Pixar's Cars franchise is one of its most popular offerings, earning billions for the company in box office and merchandise revenue. The anthropomorphic vehicles have a broad ranging appeal, from the very young right up to adult audiences. The family appeal is definitely one of the reasons that Cars has proven itself so popular of the previous two movies, and the movies never seem to age, meaning the popularity of the franchise is sustained.
Cars 3 is set to drive into theaters this summer, once again bringing Lightning McQueen and Mater to the big screen. It's been six years since the release of Cars 2, though, and the world of motor racing has moved on. Lightning's star is fading fast, and there's a new, faster, sleeker car on the track: Jackson Storm. Jackson has the speed to easily outrace Lightning and become the number one race car in the world, so when Lightning suffers a bad crash, it's up to Cruz Ramirez to coach him back to the number one spot. Two new international posters for Cars 3 have dropped (via badtaste), teasing the arrival of both Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez. Take a look, below.
Cars 3 sees the return of Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, and Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, while Armie Hammer and Cristela Alonzo voice Jackson Storm and Cruz Ramirez, respectively. The movie is the directorial debut of Brian Fee, who has previously worked as a storyboard artist on Disney/ Pixar movies, Cars, Cars 2, and Monsters University, among others.
In terms of expectations, audiences are looking forward to seeing McQueen return, but likely to have set the bar pretty low after the disappointment of Cars 2. The summer release date virtually guarantees steady box office takings, at least, but Cars 3 could end up being a smash regardless. The initial teaser and posters for the movie had fans worried; footage of McQueen totaling on the race track had us all wondering if this was the end, but we now know that the crash only prompts McQueen to come back bigger and better than before, with the help of Cruz Ramirez.
This being Pixar, the movie is likely to carry a message of some sort; never give up and always seek to improve, we would imagine. Very noble, of course, but all fans really want is to see McQueen and Mater back together again, and new characters that antagonize the world's number one race car just enough to make for a good, enjoyable movie.
Source: badtaste
