Life is a Highway

We've had this day circled on the calendar for awhile in my house. Ever since "Summer 2011" became "June 24, 2011." My kids didn't think it would ever get here.

"Cars 2" opens today..

I'm taking the kids this afternoon -- and they couldn't be more excited. Perhaps if they read the reviews, they'd feel differently. I've read a few of them -- and they've been rough. The NY Times, the NY Post, and the NY Daily News are all pretty rough on the film. Disney/Pixar has set the bar awfully high with it's collection of kids' films that are as enjoyable for mom and dad as they are for the little ones.

Critics say this sequel relies too much on silly puns and focuses too much on Larry the Cable Guy's "Mater". So what? My son doesn't care. My daughter doesn't care. They want to see those characters they love from the first movie, which they've seen a million times. And guess what? They're are the ones driving (see what I did there?) our decision to go.

The fact that most of the Disney/Pixar offerings are really great films with excellent characters, a good story and an important lesson is the icing on the cake. In this case, the icing is for the adults. The kids only care about the cake. (In real life, it's sorta the opposite, right?)

***((UPDATE: The kids loved the movie. My daughter enjoyed the racing, my son loved the fighting. They both liked the characters. Neither one got the spy plot. I think there are adults who didn't get the plot. But, again, it doesn't really matter.))***

The other important thing here is this: The success of "Cars 2" is not measured in what critics write about it. Yes, it is measured in the box office take. But more important, it's measured in the number of cars,  games, cereal, fruit snacks, chairs, t-shirts, bed sheets, sandwich makers, underwear, and diapers they can sell. And sell, they will.

Today's Title: The Cars-related Rascal Flatts version