Animation, Critics Consensus | featured news

Pixar’s “Cars 2” overcame surprisingly negative critical reviews to overperform at the weekend box office, selling an estimated $68 million at North American theaters. That No. 1 finish extends Pixar’s perfect box-office track record — all 12 of its feature films have opened in first place. How sales hold up, however, will be watched carefully. “Cars 2,” directed by John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar, represents an end to the studio’s perfect critical track record; only about 34 percent of reviews were positive, according to RottenTomatoes.com, by far the worst for any Pixar title.

The Wall Street Journal's headline says it all: " 'Cars 2' Is a Dollar-Driven Edsel." OMG! Pixar's amazing critical winning streak is over. And in a big way. Until now, Pixar had released 11 movies, none of which had ever dipped below 70 on the Rotten Tomatoes fresh rating scale, which aggregates reviews from around the country. In fact, except for the original "Cars," none of Pixar's 11 films had ever ended up with less than a 90 score at Rotten Tomatoes, with the "Toy Story" threesome all earning either a 99 or a 100.

This week at the movies, we've got aerial adventure (How to Train Your Dragon, with voice work from Gerard Butler and Craig Ferguson) and an '80s flashback (Hot Tub Time Machine, starring John Cusack and Rob Corddry). What do the critics have to say? In the world of CGI animation, DreamWorks has long played second fiddle to Pixar. However, critics say that if How to Train Your Dragon is any indication, the gap between the studios may be narrowing. Hot Tub Time Machine boasts one of the funniest titles in recent memory. And critics say the movie's pretty good, too...