Cars 2

Lightning McQueen, Mater and the rest of the gang from Radiator Springs are back in the fast paced sequel “Cars 2”.

The film follows Lightning McQueen and Mater as they both embark on a trip around the world as McQueen competes in the World Grand Prix against all of the best racers in the world. However, Mater gets mixed up in espionage as he is mistaken as an American spy and he finds himself helping out master spy Finn McMissile in bringing down an evil doer.

The film sees all of your favourite characters returning plus an array of new characters are introduced including a wide range of different international characters. A fun addition is the inclusion of Australian race car driver Mark Winterbottom playing the role of Frosty, the Australian car competing in the World Grand Prix. Although his role isn’t huge it’s still exciting to see a home grown Aussie lending his voice to such a big franchise.

Although the first film focused primarily on McQueen, the sequel is no doubt Mater’s film. The character of Mater receives the main screen time with Lightning McQueen taking more of a secondary character role. Finn McMissile is a more prominent character in the film. It’s somewhat disappointing because although the “buddy” aspect that was featured in the first film is still there, it’s not prominent.

The DVD release includes two bonus shorts. The first, “Hawaiian Vacation”, follows the popular characters from Toy Story as they all help Ken and Barbie experience Hawaii without leaving their bedroom. The second, “Air Mater”, follows Mater as he learns to fly and is a tie-in to Disney’s newest spin-off from the Cars franchise. The Blu-ray release also includes audio commentary by the film’s director and Pixar giant John Lasseter.

Although a few key components to the first film are missing in “Cars 2”, the action and fun featured in the film makes up for it. It’s a film that will delight fans of the previous film and audiences that are new to the series. Available now from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.