Pixar Film Analysis – Cars 3
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ll be writing analysis content on all 28 of Pixar’s animated feature films and their film making eras.
The third era is the Experimental Era, which ran from 2011 to 2019 and started with Cars 2. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Experimental Era is known for its large number of sequels, original films that thought outside the box, and an animation style perfected in each film rather than exploring new ground.
So how did Cars 3 measure up to the above features of the Experimental Era?
Large number of sequels:
This film is unique in this Era for not only being a sequel, but a sequel to a sequel, and a sequel of two films across two Eras. It is the sequel to Cars 2, which kicked off the Experimental Era, and it’s the third instalment in the Cars franchise, which began with Cars, which kicked off the Merger Era.
Original films that thought outside the box:
Whilst this is a sequel to two films, what was original about this film and where it thought outside the box was with its story. Whilst rookies taking over sport is not unique, what made this premise unique with this film was the way it was executed.
Firstly, according to the film’s IMDb page, the premise mirrors the first film – Lightning McQueen is now an old/veteran racer, like The King, and Jackson Storm is a young, cocky rookie about to overtake him. What makes this fact even more interesting is that, despite Lightning McQueen’s status as a decorated racing veteran, he is not seen directly winning a single race across the three films. In the first film, he forfeits winning to help The King, in the second film the race he was in was interrupted by the Lemon’s scheme, and in this film, he switches out with Cruz in the second half.
Secondly, NASCAR driver, Jeff Gordon, consulted on the film’s story by basing McQueen’s struggles with the next generation of racers on his experience about younger drivers outpacing him in races. Not only that, but the next generation of racers are based on then-Pixar interns, which also makes the film or its premise, slightly meta.
Animation style perfected in each film rather than exploring new ground:
According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the production of this film utilised a new rendering mode, Rix Integration Subsystem (RIS). The RIS allowed animation and rendering to take place simultaneously in a process called “hardware shading”, making it much easier for the animators to see what a completed scene would look like when finished.
The film’s Wikipedia page also states that the animators were aiming to be realistic and artistic, and part of the animation involved researching NASCAR footage for the film’s race scenes. My favourite animation moments included McQueen’s car wreck and the debris from the wreck on the tracks, because it did look incredibly realistic.
According to the film’s IMDb page, during McQueen’s races and practice at Willy’s Butte, the speedways consist of bright colours and it is sunny, to symbolise his happiness. As he becomes more sidelined over the course of the film, the speedways become dull and darkly coloured, and it is cloudy and dark outside. At the end of the film, following his shared win with Cruz and return to form, it is sunny and colourful again. Other ways that colour was used to symbolise growth was through the changes of Cruz’s paintwork and design over the course of the film as she progresses from trainer to racer.
My overall thoughts:
Overall, I felt that this film was far superior to its predecessor and should have been the standalone sequel. The premise and messages of this film mirror those of the first, and bring McQueen’s story to a clean close.
Whilst I did enjoy watching the film, I wouldn’t say that it’s the most exciting one that Pixar has released. It’s honestly a little hit-and-miss for me.
The next part of the Pixar Era Analysis series will focus on Coco.
Fun Facts and Trivia (from the film’s IMDb page):
- The sound of the portable treadmill booting up is the same sound made by Apple Macintosh computers.
- This film features more than 65 different individual racers, more than the previous films combined as Cars had 36 racers and Cars 2 had 11 racers.
- This film is Pixar’s first sequel to have a returning villain outside a cameo with Chick Hicks, the main antagonist of the first film appearing, now as a retired racer with his own talk show.
- Kyle Petty voices Cal Weathers, the nephew of “The King” Strip Weathers from the first film. The King was voiced by Kyle’s real-life father, Richard Petty.
- The names of many next generation racers are never revealed.
References:
Loveday Writing 