Why Cars 3 is a great addition to the Pixar universe

‪HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I LOVE ABOUT CARS 3‬
‪Spoilers ahead.

‪You don’t have to see Cars 2 to understand or enjoy this movie. I did like Cars 2 (it is not Pixar’s strongest film, even though it’s fun, I guess) but this one is so. much. better. Oh my god. After watching it, I couldn’t wait to see it again. I’ve always loved Cars and I’m so happy this movie was made because it is fantastic.‬ I’m also glad that first trailer was misleading! I thought Lightning would never race again. Thank you for scaring me, Pixar.

 

‪They handled Cruz’s storyline very well and the best thing about it is they didn’t make it about her being a female racer. The fact that she’s a girl doesn’t even come up. They made it about her anxiety and lack of confidence. There is no moment like “Oh, I gotta prove myself to these MEN” or “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean-!!”

 

They do something subtle though. When they go to meet all the older racers that knew Doc, I think the only one she knew about was the female racer. This car does talk about sexism for a while and it’s obvious Cruz is a fan. It was just touching to see her meet a role model like that. Anyway, the movie isn’t special because hey~ we have a female car winning the race! No. It’s special because Cruz is just special. It’s special just like any other movie where the rookie becomes the master. I want more stories like this.‬
‪

All the homages to Doc. Just all of it. I couldn’t handle it sometimes. I had tears streaming down my face, guys. I had such a strong connection to it, mostly because of nostalgia. But those scenes were powerful. And I love how Lightning filled his role and did so many things in his honor, trying to be the best teacher he can be. The part where we see all of the letters and newspaper articles Doc was sending his old friends was beautiful. I’m a sucker for these things. HE WAS JUST SO PROUD ;-;‬
‪

I love Mater and he’s amazing, but thank goodness he is just a side character in this one.

 

‪We see how much Lightning has grown and changed since the first movie. The similar openings were funny – “Did I really used to say that?” – and the pranks the racers play on each other were great.‬

 

So was Cars 3 good? Absolutely. Am I biased? …Possibly. But I genuinely think Pixar did a good job with this one. I will be happy to watch Cars and Cars 3 back to back someday.

Now, I look forward to Coco.