The Pixar trilogy nobody asked for has seemingly come to an end with Lightning McQueen's third left turn in this 11 year-old franchise. Much to my surprise, Pixar Studios' "Cars 3" is a charming and heartfelt film much like the film that began this "Cars" craze. While I do sit in the minority in believing "Cars" to be a genuinely good movie, and agreeing with the majority on "Cars 2" being one of Pixar's worst efforts by far (especially compared to their standards), I'm happy to see this franchise race to the finish on a high note. Unfortunately, it's the sins of the past that come back to haunt "Cars 3", and prevents it from being more than just a good film instead of a great one. After my re-watch of the less than mediocre "Cars 2" I felt my excitement for "Cars 3" really dwindle as the release date approached. I had forgotten just how much of a mistake that film was, and it made me loathe the idea of this franchise chugging on forward. We all knew that Pixar caved in and ditched quality film-making over merchandising in the sequel to the 2006 "Cars" film. Which was a huge disappointment considering their track record of approaching the film-making medium. "Cars 2" focused on Mater and his ridiculously stupid antics set to the backdrop of a spy film. Instead of continuing forward and building that Lightning McQueen legacy even higher, we got Pixar's cheapest endeavor yet. This effects "Cars 3" greatly because it feels like our main protagonist is missing a HUGE chunk of his story. As "Cars 3" begins we're supposed to believe that Lightning has aged and is getting too old, but this is all dialogue being repeated over and over again. The final product of a film is a visualized version of what was written on paper and we should have been shown this and not told this. You can show and tell, but if you do too much telling without showing then you get annoyed quickly. It's like showing up to show and tell back in elementary school and not bringing the toy you're talking about. On top of this, it makes it harder for me as a viewer to really gravitate towards McQueen and allow his arc to resonate with me. It actually makes me dislike "Cars 2" more after seeing this film because it sucks that a previous film can effect it's sequel in such a big way. Without becoming overly redundant on the sequel, I was a little disappointed in how contrived the film's biggest moments felt. No spoilers obviously, but instead of allowing this point to ease back into the narrative after a quick pit stop, it comes across as unnatural. I understand why they went this route just so they could give Lightning the send-off he rightfully deserves, but a little more creativity in getting to that point would have benefitted my experience greatly. On a positive note, Pixar just knows how to create charming film-going experiences. Even though we may end up getting emotional in most of them, when you leave that theater you're usually feeling pretty good about yourself as a human being. I usually find that I wind up discovering something about myself that I never knew was there, or something I was afraid of when I leave Pixar's movies, and in "Cars 3" I found something along those lines. There is an exceptionally crafted moment between Cruz Ramirez (who is beautifully performed by Cristela Alonzo) and Lightning McQueen right in the middle of the movie. I've had moments before that these characters talk about and discuss and it strikes an emotional chord with me because I can relate. I understand what these cars are going through or dealing with. This is something a franchise like "Cars" sorely missed in both entries prior. Pixar finally reeled it back in and made a "Cars" film operate on the foundation they always have as a studio. There's lots of not so subtle moments in this movie (I honestly think there was a three or four minute conversation of Pixar basically taking a jab at themselves for botching the approach to these movies), but they are handled well and with the right amount of care that they deserve. There's tons of commentary about being old in a present day where it's beginning to embrace the future, lots of great friendships that build to extend the "Cars" and Pixar family of characters, and it's a comeback story. I, much like most people, are suckers for comeback stories, and I feel like "Cars 3" was a fun, exciting, and fairly fresh take on the comeback story painted across a canvas that families large and wide can enjoy. "Cars 3" is just short of being a great film, but it's a film that puts the past behind itself and looks to capitalize in the future. "Cars 3" gets a 70/100