When I saw they were coming out with a Cars 3, I must admit I was a little worried. We loved the original. Mr. A spent many, many hours watching and playing with Lightning, Mater, Sally and the gang. But the second one was underwhelming. I was disappointed with the spy theme and thought the G rating was a mistake.
But Cars is still a family favorite! Visiting Cars Land at Disney was a highlight and the franchise is part of my little man’s childhood, so of course we had to see it. I wasn’t even sure he’d want to go…my eight year old boy who now loves the NFL, NBA2K, DanTDM and Harry Potter. But this kid loves a movie so he wasn’t going to turn it down.
So off I went….both kids in tow.
Here’s the synopsis: Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez (voice of Cristela Alonzo), with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage.
My take? It was super cute. Not as awesome as the original (is anything ever?), a little formulaic, but the kids will love it. I’m not a harsh critic. I go to movies to be entertained and I was.
The movie gives you plenty of things to talk about with your kids, topics like giving up and how other people influence you. As a parent, I appreciate a movie that allows me to show that even the most likeable characters make mistakes and have flaws.
The 8-year-old’s take? “IT WAS AMAZING!!” Literally, that’s what he said when I asked for his feedback. It’s nice to know my son isn’t quite grown-up yet.
The 6-year-old’s take? She hated it. She was bored and didn’t want to wear the 3D glasses. That’s one of the challenges I find with animated 3D movies. It can be hard to get the younger ones to wear the glasses the entire movie and they lose interest.
So should you go? I vote yes. My son votes yes. I feel like Miss E is a bit of an anomaly as she’s never seen the original. I’m going to wager that most kids are going to enjoy this film. It earned its G rating so you can rest easy knowing that nothing crazy is going to happen to make your parenting alarm bells go off.
Don’t forget to stay through the credits!
BONUS: The Pixar short, LOU, at the beginning of the film is FANTASTIC! I liked it even better than the actual movie. So well-done!
We attended a press screening of this movie. All thoughts and opinions are that of me and my family.
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