In 2006, Pixar could do no wrong.  Every film up to this point featured a variety of memorable characters and themes that resonated with audiences, making each one a giant hit.  Whether the story was about toys, monsters, bugs, or fish, the studio came up with one quality film after another.  For the next project, John Lasseter decided to focus on Cars.  Not only did he give the okay for the movie, he also acted as the director, screenwriter, and the story developer for this film. In other words, this movie held a high level of personal investment for him.  Not since Toy Story had Lasseter been so directly involved.  Would Lasseter’s efforts lead Pixar to pull off another triumph……? 

The film begins with a young, brash car named Lightning McQueen.  His ultimate goal is winning the Piston Cup, so he can score a lucrative endorsement deal.   He is a superstar, but thanks to his great success, he is egotistical and has no concern for anyone else. In the opening scene, he is competing in the big, final race.  McQueen is on the last lap and is in the lead. Unfortunately, he ignores his pit crew’s advice, and as a result, his tires fail.  This costs him the win, and the race finishes with a three-way tie between McQueen and two other race cars.  To break the tie and award a winner for the cup, the three cars must travel to California and compete in one final race.  On the way to California, the truck carrying McQueen falls asleep.  Lightening is ejected from the truck and left stranded in the middle of the highway.  As McQueen struggles to find the freeway, he is soon caught for speeding by an officer and crashes into an abandoned town.  This town is Radiator Springs, a onetime booming community.  Lightning goes to a court hearing held by Doc Hudson, the elder statesman of  the town, who allows him to leave.  However, before the final ruling, Sally Carrera argues that McQueen should be ordered to do community service.  As penance, he would be responsible for repaving what’s left of the old, battered main street.  Doc agrees and Lightning is stuck in Radiator Springs until he finishes the project.

At first, McQueen rebels and tries to escape, only to run out of gas.  He grudgingly begins the project, and soon becomes friends with a worn down tow truck named Mater.  He also develops a close relationship with Sally, who provides him with the history of Radiator Springs.  She reveals that the town was once a thriving tourist spot, but since the opening of the interstate, business has dried up.  The only car who remains skeptical of McQueen is Doc.  Lightning later discovers that Doc had been a successful racer himself, but his career was cut short by a devastating crash on the race track.  Soon, McQueen finishes paving the main street and the town celebrates.  However, the festivities are interrupted by a swarm of cars who are here to take McQueen away to compete in the big race in California.  McQueen disappears with his entourage, leaving his new friends behind in the dust.

Once again. Pixar’s animation is spectacular. The personalities and mannerisms of the different cars in the film are all unique and very expressive.  In addition, I love how the animation captures the landscape of Radiator Springs and brings back the romanticism of Route 66.  The film also does a great job creating the speed, intensity, and adrenaline of the races themselves.

The voice acting is also terrific.  You couldn’t ask for a better lead vocal for McQueen than Owen Wilson.  Paul Newman’s voice gives the final touch of authority and respectability for Doc’s character.  Not to be forgotten is Bonnie Hunt as the charming Sally.  And of course, Larry the Cable Guy, who steals the show with his performance as Mater.  Only Larry could successfully lend the voice that made the good-natured Mater so lovable and easily my favorite car in all of Radiator Springs. He is a great character and his upbeat attitude and relentless optimism are representative of why this town should be restored.

I also really loved the story, the characters, and the themes in the film.  I fell in love with Radiator Springs and had a vested interest in seeing it revived.  Although McQueen is self-absorbed, he is still very likable.  His character is a microcosm of what ails society today.  McQueen is convinced that being famous and successful are what matter, which is just like what society promotes today.  He soon discovers during his time at Radiator Springs that loyalty, friendship, and self-sacrifice are more important.  One of the greatest sequences happens after McQueen finishes paving the road, and we see all of Radiator Springs lit up.  It’s a great scene that invites us as the audience to share in the joy of this moment.  I also love the twist at the end during the final race.  Without revealing anything, I thought it was very inspirational and moving.  

The most complex car is Doc Hudson.  Instead of portraying him as a stereotypical father figure or mentor, Pixar gave his character multiple layers.  He has the town’s best interest at heart but struggles with his own bitterness over his early retirement.  He helps McQueen even though this arrogant car reminds him of everything wrong about racing.  While the town respects Doc, they also see him as an old, past his prime car.  They scoff at the mere mention of him being a former racing champion.  This makes Doc a sympathetic character and also emphasizes the pain that Lightning’s presence brings him.  McQueen reminds Doc of his past glory and ultimately, how the racing industry rejected him.  Doc’s moment of redemption at the end of the film is just as gratifying as McQueen’s.

I thought the race car driver cameos were a mixed bag.  Richard Petty seemed like the appropriate choice to provide the classy voice for King and designating his real-life wife to voice Mrs. King was an especially nice touch. However, I have to criticize the voices chosen for the team of announcers of the races.  Bob Costas is a great play-by-play announcer, but as far as I know, I don’t think he’s ever announced a NASCAR race.  Not sure why the movie didn’t use Mike Joy instead, who typically broadcasts this sport,  Since Darrell Waltrip is an analyst for NASCAR, I was okay at first with him handling the analysis in Cars. Unfortunately, his character in the film attempts to be a race car version of Dick Vitale, going crazy after every turn and crash.  This is minor complaint, but it did take a little away from the excitement of the first and final races.  

When I started watching this film, I have to admit that I wasn’t very excited about it.  I was never interested in cars and only saw them as a way to get from point A to point B.  I cared even less about NASCAR.  (Unless you count following the Daytona 500, playing the arcade racing game at Dave and Buster’s, or thinking Richard Petty looked cool in his cowboy hat.)  Yet, Lasseter and his team won me over with Cars.  It’s a great action film with all the adrenaline pumping racing sequences, but it’s more than that.  It also delivers a valuable message during this crazy period in history, where self-worth is measured by the number of likes someone receives on Facebook.  Cars proves that community is preferable to individualism, and only through friendship and service can this modern disease of excessive self-importance be cured.  I never thought that a Pixar film about a little red  car’s personal growth could deliver such a meaningful message, but it did.  

-Flyin’ Brian

Brian’s Rating 8/10