Simply a ''good' Pixar film

Rating: 7/10 (26 January 2016)

Cars appears to be the odd one out in Pixar's initial run, in that it wasn't meet with as much acclaim as its previous efforts. It was still well received by most people, but many agreed that it didn't push the boundaries or really try something inventive like the other films. I kind of have the same reaction, in that I think it's a good film but it's certainly missing somethings that could push to greatness. The premise of a world populated only by cars is a creative one, but it's something that has been done before and even the idea of a big fish trapped in a small pond has been done numerous times by other films. Maybe that's the issue with the film, it does these ideas well yet never does anything special with them.
The film features Lightning McQueen, a headstrong race car, who on his way to a final wrecks the road of a town on Route 66 named Radiator Springs. The town sentence him to fix the road, which he tries to do before his big race and he of course learns a lot about small town life. On the surface this is a very simple story about knowing when to slow down, yet that leads to one of the films weaknesses in that it's very predictable. We know that McQueen is going to realise that he's too impulsive and that he'll end up falling in love with the town as well as the cars within it. So there are no real surprises here and you know the turns that this story is going to take which can make things boring. With that said, the methods they use to tell the story are very effective. I think one of the films strengths is its laid-back tone and part of that comes from the story of this small town. It's not often you see Pixar tackle this kind of story and I actually think it's a nice change of pace, while the calmer tone gives the film a lot of charm.
Lightning McQueen is a different kind of protagonist for Pixar and again it's nice to see them do something different. He's reckless and arrogant yet it's clear that most of that comes from the racing environment, while he is willing to learn and change which still makes him a solid lead. His romantic interest Sally is okay, she doesn't have much beyond being smart and bubbly, but she serves her purpose fine. Doc is the grouch with a haunted past and it is nice to have Paul Newman voice him, but he is a bit dull and when don't get enough insight into his character. Mater can be annoying, but he makes a good companion and actually gets a lot of funny lines. The rest of the towns inhabitants are underdeveloped but still fun, such as a hippie van voiced by George Carlin and a Ferrari loving mechanic. The score by Randy Newman is good, but the soundtrack is excellent. It uses a lot of songs that obviously revolve around driving but nearly all of them fit the film perfectly when they show up and give some scenes more of an emotional kick.
The animation is once again excellent. It impresses me how well balanced it is. The race tracks are very fast paced and stylised with a real feeling of adrenaline to them. While the beautiful and dusty landscapes of Radiator Springs are simply wonderful to look at, and the town itself is such an attractive looking place that it's difficult not to enjoy being there. It's always nice to see Pixar animate more modern things and they do a great job here as usual. The film doesn't really have a man villain, but Chick Hicks is the closest thing and he is boring. Michael Keaton's tries his best voice wise, but Hicks is just a typical mean rival and is only here for the morale to be hammered home some more. The whole concept itself is also an issue in that nothing about it is ever explained. We don't know where these cars came from or how they even do simple things like go to the toilet. Though I guess that's more of a problem with the idea not the film.
All in all Cars is another fun and easy to enjoy Pixar effort. I certainly agree with most that it isn't up to Pixar's usual high standards and I do feel that is because it doesn't try to really push itself in new directions. It sets up its story, as well as its morale, and just follows it by the books without challenging our expectations. Saying I do think it has more than enough going for it. Its lead is different to the norm, the many side characters are distinct, the animation is superb and it is enjoyably laid-back. Sometimes it is nice to have a film to concentrates more on life in a small place and seeing Pixar tackle such a subject means it is never boring. So while certainly not one of its best, Cars is definitely a very enjoyable piece from Pixar.