Wow, can you believe we’ve reached the release date of the third installment of Pixar’s fantastic Cars series? It feels like just yesterday when Lightning McQueen first zipped around that race track towards the finish line. Then, before you knew it, Mater was sent abroad on a fast-paced international spy mission, while we the fans were given the sequel of a lifetime.
And now, in summer 2017, we finally get to rejoin our pals for one more nitro-fueled adventure!
Here are seven reasons why Cars 3 might bring back my dad.
1. You’ve never met a Larry the Cable Guy fan like my dad. I mean, we followed Larry’s career from Blue Collar Comedy Tour through Witless Protection and beyond. Heck we even bought a ticket just to see his cameo in A Madea Christmas. When it comes to bringing back my dad, hopefully Larry the Cable Guy can “Git R Done!”
2. The smells and sounds of popcorn popping. Picking out the best seat. Joking about which trailers are worst. What father wouldn’t want to join his son for a great summer afternoon in an air-conditioned multiplex? And since we zoomed right past spending Father’s Day together, maybe we can make up for it by watching Lightning McQueen and his friends zoom through one action-packed scene after another!
3. So far, none of the other Pixar movies have successfully re-animated my father’s corpse. When Monsters University came out, I was sure it’d give ol’ Dad’s rotting flesh the jump he needed. But alas, we sat through the whole movie in a slowly-emptying theater. I’m hoping Cars 3 will make up for all those other tries.
4. My dad loves trilogies. I mean, the guy raised me on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. You know something? He was the rare fella that actually liked The Godfather Part III. I’ve got my fingers crossed that this installment, turning the Cars franchise into a trilogy, will be able to raise my father from the dead.
5. It was a tragic hit and run that took my father away from us. Actually, it was three tragic hits and runs. And if my dad was killed by three cars, shouldn’t Cars 3 be able to bring him back? There’s a beautiful poetry to that logic, and it helps me sleep more peacefully at night.
6. I’ve petitioned first-time director Brian Fee to include a shaman-like character who will use various spells and enchantments to conjure the dead. If you find yourself in a theater suddenly filled with the restless spirits of those with unfinished bidding, well, you can thank me.
7. Inside Out made me cry. Not just because it was another Pixar movie that failed to bring my father back to life, but also because of the complex characters and moving narrative arc. If I know one thing about my dad, it’s that he did not like to cry. Hopefully, Cars 3 will spend most of its time re-treading familiar stories and settings. I’m just hoping that when he sees Radiator Springs on the big screen, my dad’s eyes will flood with the light that went out all those years ago.