When it comes to Pixar, two films constantly vie for the ranking of “worst” and those films are Cars and A Bug’s Life. I have no idea how A Bug’s Life became so underrated, but the placement of Cars as a least favorite makes sense. For one the first film had the most pedestrian and predictable plot of any Pixar film up to that point, and for another the most interesting character in the movie was played by Larry the Cable Guy. And – as the joke was at the time – no one understood why Pixar would go to the trouble of making a CGI version of Doc Hollywood. What may be interesting about the film is that it could conceivably be John Lasseter’s final feature length directing gig as he’s now one of the main movers and shakers behind Disney.
Well, for those who didn’t like the first film, the new teaser trailer for Cars 2 suggests a film that will have little or nothing to do with the original! There’s a new teaser for the film and it hints that the returning characters Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Cable Guy) are (accidental?) spies on a globe-hopping adventure. Pixar doing a comic riff on James Bond? I could get down with that. Cars was one of Pixar’s biggest merchandising successes, so a sequel was coming, and the original story didn’t promise something interesting. Credit where credit is due, it looks like they took a couple of characters and abandoned the rest. In this case, a Cars sequel “in name only” is the best way to go.
23 comments
I don't care what anyone says, I liked Cars. But that could be due to the fact my 2 and 4 year old forced me to watch it incessantly…
I loved A BUG'S LIFE. I can understand some not liking it though, but it's not the worst Pixar film by a long shot.
Also love "A Bug's Life". The recurring joke with Denis Leary as a male ladybug is gold.
I like A Bug's Life as well. I don't care for Cars, although I'm judging it as a Pixar film. If it had been released by Dreamworks, I probably would have thought it was decent (if forgettable).
I've never seen Cars, but always found it a bit… interesting, that the Pixar movie disliked the most is the one that tends to play to an audience that usually gets cast aside for the more tree-hugging ones.
I am sorry, but I thought Ratatouille was the worst Pixar film.
I would just call those 2 my least favorite of the group. Of course they would have to junk the Paul Newman & George Carlin vehicles…sad those were pretty good as well.
Yeah, more Andre! Lovin' it!
@6 Mike:
How can you think Ratatouille was the worst Pixar film? Ratatouille was the first time there was serious talk of an animated movie being nominated for Best Picture since Beauty and the Beast.
That movie is structurally sound and very well polished. What don't you like?
Because from a cinematical standpoint Ratatouille is one of the most solid that Pixar has released.
Cars wasn't awful. It's certainly better than about 90% of the animated dreck that fills the screens these days. And I have always considered Bug's Life to be among the top 5 Pixar movies, it's really really good.
@6 Anthony: Don't bother. If someone considers Ratatouille the worst Pixar film, an defense that includes phrases like "structurally sound" or "cinematical standpoint" is falling on deaf ears.
I've warmed to Cars over the last year (due to heavy rotation once the child got it). Loved Ratatouille (the scene where the food critic flashes back to his childhood on tasting the ratatouille is great) but daughter didn't so it's only been on once. Currently she's obsessed with Tinkerbell so the Pixar oevre is on much less. At least the Disney Tinkerbell movies, while being aimed squarley at children, don't talk down to them and have decent production values unlike the frankly fucking atrocius Barbie movies and any of the god-awful 'Buddy' movies (all of which have been banned from our household).
A Bug's Life is definitely one of my favorite Pixar movies (and hugely underrated). Cars was dreadful.
I really liked Jeremy Pivel in Cars, more or less playing Ari Gold from Entourage. Otherwise it was terrible.
So now they're going to the trouble of creating a CGI version of If Looks Could Kill?
Wow, I had no idea people didn't like A Bug's Life. I just watched it again recently, it's really freakin' good.
Holy shit… Andy B, are you me? I could have written that exact same comment. Freaky!
I love A Bug's Life. Monster's Inc, however, does nothing for me. I never even bothered seeing Cars.
Looks like I'm in the minority here as well then, because I really didn't like Ratatouille very much… no… not much at all. It's not their worst film by far (A Bugs Life only gets that distinction as it's one of their oldest and, lets face it… hasn't aged well) but I never enjoyed it at the cinema… not like their others. I actually didn't mind Cars… again, wasn't great… but not I'd put it ahead of Ratatouille… sue me.
"Cars" was a decent movie – can't fail with Michael Keaton aboard – and obviously so was "A Bug's Life". Pixar's "ambitious" garbage, "Incredibles" and "Ratatouille", does deserve the scorn, though.
Cars is good, i like it. And Ratatouille is indeed shit and the worst Pixar movie ever.
I liked cars, but only because of the way they tied in a good bit of NASCAR history (the Hudson Hornet was a terror in the early days). Aside from the NASCAR tie, it was pretty lame for a Pixar film.
Bug's life, on the other hand, ROCKED.
Yes, the problem described in a post existed for a long time. But who will decide?
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