by Lorie Lewis Ham

Special coupon for Dinuba Platinum Theatre at the end of this review.

If you love talking cars then Cars 2 is for you. Honestly, if you love just a fun family movie with incredible animation that no one does better than Pixar, Cars 2 is for you.

In this sequel to Cars, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) returns home from his many wins to spend some quality time with his friends in Radiator Springs but is interrupted by a challenge from Formula 1 car Francesco Bernoulli to compete against him in the World Grand Prix being put on by an alternative fuel company to prove that their fuel is as good as regular gasoline. Because Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) is the one who got him into it, McQueen takes Mater along with him to Europe for the races but things start off pretty rocky as McQueen finds himself embarrassed by his best friend’s small town ways.

Things aren’t what they seem at the World Grand Prix, and Mater finds himself mistaken for an American spy and caught in the middle of some intrigue at the races along with two British spy cars, Finn McMissile voiced by Michael Caine, and Holley Shiftwell voiced by Emily Mortimer.

Cars 2 is definitely quite different from the first one with international intrigue and excitement along with some environmental issues, car chases, karate and guns. But in the end McQueen finds himself relearning the lesson we all thought he learned in the first Cars movie, that it’s friends that really matter. He also learns that you don’t try and change your friends into something they are not.

The animation as always with Pixar is amazing, making the scenes of Europe look real. The added touch of real sports racing announcers Brent Musburger, Darrell Waltrip and David Hobbs were fun for the adult racing fans in the audience.

While personally I’m not sure I liked it as well as the first one, my teenage son actually liked it better and my two year old niece loved it so it’s definitely a great choice for a family night out at the movies. And the kids get to learn a nice lesson about friendship along the way.

Cars 2 is now playing at Dinuba Platinum Theatres 6. Showtimes can be found on their website.

Print this coupon and enjoy a special discount for Kings River Life readers only!

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie’s mystery writing at Mysteryrat’s Closet.