It’s taken five years, barrels full of money, expensive voice-over talent and a massive amount of publicity, but Cars2, the sequel to the massively popular 2006 original, debuts June 24.
Owen Wilson and Michael Caine, among other famed actors and actresses, minus decease Paul Newman, return.
But unlike the first film, which received two Academy Award nominations, and was universally praised, the current has been highly criticized in pre-public release reviews.
Time magazine’s reviewer, for example, said, “its premise is a lemon.”
In Cars2, Lightning McQueen, the main character is on the road in an international spy caper. He teams with his pal Mater, the tow truck, to compete with the world’s fastest cars in the World Grand Prix.
Detours and potholes finds them tangled with secret agents, villainous vehicles and speed demon rivals.
Co-directed by John Lasseter (Cars) and Brad Lewis (Ratatouille’s producer), the footage covers ground from the streets of Tokyo to London, Paris and Italy.
Jason Isaacs and Emily Mortimer have also joined the cast of the second installment Cars 2, featured in 3D, 2D as well as IMAX 3D, was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Brad Lewis, the producer of Ratatouille.
Here the movie’s fact and figures:
Production: Pixar Animation
Voice cast: Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro, Brent Musburger, Joe Mantegna, Thomas Kretschmann, Peter Jacobson, Bonnie Hunt, Darrell Waltrip, Franco Nero, Dvid Hobbs, Tony Shalhoub, Jeff Garlin, Michel Michelis, Jason Isaacs, Jenifer Lewis, Sig Hansen, Vanessa Redgrave, Cheech Marin, Jeff Gordon, Paul Dooley, Katherine Helmond
Director: John Lesseter, Co-director: Brad Lewis, Screenwriter: Ben Queen, Original story: John Lasseter, Brad Lewis Dan Fogelman, Producer: Denise Ream, Directors of photography: Sharon Calahan (lighting), Jeremy Lasky (camera), Production designer: Harley Jessup, Supervising technical designer: Apurva Shah, Music: Michael Giacchino PG rating, 107 minutes
https://youtu.be/oFTfAdauCOo
Article Last Updated: June 23, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
