Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, left, and Cruz Ramirez, voices by Cristela Alonzo, in a scene from Cars 3. Photo/AP
Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, left, and Cruz Ramirez, voices by Cristela Alonzo, in a scene from Cars 3. Photo/AP
Lightning McQueen's new boss eyeballs the ageing race car, lowers his voice, and delivers a truth bomb. It's one that's going to hurt.
"Every time you lose, you damage yourself," says Sterling, McQueen's new sponsor who's voiced by a stern Nathan Fillion. "I'm sorry - your racing days are coming to an end."
It's a common theme for many an ageing sports star, and one that repeats itself throughout Cars 3. What do you do once your hot streak comes to an end?
Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, left, and Cruz Ramirez, voiced by Cristela Alonzo, in a scene from Cars 3. Photo/AP
For McQueen, his future isn't looking too great. In that same scene, he's surrounded by souvenirs, toys, mud flaps, board games and breakfast cereal all bearing his name.
It kind of looks like Toyworld whenever a new Cars movie hits theatres, which is a nicely-timed meta moment signifying that Brian Fee's directorial debut isn't afraid to have a wry dig at itself.
But the big question facing McQueen's career is also one Cars 3 needs to answer: Will this damage Pixar's Cars legacy even further, especially after the clunky and uneven Cars 2.
Thankfully, Cars 3 is a much smoother, safer ride, thanks largely to its addition of a little self-awareness, a few zippy racing sequences, and a lot of wokeness.
That comes in the form of Cruz, a peppy race-car trainer voiced by Cristela Alonzo who's been paired with McQueen to bring him up to speed - sorry - to compete with a new breed of younger, more high-tech race cars.
There are plenty of sporting movie cliches in Cars 3, including training montages, come-from-behind racing sequences, self-help motivational speeches and the tried-and-true rivalry between young bucks and the older establishment.
But it's raised up by a beautifully realised final third, including a smashing smash-em-up car derby in the dark, a tense final cliffhanger, and a passing of the torch from McQueen to, well, let's not give that massive spoiler away here.
A scene from Cars 3. Photo/AP
It signifies that this may be the last time around the track for McQueen, and if so, it's been a great run. But let's hope we see a newer model hitting the circuit next time around.
Cars 3
Director: Brian Fee Starring (voices): Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper Rating: G Time: 102 minutes Verdict: Franchise finds a few revs third time around the track
