Wow. What a flame war…
Well, anyway, I’m pretty certain Cars 2 will be much better than the original, which I loved anyway. My reason for saying this is that their movies have been getting more serious and deep since Ratatouille, and I don’t see that stopping.
haijessie and CarsLuver- Leon was clearly stating his opinion and was acknowledging that what he was saying were his views. I know it must be tough to hear someone say bad things about your favourite movie, but you can’t react like that every time someone comes along and announces their opinions. If I reacted like that every time someone said that Randall was ‘evil’ or ‘nasty’ and that he ‘got what he deserved’ I probably wouldn’t be a member here anymore!
Of course you have the right to defend Cars, but you can only do so in a calm manner, once again acknowledging that what you’re saying is your own opinion. That’s called a debate rather than an argument. But the point is that personal attacks on members, from both sides, are not allowed. I can see that in a previous post, Leon has apologised for some of his harsher words and it would be respectful and polite if you guys returned the apology. Thank you.
As much as I am a massive fan of Cars, I have to agree with lizardgirl. Not everyone loves the films you love, that’s a fact, and from what I’ve read of Leon, he was merely expressing his opinion without it being a personal attack on any particular members.
It must be upsetting to read other people criticising the films you like. I understand that, cos’ I get that all the time here with non-Pixar movies like ‘Alpha and Omega’, ‘Legend of the Guardians’, ‘Megamind’ etc. People who have never seen the movie would say 'Oh, the trailer sucks, therefore the movie sucks" or “I bet Toy Story 3 is waaay better.” I’m not much for negativity, but I just say ‘Fairy Nuff’ and continue fangushing. 
Or I sometimes politely acknowledge that the person has a point in Matter A (and I’m truly sincere about that), but I have to disagree with Matter B. I give them points, but I don’t let them win the whole battle.
It’s called having a debate, not an argument. And it’s pretty fun if it’s done in a cool, level-headed manner, once you get the hang of it!
So yes Leon, although I have to agree with you that Cars has some pretty juvenile moments (like the Lightning dream sequences, ugh 
), I disagree with you on your opinion that KFP would be classified just as ‘kiddy-friendly’. I really enjoyed it on an adult level as well (the Monty Pythonesque spoof of Chinese culture, the romantic tension between Po and Tigeress, et cetera).
And it’s good that you have suggested improvements for the sequel, which I agree. And don’t go easy on the definition of ‘stereotyping’- there are indeed racial stereotypes (Ramone, Luigi and Guido), though I don’t really find them as derogatory as I thought it would be (if anything, they are endearing in a ‘My Name is Earl’ sort of way).
And yes, haijessie and CarsLuver, I, too, am getting kinda tired on the wailing on Cars. It may not be the strongest Pixar movie, but it’s definitely not the weakest IMHO. It really is a great film, period. I mean, yeah, like I said, some of the jokes are a bit juvenille, but it’s all in good fun, and some of the parts like Mater admitting to Lightning he was ‘best friend’ material and Lightning leaving Sally behind teared me up. And of course, Lightning pushing The King across the line was probably the only Pixar film to have made me cry since Finding Nemo (and ever since, surprisingly). So yes, it deserves more credit than it should.
However, Leon has since apologised, so it would be nice and courteous to return the favour. He may not share the same opinion of the movie as us, but he has the right to express his opinion as long as it’s not a personal attack. Besides, nothing he says is going to change you or any of the existing fans of Cars’ opinion, so what do you have to lose in being chivalrous and saying ‘sorry’? 
I agree with Lizardgirl. He didn’t deserve the abuse he was given, especially since he’s new here. The last thing he needs is being bashed just because he doesn’t like a certain film. I mean, you can’t just make him like it. If he doesn’t like it, that isn’t his fault.
Geoff:It’s over now…could you please drop it…Thanks 
Okay then. I will.
Yes please let the madness end. 
I put a lot of effort into this thread and the fact that it has generated several pages of replies is outstanding. For that guys, thanks, but I would hate to see this thread get locked up if this keeps going on.
Both parties have already apologised in an another thread, JFYI…
Lemme see… what was I gonna say? Oh yeah, you know what would really make Cars 2 better? If there was a full-scale car chase! I mean, I know McQueen had one with Sheriff when he first enters RS, but I want one something that is all-out, with cars weaving through traffic, and huge leaps down hills, and barrel rolls and flipovers and massive jaw-dropping freakin’ explosions!
Something action-packed, but with a wink of comedy to it. Something like… The Rock.
^ That would be really cool.
I hope whatever they do, they find a good balance. I want the movie to be really funny, but I also want it to be more deep than the original. Not like TS3 or anything(please no!!), but…more serious.
I’d have some serious emotion in it (with Cars somehow !?) (look at Up, Toy Story 2 etc)
It has light hearted fun in the first, nothing more. (still like it though )
Well I just got back from seeing Cars 2. Although it has been unfairly panned by the critics, I am very impressed with Pixar. They managed to not only make it better than the original, they managed to make it the better movie by far. I’d probably rank it above the original, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 3 at that. I’m also pleased that more than a few things I hoped would be in the movie from this list I made over a year ago were fulfilled. So let’s see how Pixar did:
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here - aka - SPOILERS
1: Explain Doc Husdon’s Death
Good work Pixar, you managed to explain that the fabled Hudson Hornet had passed away in a way that wouldn’t traumatize kids, or feel overly sad. The newly designed Piston Cup was a nice touch, and a touching tribute to one of the greatest actors of our time.
2: Make the Story Darker
Wow. Just wow. This is definitely one of the darker Pixar movies out there, to say the least. I don’t think anything in the original even came close to some of the scenes in this movie. Just the fact that cars are put in life or death situations is one thing. I’m pretty sure the torture scene would never get away with anything outside of a PG-13 if it was live-action. Yet, it’s all very effective and reasonably subtle.
