A good story lost in a nonsensical setting

Rating: 5/10 (12 February 2012)

Having seen all of Pixar's previous works, and loving every one of them, I had expected Cars to be another masterfully crafted piece of family entertainment. Upon exiting, I was fairly disappointed. While by no means a terrible film, Cars didn't strike me as being of the high quality standards of Pixar's previous projects. Of course, the visuals and the animation were stunning, and the score by Randy Newman was great, but, impressive production aside, the film itself didn't click with me.
The story is a simple and meaningful one: that of a self-centred guy who learns that there are more important things than oneself and one's own selfish desires, and the value of friendship and working as a team. What didn't work for me in this story was the world in which it takes place – one where cars and other vehicles are beings in themselves that talk and have individual personalities. Now, I would be okay with this, were it not for the fact that the cars also function as people – and there are no humans anywhere. This doesn't make sense, as the world portrayed is an obviously human one – with farms, barbed wire-topped fences, and multi-story buildings – all things that make no sense for a world inhabited solely by cars. This untenable setting also causes problems with the events that take place over the course of the story.
However, I know a good many people who didn't have a problem with the plausibility and greatly enjoyed the film, so I guess if you are able to accept the premise and the events and settings at face value, this should be a greatly enjoyable film for you.
In summary, it's a great-quality production with a good story at heart, but it's what I would describe as a kids' movie, whereas the rest of Pixar's library are films for the whole family, that stand up to sophisticated, adult audience-level scrutiny as well.