A big congratulations to Cars 3 Director Brian Fee on his directing debut.
Brian isn’t from Buffalo but his lovely wife Elizabeth Hodan Fee is originally from Kenmore (disclosure: Liz happens to be my ‘cousin’). They reside in California but often return to WNY when Brian isn’t creating smash hits for Pixar and Walt Disney.
The movie has been getting rave reviews since the premiere this past weekend:
Cars 3 feels like it has been conceived and directed, with scrupulous love and affection (and a bit of baseline corporate calculation), “for the fans.” It’s the first “Cars” film that Lasseter has handed off to one of his trainee/protégés — Brian Fee, who has never directed a feature before. Fee honed his chops as a storyboard artist, working on “Ratatouille” and the two previous “Cars” films, and what he’s come up with is an exceedingly sweet and polished fable that unfolds with a kid-friendly, by-the-book emotional directness. The CGI animation has a detailed lush clarity highly reminiscent of “Ratatouille,” and the picture moves at such an amiable pace that even the drawling, dawdling pick-up-truck doofus Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) doesn’t slow it down.
Cars 3” doesn’t just split the difference between the two previous entries in the series. It commits to change at top speed and throws “Cars” into full reverse, rocketing back past the lukewarm rustic roots of the first movie and arriving at something resembling a genuine, mature-minded drama with enough humor and adventure mixed in to ensure that both adults and children will find something to enjoy.
Laughing Place:
Don’t let the lingering stink of Cars 2 stop you from experiencing this latest outing. In fact, you can forget it even exists as there is no carryover from that film into this one, not even a passing reference. If you’re a fan of the original Cars film, you’re going to love Cars 3. It’s a refreshing and delightful surprise that proves that Pixar still has what it takes to be a leader in animated films.
It opens in theaters here in Buffalo on June 16th. Be sure to check it out!
