Lightning McQueen is taking another lap around the big screen, which makes this the perfect time to settle a friendly family debate: Which CARS movie leads the pack?
“Pixar working near its best” is how Movieguide® described the original CARS, and that high bar matters now that the 2006 favorite returns to theaters Sept. 4 for its 20th anniversary. The re-release arrives just before Lightning McQueen Day on Sept. 5, a nod to the rookie racer’s No. 95.
To rank the trilogy, we put Movieguide®’s family-content score first and entertainment-quality rating second, then used the written review as the tiebreaker. The result is closer than Chick Hicks would like: Every CARS movie earned four out of four stars for quality, while the content scores range from +2 to +3 on Movieguide®’s +4-to-−4 scale.
3. CARS 2 — Content: +2; Quality: 4/4
Third place should not be mistaken for last-garage punishment. CARS 2 takes Lightning and Mater into a globe-trotting spy adventure, and Movieguide® praised its beautiful animation, energetic action and sturdy message about friendship.
The sequel’s +2 content score puts it behind the other two entries. Its concerns include light comic violence, a complicated espionage plot, very mild bathroom humor and drinks presented like cocktails, though it contains no foul language, sexual content or nudity.
Its moral engine still runs clean. Mater’s loyalty and innocent joy help others recognize his worth, while the story rejects cheating for money or victory and makes room for sacrifice and forgiveness.
Related: CARS 3 Interview Featuring Owen Wilson
2. CARS 3 — Content: +3; Quality: 4/4
CARS 3 pulls the series back toward the heart of Radiator Springs. An aging Lightning faces the possibility that younger, technologically advanced racers have passed him, but his comeback story gradually becomes something better: a lesson in helping someone else chase a dream.
Movieguide® awarded the sequel a +3 content score and four stars for its top-notch animation, humor and heartfelt moments. The review commended its lessons about encouragement, teamwork, apologizing and seeking forgiveness, all of which echo the call in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to build one another up.
There is no foul language, sexual content or nudity. Parents of very young children should know about a fiery crash and other racing action, but the concern remains limited within an otherwise wholesome story.
1. CARS — Content: +3; Quality: 4/4
The original CARS wins the photo finish. It ties CARS 3 with a +3 family-content score and four-star quality rating, but Movieguide®’s review gives it the edge for its gorgeous animation, emotional depth and affectionate celebration of integrity, hospitality and small-town life.
Lightning begins as a self-absorbed rookie who views everyone around him as either an obstacle or an accessory to success. Radiator Springs slows him down long enough to discover friendship, humility and sacrificial love — a journey that brings Matthew 16:25 to mind.
The content concerns amount to two light exclamatory profanities, a few mild terms and comic gags, and cartoon crashes. That leaves families with very little to navigate and a great deal to discuss after the checkered flag.
All three CARS movies offer clean, lively family entertainment, and every entry crossed Movieguide®’s quality finish line with four stars. Yet the first movie still understands its own lesson best: The winner is not always the one who gets there fastest, but the one who learns whom the race is really for.
Read Next: CARS Races Back Into Theaters for Its 20th Anniversary
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