Over the past ten and a half years Disney/Pixar has somehow managed to make us fall in love with toys, bugs, monsters, and some fish. And we haven’t only fallen in love, but they also have made them relatable and more human than most humans. The Incredibles were the closest that came to real human characters, but now with Cars they’ve done a total 180. Now we have a chance to fall in love with living, breathing hunks of metal. Cars has all the heart of Disney and the cutting edge computer animation that has consistently put Pixar in first place.
Owen Wilson leads the talented cast as Lightning McQueen, a red rookie racecar who dreams of winning the Piston Cup, the most coveted prize in racing. En route to the championship race in Los Angeles, Lightning McQueen gets into an accident on the Interstate and falls out of his cushy tractor trailer, Mack (John Ratzenberger). He ends up on Route 66 in Radiator Springs, a small forgotten town that everyone in the modern world has seemed to have forgotten. When he tries to find his way back to the interstate, Lightening gets into trouble and the mayor, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), sentences him to community service. Spending time in Radiator Springs makes the young speedster slow down, and he realizes that there’s more to life than the fast-paced, success-driven life that he has come to know.
While in Radiator Springs, Lightning meets a variety of quirky people—or whatever. His best friend is Mater (“Just like a ‘mater without the ‘ta’”), the rusty old tow-truck who runs the impound lot—voiced by “Blue Collar” comedian “Larry the Cable Guy.” Lightning’s love interest is Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), a hot 2002 Porsche 911 who serves as the prosecuting attorney and owns the local motel, the Cozy Cone. More than all the others, Sally wishes to attract tourists and put Radiator Springs back on the map. Other notable personalities include Ramone (Cheech Marin), a 1959 Impala low-rider who owns the local paint and body shop, and his wife Flo (Jenifer Lewis). There’s also a hippie VW bus (George Carlin) who sells “organic fuel.” There are many others, but I’m just trying to show that you too will easily get to know and care about all of the characters, who are what make the movie great.
Director John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life) brings the world of Cars to life in a fun and imaginative way. Everybody and everything is some kind of vehicle. Flies and mosquitoes are tiny Volkswagen Bugs with wings and tractors are cows. At one point in the film Mater takes Lightning out for some “tractor tippin’.” Gas stations are restaurants, garages are motels, paint shops are clothing stores, and tire shops are shoe stores.
It may not be quite on par with Finding Nemo or The Incredibles this film proves that Pixar still has the magic touch. We’ll have to see what they can do in the future, now that Disney has completely bought them out. Nevertheless, Cars has an appeal all its own. Although the circumstances may not be as dire or the stakes as high as with some of its predecessors Cars reminds us that we don’t need to be so caught up in everything. There’s always time to sit back and relax and remember the good old days. It’s plain and simple, and that’s all it has to be.
With its ‘G’ rating, parents can feel safe in bringing their children to this movie. I brought my six-year-old brother, Mikey, with me, and I think he was more fascinated with the fast cars than he was with anything else. Adults should also enjoy it, not only for its message, but also for its witty humor. In fact, I think I laughed harder than Mikey did. Cars gets four out of five bees, or should I say black and yellow pinstriped miniature VW Bugs with wings?
