My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "Cars" - The Automobile Pixar Franchise Who`s Been Successful in Merchandise, But Unsuccessful To It`s Audience

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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With the release of Cars on the Road, it would be perfectly appropriate to talk about it`s predecessor and it`s franchise...

It should`ve been above the road,
since we`re jumping :) Like
Destiny`s Child :)

Yes, even cars have eyes and smiles.
It`s animation, so get used to it :)

We tried our best to be all
adorable :) Despite that it was
hard to be it :)

During their first fifteen years in the Full-Length animated industry, Pixar had a position that no other animated studio had gotten before or ever since. They were perceived as the Midas of Animation. They were getting Critical and Commercial success for each of their movies and therefore gained a huge fanbase. But truth to be told (and forgive me if my rant come across as a resentful, cause I`m not), their formula and components was getting praised to a degree that it simply became sickening.

Those aren`t my actual tires :)

Regardless of the few critcisms that Pixar got during their Prime, their formula was still regarded as being simply perfect by both audiences and critics. And frankly, when something always get overwhelming praise with no trace of criticism, it becomes questionable for the sheer reason that nothing is perfect and everything has flaws. And for overrating. Cause when something always gets pure praise, there will always be naysayers who questions it (that`s how the World works, folks). And yes, frankly, I found various of Pixar`s movies (Toy Story 2 and 3, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Wall-E) to be overrated, as they were (in my opinion) good movies, but not great ones.

I`m matching the lights :)

However, every Pantheon has it`s Black Sheep. During their prime there was one single movie that was regarded as being the lone semi-dud between their Golden Successes. And while that movie wasn`t immediatly shunned as being the downfall of the company, it still was perceived of being the inferior film. Yet that inferior movie spawned an entire franchise that is still relevant and ongoing to this day, regardless of it`s haters. And that is of course Cars.

The Reception and Staple of Cars

Our dentists should be proud :)

The overall reception and reputation of the Cars Franchise is nothing but a sheer irony. Cause the franchise has it`s passionate haters and being regarded as the first black sheep of the Pixar company. However, sales of the merchandise has been truly successful, as it has sold tremendously (Cars approached $10-Billion Dollars in merchandising in 2011). Which truly has fueled the stigma of the franchise existing for the lone reason of marketing purposes. Which truly makes the reputation of Cars an irony. But it`s still remarkable that besides Toy Story, Cars was one of the properties who managed to become a franchise with various shorts and two sequels. As opposed to their more cherished properties. At least before Pixar decided to morph into prequel/sequel teritory.

I wanted to be in the contest of
the most scariest car ever :)

True that the first Cars wasn`t as instantly hated as it`s sequel was. As Pixar would continue to make four fabulous films in a row afterwards and stroke right back with Ratatouille. But the general consensus was that it was second-tier Pixar and therefore it was the instant Pixar Golden Egg as it`s counterparts at the time. While Cars wasn`t the only dud in Pixar`s early days, as frankly A Bug`s Life has also been somewhat neglected during the years, at least that movie received good reviews and wasn`t seen as inferior Pixar back on it`s release.

Yes, I`ve encountered an
UFO. And here`s the proof :)

But it`s certainly a challenge to defend something that is instantly loathed as Cars. As for my personal opinion, I happened to love the first movie a lot and never understood why it was so massively hated. I found it to be fun, breezy and enjoyable with endearing characters (especially Mater, Guido and Luigi) and a catchy soundtrack. While I do admit that it drags at some parts and some scenes are unecessary, it`s still a fun ride (pardon my pun). The same goes for the rest of the franchise. Sure, personal tastes can be weird and subjective. But at the same time, it`s been difficult for me to realize why people have loathed it so much (sorry haters).

The Trademarks and Components of Cars

Are you trying to pee,
Lightning? :)

Released in June 9th, 2006, Cars was Pixar`s seventh film and the second summer release from Pixar (as Pixar took the Summer slot from Disney) and the second Pixar release after the two year gap after The Incredibles.

