Cars 2
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: June 24, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
16
Negative:
4
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyJustin ChangJun 19, 2011
The rare sequel that not only improves on but retroactively justifies its predecessor, this lightning-paced caper-comedy shifts the franchise into high gear with international intrigue, spy-movie spoofery and more automotive puns than you can shake a stickshift at, handling even its broader stretches with sophistication, speed and effortless panache. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversJun 23, 2011
Lasseter is back behind the wheel, and you can feel his love for all things automotive in every frame. No humans blot this anthropomorphic romp. Cars do all the talking. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertJun 22, 2011
Cars 2 is fun. Whether that's because John Lasseter is in touch with his inner child or mine, I cannot say. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJun 19, 2011
Cooler cars and more action follow Lightning and Mater as they mix it up with spies and Formula 1 racers in yet another Pixar winner. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 23, 2011
In terms of story and atmosphere and overall feeling, Cars 2 is a brand-new experience - and a distinct improvement. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. RussellJun 23, 2011
But if it's going to be diet Pixar, at least it's action-packed diet Pixar -- with overwhelming, detail-choked production design that occasionally had my jaw lowering like a forklift. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisJun 23, 2011
This is an action movie that nods to Hayao Miyazaki and those sleeky dumb European chase thrillers with guys like Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreJun 22, 2011
They turn more of the story over to the comic relief, the dopey tow truck Tow Mater, and get a sillier, more kid-friendly movie out of it. Yes, Cars 2 is better than "Cars." Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirJun 24, 2011
A fun, silly, kid-friendly summer popcorn entertainment. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranJun 23, 2011
These creations have become like family to Lasseter as well as to each other, and they never fail to make us smile. Read full review
70
SlateDana StevensJun 23, 2011
It's sweet-spirited, visually delightful (if aurally cacophonous), and it will make for a pleasant enough family afternoon at the movies. But we've come to expect so much more than mere pleasantness from Pixar that Cars 2 feels almost like a betrayal. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJun 26, 2011
Marginally better than its predecessor, but the same problem still remains: Cars just aren't very interesting as anthropomorphic animation vehicles (pun intended). Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumJun 22, 2011
Not to get all Dorothy about it, but when it comes to Cars, there's no place like home. The emotional punch of the original is inextricably rooted in the movie's appreciation of off-the-beaten-track America, and all that homegrown vintage car culture signifies. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 24, 2011
Although it would be unfair to label Cars 2 as unwatchable, it is surprisingly tedious in parts and not as satisfying as one might expect. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia PuigJun 23, 2011
It's not that it's a bad film. But the bar is high, and it's lackluster and predictable, missing that alchemic blend of humor, pathos and indelible characters that give Pixar movies their brilliant shine. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 23, 2011
Unfortunately, the sequel shortchanges the very relationships that gave the first movie its surprising heart. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyJun 23, 2011
While the plot may be too twisty for most kids (and adults) to follow, the art of Cars 2 is as imaginative as anything Pixar has ever done. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsJun 23, 2011
Cars 2 is like a gorgeous sports car with a toxic tailpipe, a busted navigation system and a loud stereo that plays only commercials. Read full review
60
EmpireIan FreerJul 18, 2011
It's not vintage Pixar, but Cars 2 is still streets ahead of most of the animated pack. For all its energy and Bondian panache, perhaps its problems are insurmountable: Pixar's cars - and their universe - don't resonate and endear as much as its toys, monsters, clownfish and OAP dreamers. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJun 24, 2011
This savvy and sensitive company has unapologetically made a movie for (very) young moviegoers. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 22, 2011
What Cars 2 lacks is that moment the best Pixar films have, when parents and children alike stand slack-jawed with awe at something wonderful happening on-screen - when the films move beyond mere entertainment and become something more, something better. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineSara Maria VizcarrondoJun 21, 2011
Formally, everything's in order-it's an attractive film with some ingenious action sequences-but the problems overwhelm the pleasures, leading to the conclusion that this film's trouble is under the hood. Read full review
58
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 24, 2011
The redneck rust bucket is on screen so much that 3-D glasses should come with tetanus shots. Read full review
55
MovielineStephanie ZacharekJun 23, 2011
The plot of Cars 2 is both overly convoluted and thin, and it folds in so much unvarnished toddler-instruction that it almost feels like an educational film. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottJun 24, 2011
For the first time in its 25-year existence, Pixar has created an utterly ordinary film. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyJun 23, 2011
Just who is Pixar aiming this movie at? Contemporary children or their great-grandparents? Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. ScottJun 23, 2011
It is not entirely without charm or wit. Directed by John Lasseter (with Brad Lewis credited as co-director) from a script by Ben Queen, Cars 2 lavishes scrupulous imaginative attention on its cosmopolitan settings. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternJun 23, 2011
The movie has its own deficits - a lack of variety, originality, subtlety, clarity and plain old charm. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenJun 23, 2011
Cars 2 makes for a decent play date but is not an especially good movie. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJun 23, 2011
Lasseter's sequel smooshes the vehicular ensemble of the first "Cars" into a nefarious James Bond universe, heavy on the missiles and ray guns and Gatling guns and electrocutions. Sound peculiar? It is peculiar. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick SchagerJun 21, 2011
Notwithstanding John Turturro's amusingly smug Italian F1 speedster and a few lighthearted jabs at Japanese TV and technology, Cars 2 generally remains stuck in neutral. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubNathan RabinJun 23, 2011
Cars 2 looks fantastic, but the studio has never given audiences - especially audiences over the age of 10 - less reason to be emotionally invested in the beautiful shiny things flying across the screen. Read full review
40
TimeMary PolsJun 23, 2011
A Pixar movie is always lively, and this might be the studio's liveliest (and loudest) yet - but its leanest in terms of warmth and heart. Read full review
40
Time OutKeith UhlichJun 21, 2011
The razzle-dazzle can't distract from the monotonously overstuffed spy-film plot. Read full review
38
New York PostKyle SmithJun 24, 2011
Things are so dull, rote and humorless that when signboards in a European scene read "Mondiale Grand Prix," I at first thought they said "Mondale Grand Prix," which sounds like an unwanted award this movie could easily win. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanJun 23, 2011
The sequel doesn't develop the characters, interject any warmth into its frenetic story or take us anywhere we haven't been. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesJun 30, 2011
A rare dud from Pixar. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineJamie N. ChristleyJun 22, 2011
A crass and uncharacteristically threadbare cash-grab. Read full review
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