Once again Pixar Exceeds Expectations

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2006)

With Pixar's long relationship with Disney I've been expecting the inevitable decline of things associated with the big corporation which takes fewer risks than it once did, aside from shutting their old animation studios and banking on half-baked in-house computer animation. Simply put, Disney is tired and only rehashes stereotypical characters to bank on old successes. Pixar has delighted us with new characters every time (including in the sequel to Toy Story, BTW there is a Toy Story 3 on the way) by mostly abandoning everything it already knew and starting with a totally new story and totally new characters. There was no letdown in this film. Wise of someone at Disney to keep Pixar in the fold. I dearly hope that same wise influence keeps Disney's script writers out of Pixar.
Regarding the film, it's a fairly predictable story, as becomes apparent as time goes on, which is the only reason it I didn't give it a 10. As for their telling of the story, well, as was said of James Bond, nobody does it better. Eye candy galore, stunning vistas, utterly charming, magnificently hilarious and wonderful nods to the legacy of the automobile.
Take a close look at those bugs flying around and be sure to stick around for the early credits. I'll have to get this one on DVD just to catch all the background and quick one-off in-jokes. I'm sure there was something about Emeryville in there, but it flashed by too fast.