I`m Elsa-Mater :)

And Cars was not a flop, as it did well
at the Box Office ($244,082,982 Domestically and $461,991,867 Worldwide) and was the second grossing animated film of 2006 after Ice Age The Meltdown (and had the record of the highest opening weekend for a car film until Fast & Furious in 2009). In reality, Cars was not particularly different from what Pixar`s done before. It was basically about anthrophomorzing objects and portraying their world of their point of view. And yes, just like it`s predecessors, it was a buddy picture. And let`s remember that Cars was far from the first property to anthrophomorize vehicles (Thomas the Tank Engine, anyone?).

I have a beautiful grin, don`t
I? :)

John Lasseter was the director of the two first movies, which came from his love of cars (which came from his family, as his father worked on as a manager on a Chevrolet dealerships in Whittier). But Cars was his first directing job after Toy Story 2. Veteran Pixar regular Randy Newman was the composer. Owen Wilson voices the lead character Lightning McQueen (the ka-chow line was his own childhood sound for lightning and thunder), while Bonnie Hunt voices his love interest Sally.

Yes, even Jay Leno can be a
car :)

Larry the Cable Guy voices Mater, Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson (the only choice considered for the part, his final role, Lasseter`s consultant on cars and his highest-grossing film). Racing legend Richard Petty voiced the King (who was rebuilt to have his smile look like Petty`s), Cheeh Marin (The Lion King) as Ramone and of course Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger voiced Mack (who`s father drove mack trucks). Tom and Ray Magliozzi voiced the sponsors Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers (when asked of which car they wanted for their brother, they chose dodge cars). And Michael Keaton voices Chick Hicks. And racer Michael Schumaker voiced the ferrari car at the end (and did his lines in four languages).

It was hard to take a picture of
me, since I`m so large :)

As for the story of Cars, it`s a rather straight forward and conventional
plot about an arrogant, conceited character learning compassity and humility. But it`s also conventional of it`s portrayal of the hectic city life vs. the tranquility of country life. And to smell the roses and appreciate the journey (the ride scene with McQueen and Sally was urged to be taken off). So it`s basically a typical Doc Hollywood/Sweet Home Alabama premise of glorifying the tranquil country life (the plot of the interstate highway affecting the small towns was inspired by real life).

Yes, I`m repulsed by your
teeth :) Don`t ask me why :)

And also somewhat of a buddy movie between two mismatched buddies. And a elderly, mentorly character and a rookie. But it also stereotypes some American clichès in Hollywood: The Redneck stereotypes and the American Cars club. Despite how Cars takes place in a anthrophomorphized world where humans doesn`t exist (which was a conscious choice, to make it fun), it still takes place in America.

Look how low my blink
goes :)

But as typically with sports movies, it ends with an obligatory race. Cars was dedicated to Joe Ranft, it`s co-director and co-writer, who died in a car crash in 2005. It also had an all star list for the soundtrack with Sheryl Crow (Real Gone) and new renditions of old songs Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts, Lasseter`s wife favorite group) and Route 66 (John Mayer). Cars was originally going to be released in November 2005. While there was speculations of the Summer Slot being a sign of the ending contract with Disney, Steve Jobs annonced that Pixar would have Summer relases in order to synergize with DVD sales during the Holiday Season.

Behind the Scenes Information

Yes, I`m too scared to be in the
real world :) It`s a weird
place :)

The development of Cars began in the late 1990`s after A Bug's Life. Jorgen Klubien wrote a script called The Yellow Car. About an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world inspired by The Ugly Duckling, an idea triggered by the poor reception his fellow countrymen gave the Mini-El car. It was never made, but was the inspiration for Cars. It was going to follow A Bug's Life (for a early 1999 release). But it was scrapped for Toy Story 2. Later, production resumed with changes, having Mater, Doc and others in bigger parts.

We`re having an odd line :)
Don`t ask us why :)

The inspiration for Cars came when Lasseter took a cross-country road trip with his wife Nancy and five sons in 2000 after finishing Toy Story 2. For his own learning about slowing down and appreciating life during the trip. Lasseter was also inspired by the Disney short Susie the Little Blue Coupe (1952). But an argument from Nancy was that it needed to be accessible to everyone who`s not into cars. When he returned to the studio after vacaction, he approached Michael Wallis, a Route 66 historian. To make it about race cars was also deliberate, as they`re athletes in their world. The crew wanted Lightning to move differently than the other cars. With more style, inspired by Michael Jordan. When the crew looked at every movie about cars for reference, they realized that they didn`t get the details right.

