by Denise Holcomb. Denise attended a free Advance Screening in exchange for her honest opinion.
Disney/Pixar’s CARS3 is a 3D animated movie from Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. Available in several 3D formats, and rated G for audiences, it’s the third movie in the franchise and has an all-star cast of returning favorites and new additions.
Lightning McQueen loses a race to a newbie, Jackson Storm, a car in a new breed of racers. Crashing and losing the race gets into his head and makes him contemplate retiring from racing. Unwilling to give up the race, he begins training with Cruz Ramirez in a state of the art facility run by the new owner of Rust-eze, Sterling. But the training is tough, and McQueen doesn’t have his head in the game. When he’s about to give up, Cruz tries to help him find his way so he can race in the Florida 500 to win the Piston Cup. Memories of the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet call to him, and he decides a trek to find Smokey and the track where Doc Hudson started his career.
Along with the flashbacks to Doc Hudson inspiring McQueen and giving him insight on his racing career, we learn Cruz didn’t always want to be a trainer—she wanted to be a racer, too, but her family and others allowed her to believe she couldn’t do it. During the ups and downs while training for the big race, they find themselves in a demolition derby. Cruz wins the competition. McQueen realizes he will have to do more than just drive fast to compete against the newer, fasters cars. McQueen receives a lot of advice from the old school race cars who knew Doc in his younger days. The greatest inspiration to McQueen is when he realizes how proud of him Hudson was. Hudson knew when to leave racing, and he knew how to train McQueen. Being McQueen’s pit crew chief was one of Doc Hudson’s greatest loves.

MEET THE LEGENDS — Lightning McQueen comes hood to hood with a group of characters who represent the roots of stock car racing—and provide a link to Lightning’s late coach and mentor, Doc Hudson. From left: River Scott (voice of Isiah Whitlock Jr.), Junior “Midnight” Moon (voice of Robert Glenn “Junior” Johnson), Smokey (voice of Chris Cooper), Louise “Barnstormer” Nash (voice of Margo Martindale), and Lightning himself (voice of Owen Wilson). “Cars 3” opens in U.S. theaters on June 16, 2017. ©2017 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
Barely making it to the Florida 500, McQueen lets the flashbacks and advice from Doc Hudson lead him to giving Jackson Storm some competition in the race by using techniques taught from Cruz, Smokey, and the old school racers. He has an epiphany during the race, makes a radical decision regarding Cruz, and takes a pit stop with an amazing plot twist for #95. Won’t spoil it, but it brings a lot of the events in the movie together with all of McQueen’s friends and family, plus all the fans, watching the race.

REAR VIEW — The legendary #95 may be leading the pack, but the high-tech Next Gen racers are closing in fast. Directed by Brian Fee and produced by Kevin Reher, “Cars 3” cruises into theaters on June 16, 2017. ©2016 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
A lot of life lessons are expressed in this movie for all ages. Sometimes one has to reflect on the past, remember lessons learned, and apply them to go the distance in one’s future. Don’t let people tell you that you can’t achieve great things. You can decide your destiny for your career. Inspiring for the young audience, but still important reflections for all ages.
The races are exciting, the commentators are entertaining, and the all-star cast of characters is fantastic. The 3D experience heightens the thrills, the music soundtrack was perfect, and the plot line makes a great installment in the Cars series. Engaging the audience who clapped and cheered, it remains a family-friendly movie for all ages. Make sure to stay through the credits for Mater. We really enjoyed CARS3 and recommend it for a fun night out.
Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3 is now playing in theatres everywhere!
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