This past Saturday, Hayden and I were lucky enough to see a sneak peek of the new Disney/Pixar film Cars 2.
The theater that we visited was one I had never been to before and it was HUGE. I was really excited to see a movie in such a huge screen. There was literally not a bad seat in the house! It was a lot of fun, because before the movie they did Cars trivia with all of the kids and they loved it!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: trailers are one of my favorite parts of a movie. Luckily, there were some amazing previews for Cars 2!
Previews
Phineas and Ferb: Hayden is a huge fan of P&F so seeing them on the big screen made him so giddy! Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension will air on the Disney Channel Friday, August 5th!
The Muppets: I am a huge fan of the Muppets and was thrilled to see a short preview before the Pirates of the Carribbean: On Stranger Tides. This trailer was a lot longer and full of more laughs and more fun! I can’t wait to see some of my favorite characters on the big screen!
Brave: Brave is the new Pixar movie that will be coming out next year. We got a very short preview of it, but like all the other Pixar movies, I’m sure it will be amazing!
Toy Story
I’m not sure how I had forgotten we would be seeing this, but the Toy Story short “Hawaiian Vacation” is before Cars 2! Toy Story, of course, is one of Hayden’s favorite movies, so I couldn’t stop him from yelling “Buzz! Woody!”. You’ll love this 10 minute short that brings the whole gang together to send Ken and Barbie off on a proper Hawaiian vacation!
Cars 2
We were able to see Cars 2 in 3D, which is definitely hard with a toddler. He wasn’t soo sure about keeping his glasses on and had them off and on the whole movie. We usually don’t see 3D movies in the theater with him, so it’s definitely something he has to get used to! I love 3D movies though and thought it was a fantastic experience!
Below is a synopsis of Cars 2:
Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning spy-in-training Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.
My Take
As the mother of a toddler, I’ve seen the original Cars movie more than I can count. The original Cars movie, in my opinion, is aimed more toward a preschool crowd. The bright colors, the fun characters in the town of Radiator Springs and a simpler plot.
Cars 2 is a James Bond movie, but animated with cars. I thought that the plot line was very mature for school-aged children, let alone preschoolers. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I think parents will be surprised at the plot. This is also definitely a Mater movie too and Hayden kept asking more McQueen.
The movie was bright and colorful, but with lots of guns and explosions and cars being “killed”. My toddler covered up his eyes several times and covered his ears, which means he was scared.
You may be surprised and you may disagree, but I recommend this movie for maybe 8 and up. I definitely think the plotline is too mature for preschoolers, but they will love the wonderful animation, the bright and colorful scenes, the fast-paced chases and the bathroom jokes! 😉
For me, I thought it was a really good movie. There were a lot of “adult” jokes and I honestly felt like I was watching a fun spy movie. I loved the new characters Holley Shiftwell and Finn McMissile!
As for the music? I loved it! I wanted to take my iPhone out and Shazam songs right there but I had to settle with waiting until I got home! The Cars 2 Soundtrack was great and I was thrilled to see that the score was done by Michael Giacchino, who of course did Lost! 😉 I also loved the song You Might Think by Weezer!
My husband wants to go see it and I’ll see it again with him, just without Hayden.
Let Me Know!
Let me know what you think of Cars 2! I want to hear your thoughts!
Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to see Cars 2 on behalf of Disney Pictures. All thoughts are my own.
The more previews I see the more I’ve been thinking that the movie may be a little too “old” for Matthew. You confirmed my thoughts!
I would love to see it myself – but I think I’ll wait for the dvd for Matthew.
My son is so excited about the movie, but I have to tell you…just from the previews I have been worried it won’t be as interesting to him (he is 3). I appreciate your honest review!
Yep, sounds like this will be a mommy/daddy date night movie for us. I know my Maggie would be scared! We’ll stick to watching the first Cars instead – it’s one of my favorites! 🙂
I have been wondering about taking PD to the 3D version. I think we will skip it.
Oh my gosh! Good to know about the “older content”! I never would have guessed considering the very cute plot line of the first movie. I guess we will not be letting our young kids watch it for a few years. Thanks for the honest review!