We`re a subspecies of cars. The
flying mobiles :)

The production took six years. The team went to the Cobo Center in
Detroit for research. Unlike most anthropomorphic cars, the eyes were placed on the windshield, instead of the headlights (criticized by automotive blog Jalopnik). Getting performance and emotion from the characters and making them behave like cars was tough. The crew wanted them to look realistic. Originally they were designed to looser, but Lasseter reminded them of their limitations. McQueen is no specific car, designed as a hybrid of a stock car and a Le Mans endurance racer. With some Lola and Ford GT40. And yes, the cars were modeled after famous cars: The “Hudson Hornet” dominated stock-car racing in the early 1950s, as it was the fastest car on it`s day and was ahead of it`s time.

I know that you always want to
lead, Lightning. But this time
I`ll lead :)

To make Sally a Porsche was deliberate for their beauty (which the Porsche company approved), but also to mirror how Lightning doesn`t want her to be at Radiator Springs at first. Sally was inspired by a woman the crew met who owned her own cafe on Route 66 and had a lot of common with Sally. Most of the car tricks were from real tricks. The version of Route 66 by Chuck Berry was a rare second recording on a B side, without the record company even knowing that it existed. Cars also happened (until then) to be the most researched film from Pixar. McQueen's racing number was going to be 57 (to reference Lasseter's birth year), but was changed to 95 (to Toy Story`s release year).

The Reasons For the Hate of Cars

Yes, we cars lays
eggs :)

So the big question is essentially why the first Cars has been so hated? Well, there`s been many reasons for that. Some people blamed the screenplay for being skimpy, derivative and empty. Some found it too slow. Some thought the idea of anthrophomorphing cars was beyond stupid. Others found it too juvenile. Some thought that the characters was too stereotypical and were turned off by them. And that the themes around old-fashioned rural America and NASCAR racing were not accessible to general audiences.

This is what happens
when you have too
many cars in one
shot :)

Others found it to be bland, boring, generic, unrelatable and forgettable. And that it lacked charm, a tear-jerking sequence (which eventually became a Pixar trademark) and heart. And disliked the manic tone. And yes some hates it for the shallow reason that`s it`s made for commercial purposes, thanks to the aforementioned sales (yes, people can be simply that shallow). But the overall consensus for the Cars franchise was that it wasn`t living up to Pixar`s standards. Simple as that.

Cars 2: It`s Scrutiny and Backlash

This was our best tough guy
poses :)

Regardless of how the first Cars was Pixar`s minor Black Sheep, it`s hate would be nothing compared to the one the sequel got, Cars 2. Released five years and four films later in June 24th, 2011 (originally slated for a 2012 release), Cars 2 was mostly shunned by critics and did $191,452,396 Domestically and $559,852,396 Worldwide. However, Cars 2 had more weight on it's shoulders. After sixteen years of sheer success and acclaim, Cars 2 was the one who started Pixar's much maligned downfall. But as aforementioned, when something is perceived as flawless, people start to criticize and wanting it to fail. True, it would`ve been tempting to ponder if the hate Cars 2 got was related to how the first movie was lackluster. Which is why it was a film many people didn't want to see. But hey, that`s people for ya: Naysayers and fanboys hate for the most ridiculous reasons.

If it looks messy, we know it
does. It`s the whole point :)

But Cars 2 was also instantly being claimed for Disney's bad influence of Pixar. And while it would`ve been tempting to agree, the reality is that it`s a shallow statement from fanboys and purists. Cause let`s remember that Disney had owned them five years priorly and Pixar still made great movies in a row. Cause the reality is of course more complicated than that, as there are many reasons that influences a final product and many sides to a story.

I told those puffs looked better
on you than me, Mater :)

So that`s why Disney shouldn`t been solely blamed for Pixar`s bad streak. Cars 2 was hampered by many circumstances. However, if we're going to look at the true criticisms Cars 2 received, it was for it's genre. It was a spy movie, something that didn't clicked with audiences (despite how it was a deliberate choice from Lasseter`s, for his love for spy movies. And the racing plotline came from a Spanish Car Grand Prix that Lasseter saw). However, while it would be easy to groan at the idea, we could assume that the idea was inspired by honest reasons (a naive statement, but still). A genuine try with something new with the genre.

