A Worthy Addition to the Pixar Library

Rating: 6/10 (29 June 2006)

Pixar has done something that no other animation company has done in this day and age: created a string of six solid hits that have satisfied audiences and critics alike by giving critics the quality movies they crave, and audiences the captivating stories they desire. Whenever a Pixar movie comes out, the question is not, "Will it be good?" it is "How good will it be?" With Cars, rest assured, the answer is "Very good." The movie opens with a ridiculously fast race track scene that is animated to perfection. Lightning McQueen is our protagonist, though by no means is he a likable one. He is snobby, rude, and just plain mean. He ties the race, and he and the two other contestants must race it out in California a week later. On his way to the race, though, McQueen, due to his sleeping chauffeur Mack, gets diverted to the small town of Radiator Springs, where he must stay and fix the road that he destroyed in his attempt to escape from the town cop, who had caught him speeding.
Though the movie is a bit slow in building up to Lightning's entrance into the town, once he sets foot, um, I mean tire, into the town it is smooth cruisin' from then on. Pixar could have easily gone wrong here, by inserting a town full of cliché one-note hicks. Instead of this, though, we are introduced to a delightfully eclectic host of instantly lovable vehicles. Character development is one of Cars 'great strengths. Lightning's transformation from an uncaring big city race to car to someone we can actually care about is completely believable.
CGI is another one of Cars' strengths. Since Toy Story was released in 1995, the animation in Pixar's films has done nothing but continually grow. Each film builds upon the triumphs of the previous one, and the wonderful thing is, they are never the same. They have gone from toys, to bugs, to monsters, to fish, to superheroes, and now to cars. (And next year to rats, judging from the tantalizing trailer of Ratatouille.) Cars is just beautiful, the kind of beauty that makes you sit back in your seat and go wow. Most, if not all, of the scenery in cars is so wonderfully pulled off that it looks completely believable, with just a touch of Pixar's movie-making magic.
Here is another strength of Cars: The entire movie wasn't one big car joke. There were lots of smaller jokes and only two or three times in the whole movie was the joke funny because it was a car. (Though the tractor tipping was pretty amazing.) Other movies may have focused so much on the fact that these characters are cars, but with this movie, the fact that they are cars is just there, and is not a main point. There are fun visuals because of the fact they are cars, but by no means is that all there is to it.
Now for the flaws. Unfortunately, even counting all of Cars' great strengths, it is the worst of the Pixar films. The story itself is cliché right from the beginning. Though it is, admittedly, superbly pulled off, it never manages to make us forget that we are seeing the traditional big city guy comes to town and learns to love story. Another flaw is the large cast of characters. With over fifteen cars in Radiator Springs, not counting Lightning, Mack, and other cars that make appearances, there seems to be a crowding of the stage at times. The four main characters, Lightning, Sally, Hudson, and Mater, are all given due screen time and character development focus, but occasionally they seem to fight for screen time with some of the rest of the cast. The score of the film is generically underwhelming also; it lacks any distinctive quality at all. With previous Pixar films, the score and songs were distinctive. With Cars, it just seems like less time was spent working on it - annoying drawling country songs abound.
On the whole, my thesis remains: Cars is a very good movie. Solid script, solid visuals, and, actually, solid voice acting too. Owen Wilson as Lightning was questionable, but he turned out to be perfect. I completely forgot I was listening to Owen Wilson's voice coming out of a race car. And, as usual, Pixar has made the credits into a sort of mini-movie. Stick around during them, and you will be treated to car versions of Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Monsters Inc. They are simply hilarious. There is a little something after all the credits are over, too. Go see Cars. It is entertaining for both kids and adults, it has really cool CGI, and it teaches a valuable life lesson. What more could you want in a summer movie? Don't say Johnny Depp.