When I first heard about Cars, I was doubtful. The movie's premise (a remake of Doc Hollywood set in a world full of cars!?!) just didn't excite me. Neither did the fact that NASCAR- a sport that I have little to no knowledge about and no interest in- seemed to figure heavily in it. The various trailers didn't do much to change my mind- the movie looked good enough, but I expected nothing short of brilliance from Pixar (by far and away my favourite movie studio) and Cars didn't look brilliant. Heck, a month ago when I watched 'Over The Hedge', I was convinced that this would be the first year in which Dreamworks would make a better movie than Pixar- and I declared so to my friends!
Well, Pixar, you've made me eat my words. I will never doubt this studio again. Not only is Cars a truly GREAT movie, a movie made with obvious love and passion, it's also one of Pixar's most emotionally mature works- one that, while appealing to kids, will only be fully appreciated by adults. On the surface, the story really is 'Doc Hollywood with cars' but Pixar's genius is that they always manage to make an old story feel fresh. The secret's in the characters. The studio's movies are always, first and foremost, character journeys- no Pixar hero is quite the same at the end of the movie as at the start. This is especially true of Cars.
The protagonist of Cars, rookie racecar Lightning McQueen (played by Owen Wilson) starts out brash and cocky, so obsessed about winning that he has no time for other people. He's a bit unlikeable, frankly, though he earns our sympathy when it's shown that his lifestyle and behaviour has left him bereft of any real friends. The movie introduces McQueen and his world of NASCAR racing perfectly, beginning in a loud and almost-obnoxious manner with a visually-kinetic race scene.
The sudden change in pace that occurs when McQueen, through a series of mishaps, gets stuck in the small town of Radiator Springs is jarring enough to be noticeable (indeed, I got a bit restless for the first ten minutes of the movie's 2nd act) but the movie quickly regains it's footing as we are introduced to the cast of characters who inhabit the town. The three main players here are the world-weary but wise Doc Hudson (Paul Newman in a great performance), the beautiful lawyer Sally (Bonnie Hunt) and Mater (comedian Larry the Cable Guy)- the dim-witted, rusty but loveable tow truck who takes a liking to McQueen.
No doubt you'll hear this from others, but I'll say it here too- Mater is the heart and soul of this movie. He's not just the comic relief sidekick that he's shown to be in the trailers (make no mistake, though- he's hilarious in the movie), he also teaches McQueen about the value of friendship by being the first person (car?) to ever befriend him and completely place his trust in him. The friendship that develops between him and McQueen is truly touching.
Cars also manages to give each of it's large cast of supporting characters their own little moment to shine in the movie, in a manner similar to the Toy Story movies. In fact, my very favourite scene in the movie features a character named Guido, a little Italian forklift and racing fan who only speaks one phrase in English. I won't say anymore- you'll know the scene when you see it- it made the audience at my screening fairly howl with laughter.
I said Cars holds greater appeal to adults than to children- that's because the movie is also a celebration of one of the icons of 20th Century America: the famous Route 66 (which ran all the way from Chicago to LA). Immortalized in song, fiction and even a TV series, Route 66 was a symbol of freedom, exploration and romance. Through Cars, director John Lasseter (the man who we're all counting on to save Disney) communicates his love for this now-defunct road.
The movie laments the loss of the communities that sprung up around Route 66 with the advent of modern Inter-State Highways that just take people from Point A to Point B, too fast to appreciate what lies in between (the fictional town of Radiator Springs in the movie is said to be strongly inspired by the real-life town of Amboys, California). Now, it's possible to get overly-preachy with this kind of thing- and in one speech given by a main character, the movie nearly does. Ultimately, though, the movie's nostalgia is endearing and fits in well with Lightning McQueen's character arc.
What's left to say about this movie? It's just great, heart-warming stuff. The movie commemorates Pixar's 20th year and serves as a tribute to the late, great Joe Ranft (who worked on the stories of all of Pixar's films, including Cars, and famously acted as Wheezy the penguin in Toy Story 2 as well as Heimlich the catterpillar in A Bug's Life). It's sad the man didn't live to see the movie, but I think he'd be real pleased with it.
Incidentally, in case you're wondering, the movie is also visually gorgeous. You won't even notice that this is a computer-animated movie- it just feels like a really well-shot, well-animated movie (which really is the highest compliment you can give Pixar on their animation). The music's great, too, with a surprising number of songs and a decidedly Southern flavour.
Alright then, I've said enough. Now just go watch the movie already. You'll love it. Oh and don't go to the theatre late- you don't wanna miss 'One Man Band,' the animated short film that airs before the movie. It's great stuff. The screening of short films at the beginning of each of their animated feature films is just another thing to love about Pixar.
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