rating:
(out of
4 stars)United States; 2006
Directed by John Lasseter; produced by Darla K. Anderson; screenplay by Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, Jorgen Klubien
Starring (the voices of) Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton, Richard Kind, Jay Leno, Lou Romano
Below you will find a temporary review for this film. The real (better, more complete) review will be online very soon.
I think 'Cars' is the Pixar/Disney collaboration I enjoyed the least of all
their films, but I was still entertained quite a lot. That says a lot about
the other films they have produced, and does not work in favor of this
gorgeous looking film. After 'Toy Story' every next movie was at least as
good, reaching the ceiling with 'Finding Nemo' in 2003. Actually, it was
pretty amazing that 'The Incredibles', although on a complete other level,
could reach the greatness of 'Nemo'. With 'Cars' some aspects are again as
good, especially the story when it concerns the adult part of the audience,
the voice work and of course the animation. Other studios bring splendid
movies to the screen, but a Pixar movie seems still unreachable.
I mentioned the adult part of the story. Let me explain. 'Cars' plays in a
world where human beings do not drive cars, but the cars are the living
creatures. Cows also exist, although they are tractors instead. We follow a
race car named Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) who is up for the
Preston Cup. On the way to the next race Lightning McQueen ends up in a town
named Radiator Srings on Route 66, close to never visited by strangers since
the interstate made the route a useless way of traveling. In the town
Lightning causes some damage which he has to repair before he can leave for
his race. He meets a couple of cars there, of course slowly becoming friends
with them. The judge who sentences Lightning to do the damage repair is Doc
Hudson (Paul Newman), a car who in the fifties won three Preston Cups. he is
a legend. The love interest is a Carrera named Sally (Bonnie Hunt).
You can understand how the theme of this story is something only understood
by adults. May be that on itself is not the problem; 'Nemo' and 'The
Incredibles' had a lot of jokes mainly for adults. But here it becomes sort
of a big deal, with the focus really on how good life was before the
interstate and new kind of race cars without headlights and tale mirrors. It
is also a lot easier to give charms to a little fish than to a car I guess.
'Cars' is a lot of fun, but maybe we have come to expect the charm that will
cause children to love it. Maybe that little aspect is as important for the
child as for the child in the adult. While watching 'Cars' I really missed
it from time to time.