Cars

Plot synopsis:
The movie begins with two announcers, Bob Cutlass (voice of Bob Costas) and Darrell Cartrip (Darrell Waltrip) preparing for the opening of the Dinoco 400, the final race in the Piston Cup Series, the most famous and prestigious race in the United States. So far this racing season, three racers have emerged as the most likely candidates for the Piston Cup Championship, all three of them tied for the season point's lead-* #43 Strip Weathers, AKA "The King" (Richard Petty; modeled after one of the Petty's real 1970 Plymouth Superbirds), a longtime racing veteran who already has seven Piston Cups to his credit and is rumored to be retiring at the end of the current season.*#86 Chick Hicks, another veteran racer (a 1980s Buick Regal, voiced by Michael Keaton) and a longtime "second banana;" he's spent his entire racing career coming in second behind The King.*#95 Lightning McQueen, a rookie (standard stock car, voiced by Owen Wilson) This is his first year in the racing circuit and his performance has been nothing short of incredible. Speculation is that he might be the first driver to win the Piston Cup, Rookie of the Year, and Dinoco sponsorship in one sweep.Now, the final race of the season- to decide the winner of the Piston Cup- is about to begin!As the race proceeds, Hicks (who is clearly willing to do anything to succeed) sideswipes another car- causing the inevitable multicar pileup. Lightning is barely able to dart through the wreckage and keep up with the lead cars. Then, to cement his hold on the lead, McQueen stays out on the lead lap while everyone else pits. The commentators mention that McQueen has recently fired his third crew chief, offering the explanation that Lightning prefers to work alone.Throughout the race, Lightning refuses to make complete pit stops- taking only a few seconds each lap to refuel. The strategy backfires on the last lap when his tires explode. McQueen makes a valiant effort to get across the line first, but the race ends in an absolute dead heat.Reporters interview Lightning while the judges argue over the result. McQueen repeats again that he is a "one-man show." His pit crew, fed up with Lightning's shoddy treatment, quit in the middle of the interview. Chick and Lightning trade insults until The King comes over to have a word with Lightning. The King tells McQueen that his talent is extraordinary, but his attitude is stupid- Lightning can't win without a good team behind him. Lightning's idea of a good team is Dinoco, the most prestigious sponsor on the racing circuit (and The Kings' current sponsor; Lightning is certain that if he wins the Piston Cup he will be offered the chance at a Dinoco sponsorship.)An announcement regarding the outcome of the race comes over the loudspeakers. Officials declare that a tiebreaker race (between Chick, Lightning and The King) will be held in California next week to determine the championship.Lightning meets with his transporter, Mack (a 1980 Mack Super-Liner truck, voiced by John Ratzenberger) after the announcement. Mack reminds McQueen that he needs to make a personal appearance for his sponsor, Rust-Eze. Lightning films a commercial for Rust-Eze and talks to a group of rusted out vehicles brought to the personal appearance by Rusty & Dusty, heads of the company (voiced by Car Talk hosts and brothers Tom & Ray Magliozzi respectively). McQueen forcibly puts on a good face for the crowd but is obviously unhappy working for a small-time group.On the road with Mack, Lightning is desperate to be the first competitor to arrive at California. He refuses to let Mack stop off and rest, forcing him to drive on through the night. While on Interstate 40, Mack is confronted by a gang of street racers while he is drowsy, who force him onto the shoulder. The vibration from the rumble strips (designed to alert drowsy drivers that they are drifting off the road) accidentally causes a Lightning figurine to land on the button that opens the back door of the truck, and causes the sleeping Lightning to fall out. Lightning, terrified about being lost, desperately rushes to try and find Mack but ends up leaving the highway at the next exit and following a semi that he thinks is Mack but turns out to be a Peterbilt, who rudely tells McQueen to turn on his headlights.While Lightning is speeding, he gets lost in the dark country roads. He passes a police car (Michael Wallis) waiting in a speed trap, who pulls out and chases after Lightning. Lightning pedals for it when he hears the police car backfiring (thinking he is being shot at). Lightning loses control, spinning wildly and becoming entangled in several power lines. He tears through a small town and ends up shredding a large gash down the main street before finally coming to a stop in front of the Sheriff.The next morning, Mack arrives at the track alone and a huge manhunt begins to try and find Lightning McQueen.Lightning wakes up in an impound lot strapped with a parking boot and confronted by a rusted tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Mater tells Lightning that he is in the town of Radiator Springs, a spot just off old U.S. Route 66. The Sheriff shows up to take Lightning to court for his actions.The other citizens of Radiator Springs- Fillmore (George Carlin), who owns a shop selling his own organic fuel; Luigi (Tony Shalhoub) and Guido (Guido Quaroni), who run a