Cars 2

Cars 2 (2011) is a Pixar sequel directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Brad Lewis, and voiced by Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro and Eddie Izzard. Race car Lightning McQueen enters a World Grand Prix across several countries, and he brings his best friend, the tow truck Mater, along.

The film shifts the focus from McQueen to Mater. A case of mistaken identity pulls Mater into the world of espionage, where he meets British agents Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). It plays as a light-hearted spy thriller in the vein of James Bond, set in a world populated entirely by cars and full of car-based puns.

Around the racing and the intrigue runs a simpler story about friendship. Mater's goofy, unfiltered personality clashes with the polished international stage, and with McQueen's growing embarrassment.

At its core, the film argues that a true friend should be accepted for who he is, flaws and all. Mater's quirks are the very things that make him valuable, and McQueen has to learn not to be ashamed of them. The spy-movie wrapper dramatizes the idea that underestimated, "simple" people can see what sophisticated experts miss. It is also a story about loyalty tested by public embarrassment.

Some viewers treat the film as a spin-off rather than a true sequel, which makes Mater's lead role easier to accept. Others read it as a Bond parody first and a Cars story second. Some critics saw the elevation of a side character as an overreach, while defenders appreciated that he balanced the intellectual spy world.

Cars 2 was a commercial success, grossing roughly $562 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing film of the franchise. Critically it was divisive: it holds a 39% on Rotten Tomatoes from 203 reviews, the first 'rotten' rating for a Pixar film, and its consensus called it visually appealing but rusty in storytelling. Critics complained about the focus on Mater, the G rating and a perceived lack of Pixar warmth. Some theorized that the backlash was partly about Pixar's broadened focus on sequels, a claim Lasseter rejected. A sequel, Cars 3, followed in 2017.

Audience responses were mixed. Praise went to the animation, the action set pieces, the soundtrack, and new characters such as Finn McMissile and Francesco Bernoulli. The main criticisms were the heavy focus on Mater, whom many found grating on screen for so long, the sidelining of the Radiator Springs characters, and a plot seen as thin. Some viewers defend it as an enjoyable action comedy, though the overall verdict is that it is a lesser Pixar entry.