It's not Toy Story or Finding Nemo, but Cars is good family fun

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2006)

When it comes to animated movies, there is only one name that matters: Pixar. Pixar popularized the CGI method with Toy Story, which remains my favourite animated movie of all time. They have since consistently made smash hit after smash hit. Even if I don't think that Monsters Inc. or The Incredibles even compare to Toy Story, there is no denying that Pixar always manages to keep its own brand of magic in every picture they release. Despite all of that, the concept of Cars did scare me a little. It seemed a little too loose and almost unimaginative by comparison. However, with a chance to see it for free, I couldn't say no, and thankfully not, as even if it isn't quite in the same league as Finding Nemo or Toy Story, Cars is a pleasant timewaster for the whole family.
Like any other good Pixar movie, Cars is a coming of age movie, this time focusing on the world of race cars. In this world, the cars manifest themselves as conscious entities, with no drivers or anything of the sort. Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is the current hot rookie in the driving world, and is going after the Piston Cup, the greatest achievement for a race car, which would lead to numerous well-paying endorsements and fame beyond belief. During the final race, his tires blow out in the final laps because of his denial of pit stops with him in a great lead. He manages to hobble his way into an exact three-way tie with retiring champ King and the scheming Chick Hicks (Keaton), who has been stuck in the King's shadow for his whole career.
On the way to the tie-breaker race, McQueen falls out of his transport truck and, while being chased by the police for speeding, ends up destroying the road in the small town of Radiator Springs. Despite the advice of town leader Doc Hicks (Newman), who despises anything related to racing, McQueen is forced to stay in Radiator Springs to repair the road. It is in Radiator Springs that McQueen realizes that there is more to life than simply fame and fortune.
Of course the movie is contrived and clichéd. There is a love interest in the form of Sally (Hunt), possibly the only other normal car in the area (by McQueen's standards, anyways). He also finds a new best friend in Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Everything else fits into the general mold that movies like this come in. The protagonist is a snob on the way to an important event, gets sidetracked unintentionally, wishes to leave at first, begins to identify with his new surroundings, finds some tie to his old life in the new town, is whisked away by others and doesn't want to leave. Sounds familiar, but for a kids movie, little things like originality in the plot are not mandatory.
What are important are good visuals, and Cars definitely has that. The environments are all nice and bright with extensive backdrops in the racing district, and appropriately drab in Radiator Springs. The car designs are good mimicks of real life, while at the same time giving a good amount of character depth in expressions. Of course, there is nothing dark in a movie for kids, so there are plenty of bright colours and cute characters (most notably Guido the technician). While it doesn't push the envelope for animation, it certainly doesn't fall short in any way, shape or form.
As for laughs, Cars does have a handful of funny bits. The most notable laughs come from Guido, who is easily the most memorable character in the movie, especially near the end when he performs his five-second pit stop or with any dialogue between him and Ferrari lover Luigi (Tony Shaloub). Mater also gets some good laughs in, representing the traditional redneck comedy you would expect from Larry the Cable Guy. One sequence in which Mater and McQueen go tractor-tipping proves to be very amusing. Throw in a good line every now and then (FREE BIRD), and Cars does have its fair share of laughs, though there are numerous laughless stretches and some jokes that are never fully explored (such as Fillmore the hippy van's organic fuel).
As for the voice cast, despite the great range of talents, they are somewhat unmemorable. Wilson does decent as the protagonist, Lightning McQueen, but isn't as unique as Tom Hanks was as Woody or Albert Brooks was as Marlin. Paul Newman is appropriately authoritative as Doc Hicks, but never rises above the character. Bonnie Hunt is, like Wilson, decent but forgettable as Sally. Larry the Cable Guy does embody the hick-town in his voice, and Tony Shalhoub gives the most memorable performance by far as Luigi the Italian tire salesman. Michael Keaton never really gets a chance to shine as Chick Hicks, so he really isn't to fault that Hicks is not a memorable villain. Despite their comic fame, Cheech Marin and George Carlin are almost unrecognizable due to lack of dialogue. There are some good voice cameos from the likes of Jeremy Piven, Jay Leno, Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher and Dale Earnheardt Jr.
Cars isn't even close to being Pixar's gem. It isn't nearly as funny as Toy Story or as compelling as Finding Nemo. Even so, it falls into the general range that would include other animated films like Ice Age, with a solid number of laughs, a few chuckles and a good cute factor. Cars may not be the best, but it is a solid choice for family entertainment.
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