tire shop; Ramone (Cheech Marin), who runs a paint and body shop; Flo (Jenifer Lewis), who runs a gas station/cafe; Sarge (Paul Dooley), a Humvee who sells surplus; Lizzie (Katherine Helmond), an antiques dealer; and Red (Joe Ranft), the town's fire truck - have all turned out to demand punishment for Lightning's reckless driving, which caused a large amount of damage to the town.The town's physician and judge, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), arrives to try McQueen's case. At first, Doc is ready to impose serious hard time on the culprit but upon getting a close look at Lightning orders him thrown out of town. A female interrupts the judge's rulings, and Lightning is immediately smitten. But the newcomer, Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), a 2002 Porsche 911, is the town's attorney. Sally persuades Doc to sentence Lightning to community service and repair the damage to the road. Doc relents, telling Lightning that he will be set free once the road is finished (which at his estimate should take five days).When Mater brings out Bessie, a massive asphalt paving machine, Lightning makes a break for it as soon as his parking boot is undone, leaving Mater to quip that he should have undone the boot after Lightning was hooked up. But Lightning only makes it a few miles out of town before he breaks down. Sally & the Sheriff catch up with him and laugh at his attempt, explaining that they have siphoned Lightning's gas tank.The townsfolk watch as Lightning begins repaving the road. Lightning tries to convince them of his fame in the hopes of being set free. He almost convinces Luigi by mentioning his status as a racecar, but Luigi loses interest soon after when it turns out he only cares about meeting a real Formula One racecar.Lightning, remembering the deal (he goes free when the road is done) hauls the paving machine at full throttle, running down the road and creating an uneven and bumpy finish. The townspeople are insulted by his attitude and his work. Doc challenges Lightning to a race- if Lightning wins, he goes off free. If Doc wins, Lightning has to scape off the current layer of pavement and do the road all over again. Lightning accepts, not seeing the Doc as a threat.At a dirt course on the outskirts, Lightning rockets off the starting line, but Doc doesn't even move. As he speeds into the first turn of the course, Lightning's tires fail on the dirt and he crashes. Doc wins by default. Lightning reluctantly turns to work at scraping up the pavement, grumbling the whole time. Several of the townsfolk offer Lightning their services (Luigi sells tires, Fillmore supplies organic fuel, Ramone offers custom paintjobs, etc.) but Lightning is too frustrated with his situation to accept anything from them.By the next morning, Doc finds that the road is about 1/3 finished. Doc meets with the Sheriff, who confirms that Lightning ran out of asphalt while working and spent the rest of the night trying to make the turn that caused him to wreck the day before. Doc confronts Lightning, suggesting that he "turn right to go left." Lightning, extremely skeptical, tries it, but it backfires and sends him back over the edge of the cliff.Lightning resumes repaving the road when he suffers a slow leak in one tire. Guido begins to fix it, and Luigi explains that Guido dreams of working at a real racetrack pit stop. Sally, impressed by Lightning's work and his effect on the town, offers Lightning a place at the Cozy Cone motel rather than another night at the impound. Lightning can't resist the opportunity to refuse.The Sheriff places Mater in charge of watching Lightning for the next night. Mater takes McQueen out to a remote field, where they go tractor-tipping, which involves creeping up to a tractor while it is sleeping, then startling it, which causes the tractor to rear up on its back wheels. Mater gives a demonstration of it, but is unable to tip more than one tractor at a time. Lightning revs his engine and causes every single tractor to tip over. They are almost caught by Frank, the huge threshing machine who oversees the tractors, and have to speed away.On the way back to town, Mater shows off his skills as "world's best backwards driver" - a talent that stuns Lightning. Mater proclaims Lightning to be his "best friend," and Lightning seems to be genuinely touched by the affection.The next morning, Lightning waits at Doc's garage to get his daily gas ration. While waiting, he wanders into a dusty workshop belonging to Doc and finds several Piston Cup trophies on the floor, and racing memorabilia. A newspaper on the floor answers Lightning's question- Doc is actually the legendary Hudson Hornet, a legendary racecar who still holds the record for most wins in a single season (27 in 1952 alone). But Doc refuses to talk about his racing career. To him, the trophies are "just a bunch of empty cups."Sally takes Lightning on a tour of the surrounding landmarks and explains the history of the town. Route 66 used to be the main transportation road, and Radiator Springs was once a famous stop along U.S. Route 66. Radiator Springs was bypassed when Interstate 40 was constructed in favor of saving ten minutes of travel time. Now the once thriving town is floundering; almost nobody comes through there anymore.Unfortunately, Lightning and Mater's actions of the previous night cause trouble when the