitous accident that renders his beautiful red sheen primer gray, McQueen is faced with either retirement, or a new training regime comeback, Rocky III-style.

McQueen chooses the comeback and soon finds himself in a training facility owned by greedy businessman Sterling (Nathan Fillion) and being trained by Apollo Creed—I mean, Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). Race simulator, treadmills and drip racks replace good old fashioned racing around in Radiator Springs, which cramps Lightning’s style, so he hits the road and finds himself under the tutelage of Smokey (Chris Cooper). Smokey helped train the late Doc Hudson (Newman), McQueen’s mentor. He’s sort of the Mickey from Rocky of this movie.

Does it get to be a bit much and a little boring at times? Sure, and I would’ve glanced at my watch if I had been wearing one, but director Brian Fee and crew manage to keep everything pretty much on track in this outing, right up until a sweet finale that gives the franchise its first true emotional punch.

The movie plays around with the notions of retirement and the rites of passage to the next generation, pretty heady stuff for a G-rated animated movie. Give the screenwriters credit for finally coming up with a story for Lightning McQueen that caters as much to adults as it does to kids. Also, through cameos, jargon, and plenty of racing sequences, the movie should please NASCAR fans.

Another thing that makes this installment unique is that a good chunk of it takes place at night on quiet highway roads. Cars 3 provides a good sense of what it’s like to drive around at night when nobody’s around. The Pixar artists prove, yet again, that they can create some precise vibes with their creative pixels. Sequences when Lightning races through a dark forest and battles a pumped-up school bus in a dirt track race are standouts.

Mater the tow truck, essentially the Jar Jar Binks of the Cars franchise, only gets a few small scenes. He was the star of the last installment, which meant too much Larry the Cable Guy for those of us who can’t stand Larry the Cable Guy. Being that I am the president of the Larry the Cable Guy Hater Fan Club, a club that exists in the recesses of my own mind, I express gratitude to Disney and Pixar for relegating Mater to supporting status.

Now, Cars 3 is pretty good, but nothing beats the Cars ride at Disneyland in sunny Anaheim, California. I just rode it multiple times a couple of weeks ago, and it’s a blast. Disneyland … the Happiest Place on Earth. I know that sounds like a commercial but, hey, this movie is basically a decent commercial for the ride.

Where the Cars franchise goes from here is anybody’s guess. I would be one to say leave well enough alone and make this the final chapter. Go out on a positive note, Lightning McQueen.