We love Pixar and had always been a fan of the inventive movie Cars. When the series continued with a sequel we weren't totally in love with it. But now with a third installment we figured we should go check it out. Ka-chow!

Official film 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! Directed by Brian Fee (storyboard artist “Cars,” “Cars 2“) and produced by Kevin Reher (“A Bug’s Life,” “La Luna” short), “Cars 3” cruises into theaters on June 16, 2017.

Some old friends return such as Mater, Sally and more.

Julie's Thoughts

I think what worked well for the original Cars movie was the unique concept of humanizing everyday objects and giving them a strange little world. A lot of the story was exploring that land and introducing characters. During that journey there were little jokes and funny concepts that had been auto-fied (Tractor Tipping, drinking a "quart" at what looked to be a bar, etc.). With the sequels that aspect is already established so you are really dependent on just the story line to carry you through the movie. And to tell you the truth once you see a car doing several laps around a track, it get a little old.

Cars 3 does provide a sweet but somewhat predictable story line. Famous Lightning McQueen has continued to be the favorite car winning many races. But over time things tend to change. There is a new generation of rookies coming up the line that are younger, faster and have the most advanced technology. While other friends are retiring left and right Lightning doesn't want to give up and is forced to seek intense training to try to keep up.

There are appearances by favored old characters but also many new ones introduced. Cruz seems to take the supporting lead and teaches Lighting some lessons, while he does the same for her. There is a nice storyline aspect here that parallels their relationship and mentoring to that of Doc Hudson from the original movie. There is even an appearance by some cool vintage cars as well.

Overall the movie was cute but wasn't amazing. I don't feel like I wasted my time by seeing it but wouldn't have been heartbroken to miss it. Huge fans of the Cars franchise will probably truly enjoy this movie as it seems to package up the trilogy nicely. You would need to see the original "Cars" prior to seeing this installment but you could skip "Cars 2" and not miss a beat.

Lightning McQueen training with newcomer Cruz Ramirez

Andrew's Thoughts

I found Cars 3 to be a movie that I enjoyed but would just as soon forget about once I left the theater. This is not to say I thought it was terrible, just that it was ok but not memorable in the way that the Toy Story movies were. I enjoyed the original but thought the second one wasn’t very good. I would put this version well above the second iteration and just about equal with the first.

The good: it seems Pixar improves upon their graphics with each movie and this one was no different. There were times during the movie where the film made me believe I was looking at real film and not animation. Add to that the detail during the racing scenes such as the small pieces of rubber and debris bouncing around on the race track.

The bad: I found Cars 3 to be somewhat predictable. I will admit that I have felt the same about all three movies in that they were enjoyable but I wouldn’t feel the need to purchase a copy of the film and would be indifferent about watching them again.

Before the movie, they showed Lou, a Pixar short that was very well done. It is about articles in a lost and found box that combine to create a character that is somewhat the keeper/protector of the lost and found who teaches a bully a lesson. I always love those little Pixar shorts!