tractors start stampeding through the town. As he helps round them back up, Lightning spots Doc on the race course outside of town. Doc speeds through, easily making the turn Lightning couldn't. McQueen confronts Doc about his racing and why (if he's so talented) Doc didn't continue his racing career.Doc finally comes clean: He didn't quit, but the organization forced him into retirement after a terrible wreck forced him to sit out an entire season. When he had the chance to return, the sponsors passed him over to a hotshot rookie just like McQueen.The next day everyone wakes up to find the road has been finished. Lightning now has his chance to leave, but instead chooses to stay behind and accept the services of the townsfolk - including new fuel from Fillmore, tires from Luigi and a new paint scheme from Ramone. As the town celebrates into the night over the completion of their new road, a swarm of reporters and media vehicles swarm in to reclaim McQueen. Before he can explain anything or talk to any of the townsfolk, Lightning is loaded back onto Mack and sent off to California. Sally learns that Doc was the one who alerted the media to Lightning's location and is furious at his actions.Lightning arrives in California and begins preparing for the big race, with Mack serving as his pit crew. The King and Chick Hicks get off to a decent start, but Lightning's memories of Sally and his time in Radiator Springs are interfering with his performance and cause him to lose time.As McQueen tries to pull himself together, Doc's voice comes out on McQueen's radio. He and most of the other Radiator Springs residents have come to encourage Lightning and serve as his pit crew, with Doc serving as crew chief and decked out in his old paint scheme. Cameras in the crowd spot Doc and recognize the legendary Hudson Hornet has come out of retirement.Lightning rockets out of the pit area, desperate to catch up to the others. As the laps wind down, Chick makes contact with Lightning and causes him to spin out. But moments later, Chick is surprised when Lightning zooms passes him, driving backwards. Hicks then tries to force McQueen off the road-causing Lightning to blow a tire. Guido prepares for Lightning's arrival, then completes the fastest pit stop in Piston Cup history by speed-changing all four tires in under four seconds single-handed, shocking the forklifts on Chick's pit crew such that they drop their mustache-shaped grilles. Guido proudly tells off Chick's crew saying "Peet stop!"The three racers are down to the last lap as Lightning pulls into first place. Chick smashes Lightning once again, sending him careening off the track. Lightning, however, takes the lead by turning his tires hard to the right while sliding left and reclaims the lead position.Chick, in a desperate attempt to win, sideswipes The King, sending him flipping multiple times through the air and landing, heavily battered and damaged on the infield. Lightning screeches to a halt when he sees the King's state, remembering what happened to Doc. Since Lightning stopped just before the finish line, Chick Hicks speeds across for first place. Lightning goes back and pushes the King the rest of the way to the finish line, letting the famous competitor finish his last race with dignity. Lightning tells the King that the Piston is "Just an empty cup," echoing Doc's sentiments.Chick Hicks is given the Piston Cup. However, he is jeered and taunted by the crowd for his actions, making it a hollow victory at best.Meanwhile, Lightning is cheered and congratulated for his act of good sportsmanship. Tex, head of the Dinoco company, offers Lightning a sponsorship because of his fine job. Lightning considers, but decides to stay with Rust-Eze because they gave him his big chance.Guido and Luigi are dumbfounded when an actual Ferrari shows up at their store, because McQueen said it is the best place in the world to get tires. Lightning McQueen moves back to Radiator Springs and decides to place his headquarters in the town, making the location famous once more and having the maps redrawn as "Historic Route 66."A series of scenes during the credits show what happens to Radiator Springs afterwards:* Flo's V8 café is seen full of customers, while customers try Ramone's body art.* A museum of Doc Hudson's racing days opens. We see The King and his wife (who is appropriately voiced by the late Lynda Petty), as well as fellow racecar Junior (voiced by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and modeled after Earnhardt's #8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo) in there.*Sarge opens a boot camp for off-road vehicles (who have never been off-road), and orders a Hummer who protests about getting dirty to drop and give him 20 miles.*In a touch of poetic justice, the street racers who were responsible for McQueen's dilemma are caught by Sheriff speeding near Radiator Springs. They are locked into an impound lot and are sentenced to towing Bessie.*The Radiator Springs Drive-In Movie Theater opens, and shows car versions of popular Pixar movies, including Toy Car Story, Monster Trucks, Inc., and A Bug's Life. The in-joke shown is that Mack is praising Hamm the piggy truck, the Abominable Snowplow, and P.T. Flea - all of whom are voiced by John Ratzenburger, like Mack. When Mack realizes this, he wonders what kind of cut-rate production this is to reuse his voice.

