Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
I’ve had serious doubts for some time that Pixar was capable of producing a bad film, and my feelings certainly aren’t going to change as a result of watching the visual tour-de-force Cars, an absolute slam-dunk mix of dead-on vocal talents and some of the most dazzling computer-generated animation to ever hit the big screen. The film only falters in the story department, which doesn’t carry the emotional weight that has been the stamp of most Pixar works, such as Finding Nemo, the two Toy Story films, and The Incredibles. The fact that lead car actor Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) might not make it to or win the big race isn’t the same as little Nemo getting eaten or Mr. Incredible and his family dying at the hands of an evil villain.
Still, Cars has loads going for it, beginning and ending with the presence of race car enthusiast Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, who, along with the fellow residents of Radiator Springs, are forced to endure McQueen in their quiet desert town that used to be a high-traffic community for vehicles traveling down Route 66. When a major interstate was built near the town, it became a virtual ghost town inhabited by a group of eccentric and desperate cars voiced by the likes of George Carlin (as the hippie VW bus), Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Larry the Cable Guy (as a redneck tow truck), and the gifted Bonnie Hunt as Sally, a Porche who once led the good life in the big city but fell in love with this sleepy town and just stayed.
McQueen tears up the town’s main road when he is accidentally separated from the 18-wheeler (named Mack, voiced by Pixar mainstay John Ratzenberger) transporting him to what could be the championship race that makes him…well, champion. But he is forced to stay in town long enough to fix the road, which may put his making the big race in jeopardy.
In the world of Cars, there are no humans. Every living, breathing creature is some type of vehicle; even the insects are little VW bugs with wings (get it?). So does that mean that a car race is more like a foot race to…oh, never mind. My point is, this set up sparks a never-ending succession of clever, sometimes ingenious, plays on words and topical references that will keep adults laughing while the kids look at the pretty pictures and follow the fairly straight-forward story.
This is the first film directed by John Lasseter (Bug’s Life) since Toy Story 2, and it’s great to see him back on the job (he runs Disney’s animation arm now). But this is not the best Pixar has to offer, at least not in terms of story or humor. Overall, I thought Over the Hedge was better on most levels, but especially as pure entertainment. Still, I suffered not a hint of disappointment upon seeing Cars.
In fact, I loved every minute of the viewing experience. I loved that since cars don’t have heads to turn and look at someone behind them, they have to back up to see what’s what. I loved the way the light bounced off McQueen’s polished hood, and the ultra-realistic way a car skids off a dirt road. The look of the movie is astonishing. Some may be let down by the unchallenging nature of the story, but I considered it a small price to pay for such joyful animation and Newman’s crusty old car voice.
Capone
