Cars 2 (2011)

Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Directors:

John Lasseter, Brad Lewis

Writers:

John Lasseter (original story), Brad Lewis (original story),

Stars:

Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Larry the Cable Guy	...	Mater (voice)
Owen Wilson	...	Lightning McQueen (voice)
Michael Caine	...	Finn McMissile (voice)
Emily Mortimer	...	Holley Shiftwell (voice)
Eddie Izzard	...	Sir Miles Axlerod (voice)
John Turturro	...	Francesco Bernoulli (voice)
Brent Musburger	...	Brent Mustangburger (voice)
Joe Mantegna	...	Grem (voice)
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Professor Z (voice)
Peter Jacobson	...	Acer (voice)
Bonnie Hunt	...	Sally (voice)
Darrell Waltrip	...	Darrell Cartrip (voice)
Franco Nero	...	Uncle Topolino (voice)
David Hobbs	...	David Hobbscap (voice)
Patrick Walker	...	Mel Dorado (voice)

Storyline

After Mater gets his best friend, star race car Lightning McQueen, a spot in the very first World Grand Prix, he is given the job of pit crew chief. But while they are in Japan, Mater crosses paths with Holly Shiftwell, a spy searching for an American spy. Unknown to Mater, the American spy attached a tracking device on him while being attacked. Thinking the tow truck is the spy, Holly and another spy, Finn McMissile, take Mater around the world to find and stop an evil plot created by "lemons," old cars considered ugly.

---

Plot Keywords:

spy | race | race car | grand prix | american | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Disney [uk] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese Italian French

Release Date:

24 June 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Auta 2

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$66,135,507 (USA) (24 June 2011)

Gross:

$191,450,875 (USA) (9 December 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only Pixar feature film ever to receive a "Rotten" collective rating from critics at Rotten Tomatoes.

---

Goofs

When the cars race from Trafalgar Square to the Mall, they go through Admiralty Arch. All three main arches are open. In reality the central arch is always closed to traffic except on state occasions when the Royal vehicles are allowed through that way. Normal traffic only uses the outer two main arches.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Leland Turbo: [speaking into a video recorder] This is agent Leeland Turbo. I have a flash transmission for agent Finn McMissile. Finn, my cover's been compromised. Everything's gone pear-shaped. You won't believe what I've found out here. This is bigger than anything we've ever seen. And no one even knows it exists. Finn, I need backup. But don't call the cavalry, it could blow the operation. And be careful! It's not safe out here!
[sees something offscreen, gets alarmed]
Leland Turbo: Transmitting my coords ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

In the beginning of the credits, the story of Mater and Lightning's trip around the world is told through pastel-like, mildly animated postcard pictures.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Blockbuster Buster: ERod vs. Episode I, Vol. 3 (2012)

---

Soundtracks

"Polyrhythm"
Written by Yasutaka Nakata
Performed by Perfume
Courtesy of Amuse Inc.

User Reviews

Hang up the Hawaiian shirt, Lasseter, you've sold out.

As an ardent fan of the first Cars, I was shocked at what an absolute mess this movie is. I was prepared for a certain level of disappointment from the trailers, but I didn't expect the sheer second-rate train wreck that is this movie. All the heart of the first film has been chucked out the window on the way to cashing in on merchandising possibilities.

McQueen has been practically relegated to minor character status here (one wonders why Owen Wilson even bothered showing up). Occasional glimmers of clever humor are all but eclipsed by a rickety plot that can't bear the weight of all it's trying to accomplish. Mater's hi-jinx as the centerpiece of a ridiculous (and unfunny) spy plot go from annoying to disturbing as the violence ratchets up. While several critics have claimed this sequel is aimed at particularly young audiences, no other children's movie you're likely to see in the near future does more to glorify gun violence.

Pixar has sucked all the dimensionality out of every returning character, and the new ones it's added are so one-dimensional as to be nonexistent. This is a pathetic offering from a studio that should know better.