I`ll do the German Move Your
Wheel-Dance :)

Another remark is how Mater is made the protagonist and I can definitively see that complain. Mater was fun and endearing in the first film, but not a character who should carry a movie of his own. Many found him annoying in the sequel, as did I in later viewings, since he became too much in Cars 2. As he gets too much attention at the expense of the other characters (which makes the film kid-oriented). In fact, it would've been easy to call Cars 2 a full-length version of Mater's Tall Tales, for the sheer reason of him starring in his own movie.

And we did this for various
hours straight :)

But regarding the other criticisms of Cars 2, is that it was soulless, busy, frantic and lacked heart. And that it wasn`t a tearjerker as it`s predecessors Up and Toy Story 3. True, every movie has it`s haters and lovers, since even the most hated movies has it`s fanbase. And while that is true for Cars 2, it`s general consensus is that is bad. Originally Brad Lewis was the director, but Lasseter stepped up. And yes, Cars 2 had the biggest "consumer products program in industry history".

My Own Personal Opinion About Cars 2: It`s Strengths and Flaws

I know that we`re different, but
just pretend that we`re a
kindred spirit :)

And yes, I know that I`ve said this before and that it will give me a lot of flack, but I'll say it anyways: I was one of the minorities who actually liked Cars 2. No, it wasn't the greatest animated offering ever made, but I enjoyed it for what it was and thought it was good. And didn't thought it deserved the massive hate it got. However, I'll still admit that it's flawed in some ways; It's more kid-oriented and less sophisticated than the usual Pixar fare. It doesn`t feel like a true sequel, as it doesn`t continue the story and doesn`t have any structural relationship to it`s predecessor. And rather feels like a full-length Television Special than a true sequel.

Right, Pink? :)

And that Mater`s arc is poorly executed and cluttered. As the point of his arc is to learn to behave, but the story urges him (and the rest of his cast) to accept his outrageous behaviour. But it`s not executed in a cohesive way. And if there was one cringe-worthy sequence in the movie, it was the dream sequence (which was bloody awful). Yet for all the shortcomings of Cars 2, I personally found the other dud-works from Pixar more flawed (as Brave and The Good Dinosaur. Brave for it`s cluttered, half-baked story and Dinosaur for being bizarre with it`s logic and premise. Even Luca and Turning Red were below Pixar`s standards, in my opinion). But the backlash against Cars 2 was so huge that even Pixar has rarely promoted the movie among their properties.

Cars 3

Santa forgot to truly wrap
me :)

However, regarding the backlash of Cars 2, apparently Pixar learned from of it and made the third movie more similar to the first feature. Released six years later after Cars 2 (June 16th, 2017), Cars 3 was for now the latest full-length movie to the franchise. And the first of Pixar`s properties since Toy Story to get a theatrical triology. Of course the sheer existense of Cars 3 is mandatory for the commercial purposes. However, Cars 3 was critically better received than Cars 2, despite how it was financially less successful (at least Internationally and Worldwide. As it did $152,901,115 Domestically, but only $383,930,656 Worldwide). Still it couldn't prevent the naysayers from hating the franchise.

A Black car is the highest on
the car chain :)

But as for the tone of Cars 3, it`s essentially so similar the first Cars in tone that it somewhat feels like a remake. In fact, it was early announced that it was going to have more heart and be a tearjearker. And frankly, it made Cars 3 better for it. In fact, Cars 3 excludes the events and the characters from Cars 2. But it has a premise similar to Toy Story 3, as it centers around your life after your job is done. As for my personal opinion, I liked Cars 3, despite that I wasn`t as fond of it as it`s first predecessor. True, it was be superior to Cars 2, despite my fondness for the latter movie. However, due to the underperformance of it, it would`ve be easy to assume most likely that Pixar won`t ever make a Cars 4. However, there`s still been talks about it, incredibly enough.

My Own Personal Experiences of Watching the Cars Movies With an Audience

To keep myself awake I`m
gossiping with you :) Despite
how you won`t like my topic :)

However, seeing the Cars Franchise with an audience has been a interesting and varied experience. I never saw the first Cars on theaters and bought it on DVD. And I loved it so much that I saw it with a couple of friends of mine. My friends clearly enjoyed the film, but my mother simply didn't have any interest in the film because of it being about cars. However, I went to see Cars 2 Theatrically overseas with an audience who clearly enjoyed the film (as did those relatives who I saw the movie with).

