Talk about the little engine that could. Despite poor reviews, "Cars 2" crossed the weekend's finish line in first place at the box office. In the end, it seems that the Pixar sequel revved up audiences just enough to take in $68 million. Of course, that number probably had very little to do with 3D and a lot to do with a billion-dollar franchise.

Ask any Pixar fan and they will tell you that the original "Cars" is not the fan favorite. It's not even the third favorite. Still, the original film has 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and took in $60 million in its debut. Because of the sequel's track record with critics, a few were predicting that "Cars 2" would debut well below the original. Aah... the power of little plastic cars...

Here is what Disney says:

"Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer). Mater's action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors."

Here is what critics say:

"This is Pixar's third attempt at releasing a 3D movie, and it's by far their best. They get almost everything right, and if only they'd put forward the extra effort necessary to deliver a few 'Before the Window' thrills along with everything else, this would easily rank as one of the best 3D movies ever released." - Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend

"It's a better entertainment experience than the first 'Cars' but not a particularly good film unless you really love explosions, tired feel-good subplots and ubiquitous car puns (they gamble with fuzzy dice, which is actually pretty funny). It's prettier in IMAX and the 3D is so good that you don't even notice that it’s in 3D, which is a mercy." - William Bibbiani, CraveOnline

"I chose to see 'Cars 2' in 3D, and much like the the 3D use in other Pixar films, it's used more for a sense of immersion rather than going for in-your-face effects. I think it's pretty nicely done, but not really essential to your enjoyment of the film. It's more of an enhancement than anything else, still some of the scenes really do shine with that enhancement." - Darren Goodhart, The Trades

[Photo: © Disney/Pixar]