Pixar has fancied itself as the creative leader in the movie world. They pride themselves on making movies that appeal to all age groups, boys and girls, men and women, mothers and sons, fathers and daughters. Cars 2 was not made in that vein. I've no doubt that once this sequel/franchise was forced upon him, Mr. Lassester did everything he could. Unfortunately, there was not much he could do with that cast of characters, and the mandate that the film appeal more to world wide audiences.
Just curious how you know it was "forced upon" Lasseter. In the current edition of Disney Twentythree Magazine, Lasseter talks with great passion and enthusiasm about how he got the idea for the sequel while traveling the world promoting the first Cars, and thought it would be fun to put Mater in the "fish out of water" position of trying to make sense of these other cultures. Everytime I've read or heard Lasseter talk about either Cars film, you can tell they are labors of love for him and not a "cynical money grab".
I agree that the powers that be on the business side of Disney probably green-lit the film because of its "franchise" or "merchandise" potential, but I don't think that automatically means that Lasseter had those same motivations for the sequel. He's always said he would only make sequels that could live up to the Pixar standards, and IMO this one does. And I'm not even in the so-called "target age group"!
True, I did like the first Cars better, but that's a tough act to follow as it's my second favorite Pixar film.
But I liked Cars 2 roughly 7th of the 12 Pixar films, and even preferred it over the "critically aclaimed" Toy Story 3 and WALL-E. (which is a very respectable ranking, considering the competition).
I really enjoyed Cars 2 and thought the film was very funny, the visual depictions of the various locales were AMAZING, and the film DID have heart, if not as much as the original.
You're dead if you aim only for kids. Adults are only kids grown up, anyway.
-Walter Elias Disney
Very true, and a great quote!
But he also said:
"I do not make films primarily for children. I make them for the child in all of us, whether he be six or sixty. Call the child innocence." - Walt Disney
I have a hunch that a LOT of the adults who didn't "get" the appeal of Cars 2 (ESPECIALLY the negative critics), were looking at it through the world-weary cynical eyes of the cynical age in which we live, and not seeing it through the innocent eyes of the "child in all of us", as Walt says.
Here's a great review from an actual critic who DID like and "get" the movie:
http://www.wdtimes.com/features/article_9128c336-9e7b-11e0-9923-001cc4c002e0.html
Lastly, Walt also said repeatedly that he didn't make films that were intended to please the critics' expectations of "high art", but that he made movies for his audiences - the paying public - to enjoy.
After the first "Golden Age" of Walt's animated features ended, he didn't get the universal love from the critics anymore. Many of his films were criticized, but were big hits with the public - just like Cars 2.
Not being a critical golden boy throughout his career did not stop the public from supporting Walt Disney's films, parks, and tv series throughout his lifetime and beyond.
Nor did it tarnish his reputation of "Look to the name Walt Disney for the finest in family entertainment".
And in that same spirit, I think Pixar will survive this "crises" of Cars 2 having below 50% critical approval on "Rotten Tomatoes" just fine, as the public likes the movie above 60% on that same site, and it is doing very well at the box office and undoubtedly will on Home Video as well.