Tags: comedy, sentimental, clever, flashback, entertaining, prank

Review:
And along with those characters and personalities comes a story which yes, contains a well-traveled theme, but it comes with so much charm that even Grouchy McKilljoy's hard little heart can't help but be warmed.Don't worry if you're not a racing fan; I assure you it's not a requirement to enjoy the movie.
Well, yeah, it doesn't have the sophistication and cleverness of "The Incredibles," nor the universal appeal of both "Toy Stories" and "Finding Nemo." And I have to admit that the idea of animated cars was the least riveting as far as Pixar film premises are concerned.
But as with its predecessors, beneath those excellently rendered 3D images is the soul that sets Pixar apart from what has become of most animated films nowadays.Up-and-coming rookie race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), is about to win the prestigious Piston Cup. The championship ends with Lightning finishing in a tie with legendary "The King" (Richard Petty), who is in his final race, and Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton); thus, a tie-breaking race is set in California.But a road mishap leads Lightning to the forgotten town of Radiator Springs, a part of what was once Route 66, a place that once basked in glory, but has since been thrust into oblivion.
There he meets an array of other cars - including Doc Hudson (Paul Newman!), Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), and Sally (Bonnie Hunt) - who teach him that "life isn't about the destination but about the journey." First of all, Pixar's animation is first-rate.
Somehow, it's like watching NASCAR on IMAX again, albeit minus the über-big screen and the 3-D effect.But what's really nice about this film is how director John Lasseter and the writers effectively tell the story and how they pump up the visual feast with humor and sincere emotions.
Granted, when it comes to the standards set by previous Pixar films, it isn't quite up there with it's predecessors; but considering how lofty the bar has reached and the mediocrity that has become of the genre in general, "Cars" more than gets the job done.As for the voice cast, Wilson brings that sort of cockiness to the protagonist of the story and it fits with his smug humor.
You'll love them this time, as they tie back to prior Pixar movies, in a car sort of way.
In that regard, the movie deserves a 10.The voicing of the characters, done by A-list actors (Paul Newman among them, in his last acting role before passing away), is extremely good, very charming and effective, as the viewer really feels that the voices match the cars' personality and bring a big cozy feeling to the movie.However, all of this is not enough to save the movie, which suffers from an absurd point of departure, stereotypical script and characters/role models, and a childish storyline feeling in general.
I found this movie to be enjoyable enough: Even when it is true that it wasn't at the same level than some of previous Pixar films (Such as "Toy Story" and "The Incredibles") it was a good film anyway, with an entertaining story and likable characters.Despite the strangeness of the premise of a world inhabited by living cars, the execution is fairly convincing, with a neat character development and many funny and heartwarming moments.Without being perfect, it managed to be something totally worth-watching from beginning to end, and in many ways this could be easily considered one of the best animated films from the year 2006 (Which was a terrible year, in my opinion) 7.5/10.
I guess that's why I ended up liking it so much."Cars" is the story of a cocky, arrogant and very ambitious young racer named Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) who has become the new sensation in the racing circuit.
Without knowing how to return to the Highway and forced to repair the damage caused by his arrival, McQueen will discover the simple way of life of this quiet town and its inhabitants.Visually, the film is perfect; the computer animation has reached a point where it seems that the only limit is to create a human being, and I bet that Pixar is not too far from it.
However, credit must go to the writers, who have crafted a movie that will keep the kids interested even when it is not a laugh riot."Cars" may not be have a multi-awarded script or even an original plot, but it has a lot of heart, and it shows how much Lasseter and Ranft cared for the story.
As Pixar, Blue Sky and DreamWorks continue to tick off the list of cute cuddly animals to make films about, director John Lasseter and Joe Ranft (the latter sadly and ironically died in a car crash last year) brings us a story about cars in incongruous human setting.
He is sentenced to community service in the seedy little nowhere-town and, predictably, here the arrogant McQueen learns the true meaning of friends.For a movie about fast-paced vehicles, 'Cars' starts slowly and keeps in this lane for far too long.
