Great fun, with a nice story, and super good animation.

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 2006)

In some parts while I am watching an animated movie, I like to close my eyes and listen, to pick out the voices. Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Tony Shaloub, and George Carlin were easy. But Bonnie Hunt sounded just like Ellen Degeneres to me. Oh well, you can't win them all!
In this movie there are no people, not even animated ones. All the characters are cars, trucks, tractors, scooters, etc. Each has its own look and personality, and as it gets older, it ages in voice and wisdom. This is state of the art animation. All the scenery looks as real as an animated movie can make it, even down to the patterns of reflections in the shiny car bodies.
Owen Wilson voices the central character, Lightning McQueen, a rookie car hoping to win the yearly Piston Cup. The movie starts with the final race in Florida but an unfortunate development requires that they have one more race, a week later, in California. McQueen is good, but he has an inflated ego and doesn't want a pit boss.
Paul Newman is great in everything, and here he is the town judge Doc Hudson. McQueen has gotten lost on his way to California, is caught speeding in this little community on Route 66, and must repair some damage before he is allowed to move along.
Bonnie Hunt is the sexy Sally Carrera, and McQueen takes a liking to her. The funniest character is voiced by Larry The Cable Guy as Tow Mater the slow-witted tow truck that eventually befriends McQueen. There is a cute nighttime scene where Mater takes McQueen out to the fields where the tractors are asleep to do some 'tractor tipping' (like some boys do cow-tipping at night).
The critic Ebert has a very complete and accurate review. This is a fun movie which also has a message about modern interstate highways cutting through for speed of travel, and in the process causing once thriving towns to become virtual ghost towns.
SPOILERS. McQueen finally finishes repairing the road surface that he had damaged, makes it to California, and is trailing in the 200 lap final race. But Doc Hudson, former Piston Cup winner in 1951, 52, and 53 shows up, with headphones, and is McQueen's crew chief. With the help of some advice, quick tire changes, and some fancy driving, MQueen has the race won. But he sees the third competitor disabled in the infield, so McQueen loses the race by going to his aid, and becomes the hero in the process.