Cars 2: or Pixar puts on the brakes...

I am not going to review the movie. There seems to be very little need to do that sort of thing. I enjoyed it, critics hated it, various audiences are split.


No, I am going to talk about the importance of this film, from my perspective.

If you didn't cry during this scene, you have no hope

Cars 2 is not going to win any awards. Nor should it. This is not because it is a bad movie, it's really not. No it is simply because it isn't a normally high end Pixar film. Those movies, ones like UP and Toy Story 3 and Wall-E, those win awards. Those are movies that carry with them messages of hope and wonderment, while taking it's audience on a marvelous adventure into the depths of the filmmakers imaginations. Those stories take animated characters and flesh them out enough that you care about them, about what happens to them, and what will become of them long after you have left the movie. Those stories are the best live-action movies, starring animated characters. In other words they are gold.


Cars 2 is not in that category.


No, Cars 2  is just fun. It's not brilliant, it's not thought provoking, it's just fun.



And that's about it.


For me the main issues started very early in the process. When it was announced that there was going to be a sequel to Toy Story, I was confused. After all, the last one had left us in a good place. TS3 was sold for me,  moment that I saw a commercial for it. It hit all the right cords of emotion and nostalgia. I couldn't wait for that movie. That is not what happened with Cars 2. From the moment it was announced I was very indifferent towards it. Not my favorite of the Pixar movies, Cars was a good ride (ahem) but it wasn't earth shattering. Plus, it had left us in a good place. So what could they possibly do to expand on that? I wasn't sold at all. 

The next problem came in that I saw a commercial for it, and it completely sent chills down my back. Not because it was so good, but because it seemed so bad. And right there, I felt worried. A feeling of concern over this project came over me, but I kept telling myself it was Pixar, and to trust Pixar. The next commercial I saw, did very little to calm my nerves. Instead, I got a feeling that Cars 2, not matter who was behind it, was going to be a huge bust, missing the elements that make up a good story and a good animated film. And, as we got closer to the release date, it became clear that something was, in fact, amiss. The commercials were too aimed at kids, too aimed at a, ahem, slower audience. Still, I was willing to give the movie a pass on the studio itself. So, no matter how bad the movie was going to be, I went in because Pixar hadn't let me down before, no matter how bad the commercials looked. After all, commercials lie. Sometimes a great movie is undersold by lousy advertisement. And while I liked the movie, I can see that there are flaws in  it. Not big ones, but enough that it does make the movie feel a bit less put together than their others. 

Now that is a problem. You see, people have expected gold from Pixar since everyone of their movies have one upped the one before that. You can just see the quality head upwards picture after picture after picture. Toy Story, to me, was eclipsed by Toy Story 2. A Bug's Life and  Monsters Inc. were eclipsed by Finding Nemo, which was eclipsed by The Incredibles, and etcetra. People have come to expect that Pixar means nie-perfection in the animation world. They are the top of the line example of what other companies  need to try to be. They are the blue sky!

Dreamworks finally grows the hell up!

In fact, it is fair to say that Dreamworks has been living in the shadow of Pixar since forever, and they have been trying to reach those levels. And last year, they might have cracked the code, with How To Train Your Dragon. That film was heartfelt, with well done characters, a pretty good story, and they didn't rely on fart humor to get a laugh out of the audience. They still had some, but they didn't overdo it. Yes, that film was the most "Pixar-like" film that they have released. And that is troublesome. Why? Because other companies might have finally learned the tricks.


I am not saying that Dreamworks is taking over and that Pixar is now sunk. No, not by a long shot. I have seen the trailer for Puss in Boots. I think it shows that Dreamworks is still stuck in first gear.

Wasabi, Pixar? No, really, wasabi with this movie?

What Cars 2 will do, hopefully, is show Disney, who I understand made it a contractional obligation that Pixar make this second film as part of it aquiring Pixar, that not everything successful needs sequels. Some things just need to stay left alone. Another lesson that Dreamworks has yet to pick up on. After all, if you can convience every idiot who has crapped out a kid to go see Shrek a 4th or 5th time, why stop, right? Right after How to Train Your Dragon came out and was a success, don't you know that DW came right out and annouced it planned on making sequels. My first thought was the same I had with Cars: why? The movie that I watched was finished, and that story had been told. I didn't need to see what happens after. They lived happily ever after.  Why do I need that next step? I don't. It is sad to see, in any case, that we are getting Monster University soon. I don't need that sequel either. 


So why did Disney need a Cars 2? For the toy money. After all, you can keep putting out the same Lightening McQueen toy all you want for years to come, but without another product to remind people who this character is/was, your sales are gonna crash. So, in effect, Cars 2 is a ready made toy line. It's crappy, but it's true.


In the end, I have to come to some terms with this movie. I realize that this is the movie that is going to lose Pixar that respect that they have built for years. I know that people will write them off. I know that they will lose faith in them.


Me? Sure, it's a tiny misstep, which would have been worse in the hands of lesser filmmakers. They had fun making it, I had fun watching it. Plus, it's one of the best kids spy films to come along in a long while. It's James Bond loaded with action and mistaken identites, but with heart and humor to boot.


Besides, Brave, next year, looks like it could be something special. Brave could be an amazing return to the great storytelling that Pixar has been known for. It could be the next best thing. It could be UP but mixed with the feelings of an old story filled with adventure. To look at the trailer, it gives us that feeling in just a few seconds. I can't wait for this one.

So, as Cars 2 plummets down the top movies list, we can all try and take comfort in knowing that they should have something much better next year. This will be the year that Pixar will have to pick itself up and try again to rebuild what they have lost. After all, no movie studio can keep putting great films forever. Just like authors, musicians, painters, and such, eventually you have to put out one stinker that makes you take a look at what failed and learn from that mistake.


So to John Lassiter and the gang I say, keep going! Better luck next time. After all, if nothing else, you've proven that a so-so movie from Pixar is still one of the best things to watch. 


--MGS

"They call me [Pixar] because I always land on my feet"