A fun and colourful adventure!

Rating: 7/10 (5 April 2015)

Something of a phenomenon when it was released, everyone was talking about this movie when it came out. But to be honest the idea of giving cars eyes, faces and personalities is not a new thing, I mean Thomas the Tank Engine already had that one figured with Bertie the Bus a good 50 years ago!
But anyway, what I think of the movie. It's actually not that bad, it's quite a chirpy, upbeat little story about a fast paced, high flying racing car that becomes stranded in a rural desert town and after being imprisoned there for some time grows to appreciate the quiet life that these other cars lead. Not a particular fan of Owen Wilson's voice, it does become grating after a while but the voice actors for the other cars aren't that bad. Very good animation, of course you can't expect anything less from Pixar, the folks that gave us Toy Story and Finding Nemo.
However, some of the jokes are a bit awkward, I dare say the only people who would notice are really car enthusiasts, but even then they're a bit outlandish. For example, at one point Lightning points out that the female car (a Porsche 996) is a Carrera.
What does that mean?
Does it mean she's got a 3.4L engine? Does it mean she's got a Tiptronic Transmission to allow for both Automatic and Manual drive? Was it a school she went to? What's the joke?
Yeah, jokes like that are a little confused at times, and even make car enthusiasts scratch their head in confusion because there's no punchline or closure to them. But that doesn't make the movie an abject failure, in fact I think it holds up pretty well. I certainly enjoyed watching it, not my favourite film in the whole world mind you, but I could still see it as a pleasant little piece that kids would enjoy. Certainly sold a lot of toys I seem to recall, I ended up procuring a few of them in Happy Meals!