Another jewel from Pixar

Rating: 10/10 (8 September 2008)

As with all of Pixar's previous releases, I keep finding myself coming back for more. No matter how many times I see it, I'm actually excited about seeing it again. This is mainly because Pixar spends so much time on the story. Here, the plot twists and turns, splitting apart so that everything can interweave and meet in the end. Such issues that take center stage here are family, friendship and love, with a slice of social commentary on the side. Here, each issue has time to gradually build until everything peaks near the end of the film. To say it's "feel-good" would be an understatement, but anyone familiar with Pixar should know this by now.
The cast is excellent and the voices fit the characters so perfectly that they become almost inseparable. The actors may not have always had a say on how their characters look, but I don't think they should be complaining; they're all spot-on. Seriously, I usually hate Larry the Cable Guy, but his character "Mater" was adorable, funny and plays a rather important role in the film. George Carlin (rest his soul) plays, quite appropriately, a hippie Volkswagen van, Cheech Marin plays a painted lowrider... these could've simply been amusing caricatures, but they were also made genuine elements of the film's emotional world. About the soundtrack... though this kind of music is usually suited for NASCAR fans, it actually fits the film quite well and *gasp* doesn't make me want to sandpaper my face off!
Oh, and the visuals are stunning, even by Pixar's standards. There are countless moments that beckon "ooh"s and "ahh"s. This is especially true in the scene where Lightning and Sally go for a drive. All in all though, this is a film well-worth seeing, both for children and adults. It's a film about family, friends and love, but also about the places we call home.