Cars 2 is among the most criticized Pixar films of all time and broke one of the studio’s most impressive streaks upon release. It was no surprise that a sequel was made after the success of Cars in 2006. Five years later, Cars 2 was released to a wall of negative reviews from critics and fans. The film scored 39% on Rotten Tomatoes and received an IMDB score of 6.2/10. Not every Pixar film can be an overwhelming critical success, but Cars 2 It was particularly troubling for what it didn’t do after its release.
Pixar films are memorable for the stories they tell and the awards they take home afterwards. Since then Toy Story By 1995, most of the films released by Pixar had received critical success. Unlike most Pixar films, Wars 2 it did not receive impressive praise and even lost a typical honor given to the company’s films. Pixar’s next films will need to avoid the same fate that befell them Cars 2 and the way it carried over into Pixar’s legacy.
Cars 2 was the first Pixar film that was not nominated for an Oscar
Cars 2 It was Pixar’s 12th film, but it failed to reach the heights of other Pixar films
Cars 2 ended an unprecedented streak of 11 consecutive films receiving an Oscar nominationwhich is one of the most infamous aspects of the oft-criticized film. Pixar films, especially in the studio’s first decade of success, received a lot of criticism from critics. This included Oscar nominations for all of his films. Of these, six films won the Best Animation award.
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Toy Story received a special award for its innovation in animation in 1995. After that, several were nominated, especially after the introduction of the Best Animated Film Award. During that initial streak of success, six Pixar films won Best Animated Film. These included Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Aboveand Toy Story 3. The first Cars the film was nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song. However, the sequel not receiving a nomination is not surprising when looking back at the film’s reception.
Why wasn’t Cars 2 nominated for any Oscars in 2012 – should it have been?
There’s a good reason Cars 2 It was considered a critical failure upon release
In Cars 2Lightning McQueen sets out to race in Europe, with his best friend Mater getting involved in a game of spies along the way. This leads the rusty tow truck to travel around the world pretending to be a spy, uncovering a conspiracy surrounding the races McQueen is competing in. While the film has some fun moments that lean into the inherently ridiculous nature of the premise, the film fails to reach the same standards of narrative excellence seen in previous Pixar films. While the animation was great, that’s to be expected from all Pixar films.
Cars 2 it also ran the risk of being a completely different story to its predecessor. The 2006 film was Lightning McQueen’s moving redemption story about finding humility and creating true friendships, while Cars 2 it was a spy thriller – and a strange one at that. The contrast between the two films was very off-putting, which affected the story. Having a weird spy movie with Mater as the main character in place of a nice McQueen story was confusing. Even the spy story itself felt very disjointed throughout the film.
Only five other Pixar films were not nominated for an Oscar after Cars 2
Cars 3, Finding Dory, Monsters University, The Good DinosaurAND Light year Failed to win the Oscar Cred
While Cars 2 failed, the film’s box office success led Pixar to make Cars 3. Although it was an improvement over the previous film, this film and four others did not receive an Oscar nomination, highlighting how Pixar’s impeccable trend was broken by Cars. However, that doesn’t mean the studio has completely lost the films’ critical standing. Assuming the huge success Inside Out 2 receives a nomination for Best Animated Film, 22 of Pixar’s 28 films will have received a nomination. This represents about 78% of its total production.
Even with the presumption that Inside Out 2 will win next year’s award, Pixar’s longest dominance appears to be over.
It should be commended that almost four out of every five films Pixar makes will receive an Oscar nomination. However, a worrying trend appears to be occurring more frequently than before Cars 2. Pixar films aren’t getting nominations as often, and the last Pixar film to win Best Animated Feature was Soul in 2021. Even with the presumption that Inside Out 2 will win next year’s award, Pixar’s longest dominance appears to be over.
Pixar faced a weak reception from moviegoers emerging from the pandemic. Elementary did not perform at the box office as expected by Pixar, while Light year was fraught with controversy and fan backlash. It was refreshing to see Inside Out 2 be so well received by fans commercially and critically. Unfortunately, this harsher trend towards Pixar was started by Cars 2: The same film that ended its dominant 16-year run.