Cars 2 MPAA Rating: G Entertainment: +2 Content: +2

Voices of: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Tony Shalhoub. Animated action comedy. Written by Ben Queen II. Directed by John Lasseter, Brad Lewis.

FILM SYNPOSIS: Lightning McQueen and his pals from Radiator Springs are reunited and enter the World Grand Prix. At the same time the rusty but trusty tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) unknowingly gets involved with James Bond-like spies and an evil mastermind bent on destroying the validity of a new fuel substance that could replace gasoline.

PREVIEW REVIEW: Well, it’s certainly energetic. There’s lots of movement, lots of action and lots of NASCAR-like racing, with the entire film populated with cars with eyeballs. This raises the question, since the cars are given human qualities, does that make the film excessively violent? There’s constant endangerment of said cars such as accidents and an evil car and his hench-cars torturing other vehicles and plotting to “kill” the good guy auto. What’s all this bombast doing to the psyche of little ones? There were several crying tots at the press screening, evidently forced to attend with their older siblings, their parents evidently unable to employ babysitters for a Saturday morning. At least four times preschoolers had to be taken from the theater.

Though the production has great technical values and there are some positive messages about friendship, still the production is top-heavy with racing/endangerment action. And while it struggles to have sensitive moments, it’s not as touching as most Pixar/Disney collaborations. And despite Larry the Cable Guy’s promotion to lead character, it’s not all that funny – or fun. Of course, that is a subjective opinion. That’s why I go back to the kids crying. Maybe the little ones are trying to tell Hollywood and their parents that too much frantic action and explosive noise coming from a movie screen the size of a building wall is stimuli overkill. I guess all that bombast is okay for their older siblings. Or is it? They’re sure getting enough of it from this summer’s blockbusters.

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Disney/Pixar