For the first of my two birthday movies I chose Cars 2. I have been a huge Pixar fan for years and really liked the first Cars movie, which followed the adventures of race car Lightning McQueen and his tow truck friend Mater.
This sequel sees the addition of new characters special agent Finn McMissile, special agent Holley Shiftwell and oil tycoon turned eco fuel fighter Sir Miles Axelrod. Sir Axelrod finds his allegiances switched to natural fuel sources when he gets lost in the jungle. To advertise his new green fuel, Sir Axelrod devises the first ever World Grand Prix, in which Lightening McQueen finds himself called into the line-up by the Italian sports car Francesco Bernoulli. Mater comes along for the ride and soon finds that he is at the center of international espionage.
Cars 2 definitely picks up the pace on Cars, there's a lot more action, more characters, more plot and a whole lot more excitement. The characters feel like they get a much more equal shot of screen time rather than this being all about Lightning McQueen. Mater and the British spies have an entire plot of their own which works perfectly interspersed with the racing track scenes, which on their own would probably get boring after a while.
Kudos really goes to the background artists at Pixar who have done an amazing job of the backdrops of Tokyo, Italy and London. Each with their recognisable landmarks and lovely little touches which make these movies enjoyable for adults as well as kids.
My favourite of the new characters has to be McMissile, with his 'tache shaped grille and kindly british accent he comes across as a sweet grandfatherly figure, but then he whips out his custom special agent weaponry and gadgets James Bond would be jealous of and you know you have a worthy hero on your hands.
Pixar really are the masters of their craft with unmatched attention to detail, perfect voice casting time after time and ultimately, a sumptuous end film which will become a beloved classic for generations to come.
It's not the best Pixar movie to date but let's face it, they've never made a bad film. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 26th July 2011
UK Release Date - 22nd July 2011
Cast Overview:
(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)
Owen Wilson ~ Lightning McQueen
Larry the Cable Guy ~ Mater
Michael Caine ~ Finn McMissile
Emily Mortimer ~ Holley Shiftwell
Eddie Izzard ~ Sir Miles Axelrod
John Turturro ~ Francesco Bernoulli
Director(s) ~ John Lasseter and Brad Lewis
Writer(s) ~ Ben Queen (Screenplay), John Lasseter (Story), Brad Lewis (Story) and Dan Fogelman (Story)
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