3: Bring Back the Credits Parodies
I’m very disappointed that this was left out. Sure it would take a bit of brain-storming from Lasseter and co. to come up with the titles, but the film brought home so many new characters to Radiator Springs I thought this aspect would be a no-brainer. Besides, Mac needed much more screen time. Still, no hard feelings. There’s still a chance for a DVD extra, right?
4: Give the Villain a Bigger Role
The original Cars didn’t really have a villain. Chick Hicks was more of an obstacle, while the real threshold was Lightning’s self-discovery. The sequel threw it out of the park with a fascinating villain and his vast amount of henchmen. Axelrod had me fooled for a good portion of the film, while whenever Professor Z was on screen, I could never take my eyes off him. Bravo Pixar, bravo.
5: Improve on the Romance of Lightning and Sally
Well, in the literal sense, yes the romance was improved… all two minutes of it. Then again the main character is Mater, and his romance is much more interesting in my opinion, so all is forgiven.
6:Have a Bigger Story
The first one was about winning a race, the second one is about dealing with evil masterminds during a global crisis. You do the math.
7: Give Chick Hicks a Cameo
There wasn’t a cameo from Chick, but instead we got Darrell Cartrip, Van and Minnie, along with the original cast. I know that merchandise makes up the majority of profits for Cars 2, but Pixar still could’ve included a few more returning characters.
8: Have Another Awesome Score/Song-Choices
I have to admit that while I personally enjoyed the score more than the original’s, the song-choices were a bit weak. Weezer’s cover of You Might Think was good, and Perfume’s Polyrhythm is jaw-droppingly awesome, but no others come out as killers. This wouldn’t be so much of a problem, except that every song in the original was memorable and able to stand on its own. I’m especially disappointed with the film’s star song Collision of Worlds, which comes across as catchy, but unimpressive.
9: Have More Mater
Yep. There’s definitely more of him. I mean, they bumped him up to the starring role for Pete’s sake! I’m glad they did this, because I was a bit uneasy about how a second outing would go with Lightning returning as the main protagonist. Sure there are a lot of fans out there that disliked this choice, but if the site ever splits up ala Twilight’s Edward and Jacob, then sign me up for Team Mater!
10: Just Do What Pixar Does Best
I couldn’t have been more proud of Pixar. I came expecting to be disappointed, and halfway during the film I realized, “Wow, here I am sitting in a theatre watching a Pixar movie, and loving every mintue of it.” I know it probably won’t be up for grabs for this year’s Best Animated Feature Oscar, but I love this film, and expect to love it for a very long time. 
So how’d I do: 7.5/10! Not bad for a list constructed long before we got a proper trailer.
Great post, Chuckles! I did something like that with ‘5 Things I Expect from Cars 2’ and ‘5 Things I Got from Cars 2’. But I agree with you on most of your points!
It’s interesting to read my post a few months back on expecting a ‘The Rock’-like car chase. I was hoping there would be a grand setpiece for Cars 2, but really, it’s more of mini-chases spread throughout. It sorta diluted the impact for me, I was really hoping for a grand all-out pursuit like any of Michael Bay’s older movies (The Rock, Bad Boys 2, The Island) or one for the climax (The Bourne Supremacy and Ronin being two of the best examples). I felt the climax was a little underwhelming with the camera locked-on to the characters when they’re driving/flying and the background in motion as if it were a 70s rear-projection.
Again, if we got more creative camera movements and a realistic, wince-inducing chase like Supremacy, I would’ve been more satisfied. But that’s just me hoping.
TDIT: One of my favorite action scenes, ever! The score in the background is amazing!
But yeah, I actually really like all the jib and dolly movements. They add a sense of realism and make you think that you’re actually watching real scene that was shot that way with a camera, not just animated.
Haha, glad you agree, Ding! ‘Bim Bam Smash’ is one of my favourites from the Bourne trilogy, in addition to ‘Berlin Foot Chase’ and ‘Tangiers’, both of which score excellent action scenes as well.
We got something along those lines in the Porto Corsa scene where [spoil]Finn leaps off flyovers and runs on roofs[/spoil]. That was very imaginative, but I wish we got a full-out car chase at the end. [spoil]The pursuit of Professor Z was too short, and Mater’s escape from Lightning and his later speed-run to the Queen felt like bad rear-projection[/spoil]. The oil platform chase has to be my favourite, but even then it ended too quickly.
I like to think of myself as a car chase connoisseur (You can follow my posts on Varaces, a car chase fan forum. Yeah, you can find anything on the Internet these days), so Cars 2 was pretty average for me. Race scenes were excellent, though, just like the first one.
Guys, it’s time to stand up for Pixar. Critics have been blowing Cars 2’s ratings to pieces. Their reviews have blank statements with no evidence from the film. Look here: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cars_2. Their main criticism is that Cars 2 is not “emotional”, like Cars (which it doesn’t have to be, it’s in a whole different genre), and that it’s only for kids (which it isn’t, because most kids can’t understand much of the humor.)Together we can fill the hole the critics made. Start posting!
While I do agree that these two reasons are positively stupid, I’m not really in the mood for massive uprisings on Napoleonic scales. Sorry, good luck. 
Not sure what you’re going for with this. Even if I didn’t agree with the critics, what point is there in “filling the hole” they made?
You don’t have to agree with them, but mass posting in a fan forum isn’t going to change the fact that critics on average thought the film was mediocre.
There’s not much we could possibly to improve the score on RT. I think we might just have to accept the score that they gave it even though I thought it was better then a 37 rating.