Not the best of the Pixar movies, but nonetheless an above-the-average animated hit

Rating: 8/10 (22 December 2006)

Cars, Pixar's seventh feature-length picture, sees the return behind the camera of John Lasseter, the animation guru who gave us Toy Story, its sequel and A Bug's Life. Like the latter, Cars is slightly sub-par if compared to the rest of Pixar's production, mostly because of the not so original story.
The film revolves around Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a cocky race car (his last name is a reference to an animator, though one could easily think of Steve McQueen as well) who has finally received the opportunity of a lifetime: to compete in the Piston Cup final against the current champion and another fame-obsessed vehicle, the obnoxious Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton). While he's trying to reach the city where the race is held, however, Lightning gets lost and ends up in Radiator Springs, a small town that has been forgotten for a long time. Since he caused some damage while attempting to get back on the highway, he's forced to stay there and fix the mess. As time goes by, our hero will realize life isn't all about winning, a lesson learned with the help of former champion Doc Hudson (Paul Newman).
Technically speaking, Cars is an amazing film, with an attention to detail rarely seen in family movies. Some shots are even so realistic it almost looks like a live-action feature rather than a cartoon (the opening sequence has a really palpable tension). Being this Pixar, there are also the usual funny in-jokes (a brilliant scene spoofing Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc.) and clever voice casting, in particular Jeremy Piven, who basically reprises his Emmy-winning Entourage role (minus the swearing, of course), playing McQueen's agent, and Paul Newman, once again (see The Color of Money) playing the wise mentor who makes the protagonist discover the true values of life (and let's not forget the sports-linked celebrity cameos, such as F1 champion Michael Schumacher playing a Ferrari). Still, there's a little something missing, that unique Pixar touch that made other movies totally unpredictable. The romance between Lightning and Sally (Bonnie Hunt) feels like a deja vu, as does his friendship with the hilarious Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), and by the time he enters the race he's been pursuing the whole time it's quite easy to figure out what's gonna happen next (A Bug's Life, while very enjoyable, suffered from a similar script-related issue). This minor flaw prevents Cars from being an instant classic, but it remains an exhilarating experience, and those who truly appreciate good animation will have a great time watching it.