After being trounced in many races by hightech racer Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), many begin to wonder if the famous Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) will retire from racing after he endures a terrible crash. With help from race technician Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) and some other friends, he begins training to attempt a comeback in the Florida 500.
This is Director Brian Fee's directorial debut, a storyboard artist on Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011).
This is the third film of the Cars series, which is the second Pixar series to ever have a third installment, the other being Toy Story.
All three Cars films were released the same year as a Pirates of the Caribbean film. Cars (2006) came out the same year as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006), Cars 2 (2011) was released the same year as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) will be released the same year as Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
The gang is back in the third installment of the Cars franchise. This trailer gives us a much better look at how Lilghtning McQueen returns to Radiator Springs and we get see all of the characters we loved in the first film.
We also get to see more of a new character Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), McQueen's trainer and racing technician, who brings a some much needed comedic nature that the second film was missing.
It is always hard to release a film from a franchise that lives up to people's expectations from what they loved from the first film. And, after a sub par second film, Pixar is clearly returning to the same formula that worked in the first Cars film. Cars 3's premise mirrors the first film, in that McQueen is now an old racer (like The King) and Jackson Storm is a young rookie about to overtake him (just as McQueen had in the first film). We also get the return of all the characters which will be bring a lot of familiarity to this film.
Based on what we have seen so far, this Cars films looks to be better than the second film, but I doubt it will top the first...just like the Toy Story franchise.