'Cars 2' Review Roundup: Will this be Pixar's First Miss?

Cars 2 Reviews: Less than Positive

Cars 2 hits cinemas on June 24, and the reviews are in. We've all gotten used to the Pixar = Awesome formula, but Cars 2 may be the exception.

Cars 2 has a 36% (Rotten) rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is the first-ever Pixar movie to rate less than Fresh. The original Cars had been the least well-received of Pixar's offerings, though merchandizing must have been strong enough for the Disney-owned animation house to bust out a sequel.

Let's check out some other Cars 2 reviews:

• Variety strongly recommends Cars 2, calling it "the rare sequel that not only improves on but retroactively justifies its predecessor".
• Roger Ebert also recommends the film, writing, though was hoping that one of the characters would be a Studebaker.
•  The New York Times had more of a lukewarm reaction, saying that the film was soulless and "built to move merchandise — this series may surpass even the Toy Story films as an effective advertisement for licensed playthings — but it is notably lacking in soul or sublimity".
• The Charlotte Observer straight-up hated Cars 2: "For the first time in its 25-year history, Pixar has produced a picture that has no reason to exist – other than the obvious monetary one, of course..."

So there you go. Early reviews not so encouraging for a studio that has been virtually a sure thing in terms of storytelling quality, even with sequels. Nobody's perfect.

Besides, if you're a parent, chances are that the decision whether or not to see Cars 2 is not entirely yours.

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Cars 2 - Trailer 2

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