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Context YMMV / Cars

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1For YMMV items specific to the [[WesternAnimation/Cars1 first movie]], see [[YMMV/Cars1 here]].
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3!!YMMV items that apply to the entire franchise:
4* BrokenBase: Many older Pixar fans see the franchise as something of a downturn for Creator/{{Pixar}} as a whole. In general, a lot of the disdain for the franchise stems from its perceived CreatorsFavorite status--after all, the sequel was greenlit on the press tour of the first movie and making it the second Pixar franchise to get a full trilogy after ''Franchise/ToyStory'', and that's on top of Disney releasing a pair of theatrically-released spin-offs. All of this in spite of the consensus that the movies represent a low point for the company. That it's also a MerchandiseDriven (no pun intended) property does not do anything to alleviate the situation, with many accusing the sequels of being made only as a cash-grab. The common sentiment among these older fans is that the movies simply aren't worthy of the embellishment that Pixar has placed upon them, and that the company's efforts would be better reserved for creating new movies that are up to the company's usual quality or creating sequels to more beloved films like ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''[[note]]which did ultimately happen, albeit much later than most fans were expecting[[/note]]. That being said, the series does have its fans, especially among younger viewers who look at ''Cars'' as a GatewaySeries for Pixar, and the third movie's trailer--with the DarkerAndEdgier tone and the stunning visual effects--has indicated that Pixar is taking the franchise as seriously as any other property they've put work into.
5* CommonKnowledge: Despite popular belief, Lightning [=McQueen=] was NOT named after Creator/{{Steve McQueen|Actor}}. Rather, he was named after Glenn [=McQueen=]; a supervising animator at Pixar who died in 2002. Regardless, one cannot help but compare Lightning to Steve given how the latter was a race car enthusiast.
6* EstrogenBrigade: Lightning [=McQueen=] is very popular amongst female fans, if all the fanart he gets online is evidence enough.
7* FountainOfMemes: Practically everything Lightning, Mater, or Chick Hicks have said has become a highly quotable meme at some point, with all three characters having [[LargeHam over-the-top personalities]] and hilariously memorable lines.
8* MemeticMutation:
9** It's now something of a common internet joke to [[{{Pun}} take apart the internal workings]] of the franchise's central premise and examine it in painstaking detail, which usually causes it to either produce [[FridgeHorror horrifying results]] or to [[StealthPun fall apart]]. For example, Sarge is a 1941 Willys Model Jeep, a vehicle created for usage in WWII, which implies that there was a Cars WWII, which means there was a Car Hitler, which implies there was a [[CrossesTheLineTwice Cars Holocaust]], and so on.
10** Along the same lines, the existence of the Pope in-universe implies there was a car Jesus (further implied by another car saying "For the love of Chrysler"), which naturally invites discussion as to [[MindScrew how He was crucified]].
11** In ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', a post went viral in 2022 for noting that the existence of [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror modern airport security standards]] implies that the Cars universe [[CrossesTheLineTwice had a 9/11.]]
12** Schizophrenic [=McQueen=]/"Pull off your skin!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A tiktok username under the name of [=LukeyDumper=] uploaded a clip of himself saying the word "I don't like the way my skin feels on my body. Do you like the way your skin feels on your body? You don't? Why don't you pull it off? Pull off your skin" as a part of macro trend of schizoposting. For some reason, viewers thought he sounds like [=McQueen=] himself, which prompts fans to associate him with the eponymous car, and subsequently creates multiple low quality edits of [=McQueen=] [[MemeticPsychopath quoting something unhinged]] like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rwi48N_9N8&ab_channel=NINE-UP strapping your gas tanks with bombs and causes havoc]] or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67rwfPtdj_s incite chaos by murdering a cop and break the law]].[[/labelnote]]
13* PopCultureHoliday: Since 2017, Disney has commemorated September 5 as being "Lightning [=McQueen=] day", due to Lightning's race car number being 95.
14* PopCulturalOsmosis: The cars all have their eyes on their windshields rather than on their headlights like how they're traditionally portrayed in media. There's a very good chance people may not realize that this design choice is actually a reference to the 1952 Disney short ''[[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Susie The Little Blue Coupe]]''.
15!!YMMV items that apply to the tie-in game:
16* BestLevelEver: Monster Truck Mayhem, for being a awesome [[RuleOfCool monster truck destruction derby]] with [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic really cool]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtQef7ToVCI backing music]]. This race was so popular that the sequel games added even more races like it!
17* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Monster Truck Mayhem: the race comes out of nowhere, has no relevance to the story, and utilises a different type of racing style from the rest of the game. However, Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad, as it turned out to be considered the BestLevelEver.
18* ItsEasySoItSucks: While justified due to their nature as kid-appealing tie-in games, the games are often criticised for being extremely easy, to the point where you can often finish races a whole minute ahead of the closest opponent. It's to the point where some reviews recommend you play the Story Mode on Champion difficulty (accomplished by putting CHMPION as your profile name) to get ''any'' kind of challenge whatsoever.
19* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The ''VideoGame/{{Cars}}'' video game is considered to be a decent, [[ItsEasySoItSucks if unchallenging]], open world racing game.
20* PortingDisaster: Though by no means unplayable, due to storage limitations, the Gamecube version doesn't have the bonus trailers, deleted scenes and movie clips that can be purchased in the other versions and suffers from a reduced track selection in multiplayer.

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