'Cars' is possibly Pixar's greatest feat in animation, but its weakest jab at story and entertainment.Although Paul Newman brings perfect charisma to his bitter-and-doomed-but-good-old-mentor character, none of the other cars shine.
Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Keaton, Tony Shalhoub and John Ratzenberger also give solid turns in their roles.Overall, Cars is my least favourite of the Pixar movies but for the animation and voice acting especially, not to mention the race sequences it is well worth watching.
However, this was NOT the case in "Cars".Prior to viewing, I expected a below-standard Pixar production that was good but not great, however I could not have been more wrong.I'll begin with the visual and audio utilisation - the animation is (as you'd expect from Pixar), tremendous on every level - wonderful scenery and character models ensure this is an aesthetic treat.
The way in which Disney and Pixar make us feel empathy for animated vehicles is intelligent and a fine achievement.Overall, this is one of my favourite films of all time, and it is, in my view, able to compete with any other piece of cinema, from "Casablanca" to "Shrek"; the magic of Disney, alongside the high production values of Pixar, in accordance with the sheer brilliance of this movie, ensures that it is a must-see for anybody.
I would've loved it as a kid, and plan to share it with mine some day, but as an adult I'd rather throw in Toy Story or The Incredibles.Revised thoughts, nearly three years later:My boys are absolutely bonkers for Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater right now, but had never actually seen the movie.
The 2 hours races by, and afterwards you are left with the satisfaction of having just seen something quite unique and surreal.It's a kids film of course, so there is little need to point out the predictable story elements - which exist in Cars more so than previous Pixar films such as The Incredibles.
I had no idea where the plot would lead, but figured a Pixar film was a good bet.The film was marvelously rendered; several times I could have sworn I was watching real film footage instead of animation, especially scenes showing passing landscapes.The characters were also cleverly drawn, with subtle touches viewers might or might not notice, such as goatees, mustaches, horns, and udders (I'll say no more about that - you'll have to find out for yourself) represented by various car or tractor parts.Finally, the "Monument Valley" sort of landscape where the majority of the story takes place was a car lover's dream, where you could pick out parts of Tuckers, Deusenbergs, Packards, and Rolls Royces, carburetor filters, hood ornaments, and other automotive goodies.Even if you're not a motor-head, the story is heartwarming, the characters are entertaining, and the humor keeps coming at you at all levels - kids to adults.
This has always been the key to Pixar's comic genius and "Cars" continues this great tradition.Plus, the tractor tipping scene is one of the funniest things I've seen in a movie in a VERY long time..
I liked it, felt it was a nice move from Pixar to get "Shawshank" like with the characters, a nostalgia nod to yesteryear and we get to spend time in the company of Doc Hudson, voiced poignantly by legend Paul Newman.How you find that middle section may determine how much you enjoy Cars, but rest assured that even if you find it too talky, too slow, what bookends it is pretty darn great anyway.
People say that this is one of Pixar's most disappointing movies, but after watching it I could not understand why this movie was getting a lot of criticism.The story focuses on a race car named Lightning Mcqueen whose dream is to race and win the Piston Cup. He's rather arrogant and does not have friends because of his unlikeable personality.
Although the film is a little slow during the middle, I feel it is necessary for the development of all the characters and to show the story of Radiator Springs.Pixar's Cars is a very enjoyable film with plenty of laughs and an emotional scene in which I couldn't help but shed a tear.
Took my 2 kids to see this yesterday and I laughed, cried, and was moved by the lessons taught in this movie, while the kids loved it from a kid's perspective, cool cars that talk with lots of color and a story they could relate to as kids.Let's see if the Academy has enough chutzpah to finally award an animated movie as best picture.The story teaches you about friendship, greed, vanity, empathy, getting old, respecting elders, loving your kids, and loving yourself to know when to do the right thing.I'm buying this when it comes out on DVD.
The main character is Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a rookie race car with dreams of winning the Piston Cup. When he is on his way to the big race in California, he gets sidetracked in a little town called Radiator Springs, along Route 66.
The story is filled with colorful characters, from Mater, a rusty good ol' boy tow truck voiced by Larry the Cable Guy, to Doc Hudson, the town judge/mechanic, and former Piston Cup champion, voiced by Paul Newman.
While I love Finding Nemo to death, the rest of Pixar's films are kids movies.
