'Cars on the Road' Series Review
The last time Owen Wilson hosted Saturday Night Live, he appeared in a sketch where he was recording lines for a fourth installment of Cars. Throughout the session Wilson winds up reading out risqué dialogue that would obviously never appear in a children’s film, or any film really. The sketch pokes fun at how Disney and Pixar continue to milk their franchises and how the quality sometimes becomes unrecognizable as a result. Funny enough, Pixar’s actual new entry in the franchise on Disney+, Cars on the Road illustrates the exact same point, despite clearly being made with good intentions.
As the name implies, Cars on the Road follows the anthropomorphic automobile duo from the first three films, Lightning McQueen and Mater, as they embark on a cross-country road trip to Mater’s sister’s wedding. And yes, cars can get married apparently, but that revelation is hardly the strangest thing the series has to show us. Along their journey, McQueen and Mater encounter dinosaur cars, ghost cars, literal clown cars, and there’s even an allusion to the existence of Cryptid cars. Love it or hate it, the Cars franchise has always stood out for its willingness to be different and try new things. For example, Cars 2 changed the protagonist from Lightning McQueen to Mater, and the marketing for Cars 3 made it look like McQueen died. Here, that audacity is amplified.
There’s a whole episode that acts as an homage to The Shining… and it’s actually funny. The series’ version of “REDRUM” made me laugh out loud. Nothing will prepare audiences for the episode that totally rips off Mad Max - Thunderdome and all. From one episode to the next, it’s plain to see that writer Steve Purcell and the creative team at Pixar had a blast making this series. It’s not only a love letter to pop culture, but a love letter to the limitless boundaries of animation. I appreciated that. However, my biggest problem with the show is that the momentum is not consistent.
To put it in appropriate automotive terms, the series goes from zero to a hundred and then back to zero fairly often. The two aforementioned episodes are not the only standouts in the nine episode short form series, but they are easily the best in terms of both concept and compression. When I say compression I mean that throughout their duration, they keep you fully engaged.
The series consists of nine episodes, each ranging between six and ten minutes. And aside from the two I mentioned there are only a couple more that are pointed. Most lack any real substance. Even some of the ones that are succinct in the story ultimately lead the characters and the audience nowhere. For example, the episode where McQueen and Mater go Cryptid hunting also starts off fun, but it stops just short of taking the characters hunting - or explaining how Bigfoot can exist in a world without feet - to instead introduce us to a new character. Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) plays said character, a monster truck named Ivy. And while she does have good chemistry with Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy, she adds very little to the show. In fact, you may not be surprised when she bows out after a couple of episodes, even with such a strong emphasis on her character’s introduction.
While I was disappointed with the lack of screen time Brunson got, at the same time it helped me realize the show’s true end goal - before our characters even reached their destination. Cars on the Road isn’t about McQueen or Mater either. It’s not about their friendship, or even the titular road trip. Although entertaining and remarkably random, on the surface the series is a clear cash grab.
Now, is it filled with interesting ideas? Yes. In fact, I still can’t stop thinking about what actual Cryptids might inhabit this world. If Cars 4 does get made, I’d just like to say I’d pay to see a feature length version of a Mad Max parody with McQueen and Mater. But the series as a whole is so mindless and meaningless that it feels removed from the messages of the original films. It’s not that the show is bad, but rather it isn't a good enough reason to return to revisit this world. Although Disney and Pixar will obviously keep riding until the wheels fall off, that unrecognizable quality is more than enough of a reason to keep this franchise parked.