Pixar delivers another classic package.

Rating: 10/10 (10 June 2006)

Pixar has the difficult obligation of bettering itself with each subsequent movie in order to please their fans. With instant classics in Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, the Pixar standards are set high. I wondered how Pixar could take the concept of talking cars into an entertaining film and original story and characters, especially considering the studio's standards.
Though the new Pixar film is not "better" than its other features, Cars is definitely up to par with the rest of the classics, delivering yet again a complete package of stunning visuals, a great story, and memorable characters.
Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, is a hot shot racecar that needs to make it to California to make it to a big race and fulfill his childhood dreams of winning the Piston Cup. However, a series of unfortunate events lead him to the beat up town of Radiator Springs. Though the town doesn't look like much, it is actually full of an assortment of charming citizens that take great pride in the place they lived in all their lives, its people (cars rather) and its history.
In Radiator Springs, the hotshot McQueen learns lessons about the different aspects of life he has taken for granted, among other things: like how to have a good time at a night out with Mater, a rusty tow truck voiced by Larry "the Cable Guy" (Git R Done!).
Pixar pulled it off. A movie about talking cars actually turned out to be a heartwarming story, with hilarious sequences and dialog. Pixar does a great job of personifying the world of inanimate objects. A lowrider that specializes in Body Art. An Italian tire salesman (salescar rather) obsessed with and only with Ferraris.
The movie was entertaining from beginning to end (even before and after the movie). Make sure to get there early to check out the awesome short "One Man Band" a worthy addition to Pixar's collection of animated shorts. And after the film, Pixar replaces their blooper gag reel for a new treat that may be the funniest closer yet.
How does Pixar do it? Create such great stories with such memorable characters? Besides Oscar the Shark Slayer I can't remember anyone else from Shark's Tale, and I am hopeless in remembering a single character's name from Robots, nor the Wild, but I can name Pixar characters in a heartbeat. Those movies can eat Pixar's dust Lightning McQueen style.
No photo finish is necessary to determine that Cars is a definite winner. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that John Lasseter and Pixar yet again prevailed in bringing us another gem to join our growing collection of Pixar classics. Sigh.