This year, it's "Cars," and like many other Pixar movies in recent years ("Monsters Inc.," "Finding Nemo," and "The Incredibles," to name a few), it has every Pixar element to offer - a great big-name voice cast of stars from varied backgrounds and the cast voice characters that best match their personas, colorful, cheery animation, and a story that evokes emotions.
We hope that Pixar, whether sided with Disney or not, just gets more hits flying.In "Cars," the main character is Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a self-absorbed red racing car that after departing a big NASCAR race, travels the legendary Route 66 and gets stuck in a small, forgotten town called Radiator Springs.
I recommend this movie for anyone who loves a good story line and great animations!.
They's taken us - happily - into the realm of toys, bugs, monsters, fish, and superheroes, those masterful storytellers and technical wizards at Pixar Animation Studios ("The Incredibles," "A Bug's Life," "Finding Nemo," "Monsters, Inc."), and Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter ("Toy Story," "Toy Story 2," "A Bug's Life").In their latest endeavor, the team hits the road with a fast-paced comedy adventure set inside the world of automobiles, the aptly-titled, "Cars." Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), a hotshot rookie Mustang driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.During the film's opening scene, an exciting NASCAR race that is as thrilling to watch as it is to wonder at its creative technology, McQueen battles beloved veteran, The King (Richard Petty) and obnoxious cheater, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton).
The surprise outcome results in a special winner-take-all contest in California.On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in Los Angeles to compete against the two seasoned pros, McQueen gets accidentally stranded (by his idiot driver, Mac, Pixar voice-over veteran John Ratzenberger), but gets to know the town's offbeat characters - including prosecuting attorney, Sally (a snazzy 2002 Porsche voiced by Bonnie Hunt), the town judge, Doc Hudson (a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, voiced by Paul Newman), and the goofy, drawling Mater (a rusty but trusty tow truck voiced by Larry The Cable Guy) - who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.But before he learns this lesson, McQueen, who has wrecked the town's only street, is sentenced to repave the thoroughfare - and he is not happy about it.
Lightning McQueen has to work hard and finds friendship and love in the simple locals, changing its values during his stay in the small town and becoming a true winner.In the cute "Cars" the world is inhabited by automobiles and there is a great message about the meaning of friendship in the wild contemporary competitive world.
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.
From the beginning fun-filled race to the great ending, Cars is a technical achievement, visually appealing, and also contains a great message, one that does not seem forced unlike other animated movies.
As a matter of fact, this is perhaps the best animated movie since Finding Nemo three years ago.Cars focuses on Lightning McQueen, who is a fast-talking, cocky, arrogant, independent rookie whose first year in racing has proved to be a very successful one.
The animation is so real that there were times when I wondered if they mixed in live action shots.I love the way the movie mixes the super-fast culture of stock car racing with the culture of a sleepy town which has become forgotten because a freeway was built nearby, taking all of the traffic away from the town and letting entropy take its course.
I would love to see (or at least hear) more of him, but he doesn't seem to have a lot of range at this point.I think that the most important thing that makes this movie good, besides the animation and wonderful performances, is that there is depth to just about all of the characters.
The animation is really nice, like the detail on each individual car and the scenery, the music by Randy Newman is unforgettable, (There's a reason it won the Annie Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature Production.) and the way the characters start to grow on you is what makes this film so loved.
While the humbling of hot-rod hot-shot Lightning Mcqueen (Wilson in one of his most convincing roles) and subsequent homage to mid west America may not have been pieced together in the most convincing of manners, Cars will still sweep excited children into it's blazing introduction, mellow out with it's sweet and funny character interaction and race past the finish line in a blaze of feel good family entertainment from the highest, visually animated order..
First, despite some great action sequences in the first half-hour or so, the story doesn't really get going, and I found it a little harder to get into this little universe than I did for, say, Monsters Inc. Have patience, though, because the story has a lot of heart to it, and the characters really do "come to life" as the story goes on.The only other "flaw" is that the rendering of Pixar's movies is getting so good that they hardly look animated anymore.
Once again Pixar has come up with a gem, a non conventional take on a coming of age story that needs more exposure.Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a self-centered, up and coming race car poised to become the first rookie winner of the coveted Piston Cup, but gets side-tracked in Radiator Springs and learns a life lesson.
A very well written script, lively animation especially the Interstate roads,the car characters, the cute Porsche, good dialogs make this movie worth watching for all adults.
Admire the shimmering metallic paint of the cars, the NASCAR-like race at the opening of the film is as exciting as in any recent action flick, and the great palette of colors throughout the movie, mostly visualized through the landscapes and little town of Radiator Springs.