It’s been five years since the original Cars film debuted in theaters -- and now director John Lasseter is back (with help from co-director Brad Lewis) for a second lap with Cars 2. The original Cars film was a commercial success and an enormous franchise-building hit with younger audiences; however, reaction from non-parents was (for the most part) mixed – especially for a Pixar film. While the anthropomorphic Cars may have captivated children, in terms of story (and merchandising), the film was pretty limited – and featured some of the most one-note or least-likable Pixar characters to date.
Despite the mixed reaction from older moviegoers, there’s no doubt that Cars is one of the more popular Pixar brands when it comes to children, so it wasn’t surprising when Cars 2 was announced back in 2008. The film was slated with a summer 2012 release date – and then bumped forward without an explanation. To combat the criticisms of its predecessor, Lasseter and Lewis made sure that Cars 2 would offer-up a larger adventure – not to mention one that would appeal to a wider audience beyond children and racing fans.