I`m the Excavation Mater :)

And even applauded at the very end (yes, naysayers, it's true). But when I saw it Theatrically again in my native country, the adults in the audience clearly didn't enjoyed the film and were bored. I also happened to see Cars 3 Theatrically with an acquaintance of mine. Who fell asleep during the film. All of these different experiences are interesting to add to the never-ending debate of the appeal of the Cars Franchise, despite how they`re subjective and been interesting to analyze.

Mater

Yes, this is going to be a
cunning operation :) Despite
that it`s from cars :)

But regardless of what could`ve been said about Cars, the true breakout character of the franchise is Mater (inspired by two guys: A man named Douglas ”Mater” Keever in North Carolina. With the same introduction. And a racing fan from Redneck Hill). Inspired by an abandonded tow truck the crew saw in Kansas (and who originally was going to be a flatbed). Joe Ranft was the heart behind Mater (and also did the temporary voice so well that it was hard to find an actor to replace him. And all the scenes Ranft storyboarded stayed in the movie). He`s pretty much the mandatory sidekick, but also been the face of the franchise in more ways than one. Since he`s starred in various spinoff properties of the franchise.

I wonder what the sign besides
me says :)

But his status is really linked to how he`s the comic relief. And many times the sidekicks in animated features tends to have their life of their own (just ask Jiminy Cricket or Tinker Bell. Or Scrat from Ice Age). But sometimes the demand for screentime for the sidekick tends to come from their popularity. Which would be easy to assume that it`s been the case for Mater. However, while Pixar took that to heart with Cars 2, they also realized that he didn`t needed to be the main character in Cars 3 (despite how he does get a lot of presence in Cars on the Road). Yet one particular risk of overusing a sidekick character is how the character can be overusued or lose his/her charm. Which is one of the risks with Mater. Despite how Mater doesn`t seem to rank on lists over most popular Pixar characters, truth to be told.

Franchise

The light has taken
me :)

As for the rest of the franchise, besides it`s two sequels, Cars has been milked in forms of various shorts. First was the Mater and the Ghostlight that was featured in the Cars DVD back in 2006. About Mater being haunted by a mysterious blue light. Afterwards came Mater`s Tall Tales (2008-2012), a short series that premiered on Disney Channel that centered around Mater`s stories of McQueen. Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool was a short made for the Blu-ray of Cars 3. Following the "blindsided testimonials from the Crazy 8's, touting the transformative impact Miss Fritter's Racing School has had in reshaping the direction of their lives".

Cars was also a part of

Yeah, I know you
won`t believe it :)
But cars can dance :)

Disney Plus` Pixar Popcorn series, released on January 22, 2021 with two episodes: Unparalleled Parking and Dancing With the Cars. But for the purpose of this entry, in September 2022 we`ve had Cars on the Roads. A series of shorts launched to Disney Plus. Which takes both Mater and McQueen to new adventures. But due to how the lukewarm reception of the Cars franchise, it`s also been surprising that we`ve gotten a new installment. However, Road has still received good reviews. But hey, perhaps this is where the Cars franchise will be headed for the future?

Epilogue

Yes, I`ve replaced Santa`s
sleigh and reindeers :)

At the end, it`s truly hard to defend something that is as loathed as the Cars franchise. But it doesn`t mean that this entry is meant to be an assessment towards those who loathes it. As people have rights to have their own taste and opinions for whatever reasons. True, it would be fair to say that Cars will most likely always be stuck with a lackluster reputation for the aforementioned reasons. And that it will never get over that staple.

Even cars can dress up for
Halloween :)

And my intention is not meant to redeem the franchise by any means by sharing my personal fondness. But to scrutinize why it was hated. But for those who happens to have a soft spot for this franchise could always be pleased that it has it`s small fanbase, anyways. Not to say that Cars on the Road is meant to break that stigma. One should wonder how long Pixar wil continue to milk the franchise for what it`s worth. But regardless of the commercial intentions behind it, it`s nice to see that it`s still gets some recognition by Disney and Pixar, anyways.