Almost automobile heaven...

Rating: 7/10 (6 September 2006)

Many CG animations of today seem to focus on 1 idea: animals. Luckily, that's all about to change with the arrival of Cars, which takes those inanimate objects we all love so much, and blends it into a story where all living life forms are gone.
Cars tells the story of a world occupied by none other then automobiles of all sorts. After a heated NASCAR race, cocky race car, Lighting McQueen rushes off to the stadium where the finals will be held. He wants to be their first so as to get time on the circuit before the big race, but unluckily makes an unplanned detour to Radiator Springs. If the situation can't get any worse, McQueen destroys the main road of the town and is forced to repair it alone.
The most impressive aspect of Cars is its animation. The CG is cartoon-like but highly slick and brings a sense of believability to the variety of cars on screen. Industry-standards have been pushed in terms of cartoon CG animation, and Cars is definitely up at the top. Complimenting the visual feast is the voice acting, which is indeed good. Owen Wilson brings a lovely cockiness to Lighting McQueen, and the rest of the cast are all aptly suited to their characters.
Sadly, while Cars does sport a genuinely good script with a good story, it suffers midway with dome dead areas. These sparse in number scenes add nothing of value to the story: they're neither funny nor attempt to add to the characterization, which I'm guessing was their purpose. This is because all the character development is done quite effectively before these scenes occur, or are too long winded before getting to the necessary development. Sadly, this problem sticks out like a sore thorn and really hurts the overall pacing of the story.
Cars is an amazing feat in what it achieves, and will surely be a winner for the entire family, yet it suffers in not being an entirely smooth ride, and sadly can't finish in first place.