Tedious, even when you ignore the environmentalist propaganda

Rating: Null/10 (19 November 2011)

I loved the first Cars movie, and generally like Pixar films, but this one was a big disappointment. Although the animation was quite good and there were some fun references to race car legends, James Bond movies, and human relationships, within a few minutes of the start of the movie I began to sense that the Pixar magic was nowhere be found. The plot was unlikely and only a few of the beloved cast of the original movie were utilized to any significant extent. Too often the crutch of the chase scene was utilized, to hide the lack of the depth of character development I've come to expect from the legends of Emeryville. As if this weren't disappointing enough, the story also had a predictable uber-villain Nazi-big-oil caricature complete with monocle. And finally at the end we're treated to the tiresome Hollywood message that being loyal to a friend is more important than logic or safety concerns.
In the Pixar Story we learn that Lassiter stepped in on two earlier occasions to completely rework two previous movies and save the day. Sad that didn't happen this time.