Hang up the Hawaiian shirt, Lasseter, you've sold out.

Rating: 1/10 (25 June 2011)

As an ardent fan of the first Cars, I was shocked at what an absolute mess this movie is. I was prepared for a certain level of disappointment from the trailers, but I didn't expect the sheer second-rate train wreck that is this movie. All the heart of the first film has been chucked out the window on the way to cashing in on merchandising possibilities.
McQueen has been practically relegated to minor character status here (one wonders why Owen Wilson even bothered showing up). Occasional glimmers of clever humor are all but eclipsed by a rickety plot that can't bear the weight of all it's trying to accomplish. Mater's hi-jinx as the centerpiece of a ridiculous (and unfunny) spy plot go from annoying to disturbing as the violence ratchets up. While several critics have claimed this sequel is aimed at particularly young audiences, no other children's movie you're likely to see in the near future does more to glorify gun violence.
Pixar has sucked all the dimensionality out of every returning character, and the new ones it's added are so one-dimensional as to be nonexistent. This is a pathetic offering from a studio that should know better.