Cars 3 (2017)

I question the wisdom of keeping this franchise going. The first Cars was possibly the least popular Pixar feature at the time. The second broke a long winning streak as the first Pixar entry not to score an Academy nomination since the Best Animated Feature category began. The offshoot Planes (not sporting the Pixar brand but made by a lot of the same people) was unusually panned for Disney, and it still got a sequel. I'd ask whether this is really the hill they want to die on, except that the company may never die. Regardless, C3 looked like one of the more promising viewing options on my plane ride, so I gave it a shot.

You may have seen that fairly shocking trailer in which pro racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) has a major crash. Well, this isn't a story about life-threatening injury. The next time we see him, four months later, you'd think he never got a scratch. But there are widespread doubts of whether he can compete with newer challengers, especially record-breaking Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer). McQueen checks into a new training center, whose owner Sterling (Nathan Fillion) and prime trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) both admire his past but now see him as a geezer, probably fit for only one more race. Naturally, he aims to prove them wrong.

Cruz actually becomes the deuteragonist, having at least as much to learn from McQueen as he has to learn from her. She was never a pro, after all, only versed in simulation. As you can imagine, they alternate between mutual annoyance and growing friendship. At no point do they feel any romantic tension, nor does Sally (Bonnie Hunt) express any jealousy, perhaps due to the perceived age difference. Not that Sally gets much to do this time besides cheer McQueen on.

We still hear from the bulk of other old familiars, not all with the same voice actors as before: Mack, Rusty, Dusty, Luigi, Guido, Sarge, Fillmore, Chick Hicks...even flashbacks to the late Doc Hudson. And yeah, Mater's still around for redneck comic relief, tho not as much as in C1, let alone C2. I'm thankful for that.

You may see this as a sports flick along the lines of Rocky Balboa, where we're supposed to route for the aging athlete to put off retirement just a little bit longer. I'm inclined to find these lamer than the average sports flick, because how much is really at stake here? At worst, McQueen would get bored.

Well, that's as far as his main plot goes. There is a bit more of a threat in the second act, when he and Cruz injudiciously enter a demolition derby. It's arguably a highlight of the movie, presenting a welcome few minutes of excitement such as we hadn't seen in the series before. (C2's spy action, by contrast, felt too out of place.)

From a more, shall we say, soulish standpoint, the story works best when shifting the focus to Cruz. She's nowhere near her sunset years and stands a lot more to gain. I can't say that what happens with her is realistic, but in a world where every living thing is an anthropomorphic vehicle, typically acting like a cross between an adult and a child, who needs realism?

I'm somewhat glad that the makers didn't go overboard with the sports cliche of playing up the opponent's villainy. Storm goes for a subtler, less cartoony brand of jerkhood than former archrival Chick, who has taken to hosting a show with incessant jeering at McQueen. I was not surprised at Sterling's unsupportive business savvy but was relieved when he didn't go full villain. And even the monster truck types are redeemable.

I think the biggest weakness in the Cars universe is the inherent limitation of the main premise. Even with their flexible tires, the automobiles can't do much besides talk and drive around. It's hard for us to maintain interest in those actions.

Ultimately, C3 may be about as good as it could have been in light of its predecessors. I certainly couldn't have written a better screenplay under the circumstances. I suspect it'll garner an Oscar nomination, despite not standing a chance at a win.