On Friday Pixar releases ‘Cars 3’ the third installment of the racecar themed franchise and thankfully for fans, the animated film returns to the elements that made fans fall in love with the franchise to begin with.
Light Spoilers Ahead –
The story kicks off with our hero Lightening McQueen competing in the current racing season, continuing to stack up wins week after week until a younger, slicker opponent (Jackson Storm) emerges from the pack.
In order to remain competitive, McQueen works with tech-savy racing coach Cruz Ramirez to fine tune the skills he’ll need to hang with the next generation racers and tracks down deceased crew chief Doc Hudson’s mentor to give him that extra edge.
Without spoiling the film too much, let’s say ‘Cars 3’ is a study in the fruits of a highly diverse cast of characters (male and female) that demonstrate the different roads one can take to reach prominence.
The usual suspects, Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and the crew from Radiator Springs, return to cheer McQueen on to what could be the most important finish of his storied career.
Owen Wilson returns to voice Lightning McQueen with new cast members Jackson Storm (voiced by Armie Hammer), Cruz Ramirez (voiced by Cristela Alonzo) and Smokey (voiced by Chris Cooper) adding new layers to a story that looks to inspire a new, diverse generation of racers.
Visually beautiful from beginning to end, the storyline is mostly par for the course until the grand finale that throws in a refreshing twist audiences will not expect and appreciate that much more.
BSO Grade: B