Pixar's 7th Home Run in a Row

Rating: Null/10 (21 June 2006)

I went to see Pixar's newest, "Cars" fully expecting not only not to like it, but possibly to DISLIKE it. Those who know me know I'm a HUGE Pixar fan, but I don't follow car racing of any kind and don't particularly care for cars (though I do know a little about classic cars-- come on, I grew up in Detroit). I was really put off by the long-running teaser that had Larry the Cable Guy as the tow truck, and went into the theater prepared to be underwhelmed.
I'd like some catsup with my previous words, please. Thank you.
Though not with the type of amazingly original story that fueled the likes of "Toy Story", "Monsters, Inc" and "The Incredibles", this film is a worthy addition to the Pixar family and is, IMHO, their 7th home run in a row.
Since anyone who's aware of this film knows the story, I won't go into it much here. Suffice to say that it IS Michael J Fox's "Doc Hollywood" revisited with a few minor differences; you can even pick out a few scenes that are darn near frame-for-frame similar. But you know what? You won't care. You're so blown away by the animation and the voice talent and the whole package in itself that you'll note the similarities and go on with the movie. The theater we were in had quite a few children of various ages as well as adults, and it kept everyone thoroughly entertained.
Being a computer tech, I'm always aware of Pixar's technology... for the first few minutes, that is. Then I'm so swept away in the movie itself that I pretty quickly forget that I'm watching animation. This one was a bit different; there were some scenes that were so amazing that I couldn't help but notice the animation, but that only made it better and more impressive. I've driven cross-country from Michigan to Arizona and let me assure you, the Pixar folks got that drive down pat!
I don't know where to start with the voice talent. This isn't all of Pixar's usual stable of talent, but the new voices are spot-on perfect for their characters. I take back what I said about Larry the Cable Guy, and Paul Newman IS that Hudson Hornet, blue eyes and all. A particularly funny part is the cow-tipping take off, which had me in stitches along with the kiddies. Come on, moo-ing and farting tractors? What's not to love?
And while I didn't get the car racing jokes, it really didn't matter. One of these days I'll sit down with a friend who does follow car racing and have her explain it to me, but in the meantime I plan to see this film at least once more before it leaves the theater. Maybe twice. Hey, how often is it that you don't tear up at the end of the movie, you get misty-eyed at the end of the CREDITS?
Oh, and, as you may have heard, DO NOT MOVE FROM YOUR SEAT until you see the Disney logo! Especially if you're a fan of the other Pixar movies, you won't regret seeing the adorable extras they threw in all along AND past the end of the credits.
Back to my Fancy Feast of bad words about this movie. Now I know better, and Pixar has won me beyond the shadow of a doubt. Whatever they do next is FINE by me!