"That's a nice-a donut."

Friday, June 16, 2006

Cars (2006)

I'll get the "bad" news out of the way first: Cars has the weakest story out of any of the seven Pixar Animation Studio films to date. It's true. Don't be alarmed though because, thankfully, most everything is relative to something else. And in this case, Cars has to compete with the extraordinarily strong cannon of quality products from Pixar. That's not to say that the movie isn't good (it is), or that isn't for people of all ages (it is), or that director and Pixar head John Lasseter is losing his touch (he isn't ...yet). In fact, I could have just as easily led off with: "Cars is the best animated movie since 2004's The Incredibles." It's true.

The story itself is fairly straightforward. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a hot rookie racecar driver in the Piston Cup series. He is very arrogant and cocky, and doesn't have much in the way of street smarts, which costs him dearly as he loses his chance at winning the cup in the final race. Instead, a wacky three-way tie ensues, and a special three-car tiebreaker race is scheduled for the following week. On route to the big race, Lightning inadvertently gets lost and ends up in small town Radiator Springs where he causes trouble. He is sentenced by cantakerous, dodgy old Doc (a Doctor of Internal Combustion, naturally played by Paul Newman) to rebuild the town's road that he destroyed before he will be allowed to leave. With his dreams of getting a big sponsorship deal in jeopardy, Lightning works hard to finish in time. But, he makes a number of friends including a redneck tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and a sexy Porsche and motel owner named Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt). And with that, he learns some valuable life lessons along the way.

Lasseter made a bold move in deciding to put the cars' eyes in the windshields, as opposed to simply using the headlights as is typically done with animated cars. But the move pays off, as it helps give more character and originality to each car. Most of the cars' personalities are representations of what we might expect of the humans who would drive them. So, the old 1960s VW Bus (George Carlin) not only talks and acts like a stoned hippie but also has a "goatee" via a license plate in the front.

But perhaps the funniest moments in Cars are those involving a very original take on cows and the high-cultured pastime of cow-tipping. Plenty of the little details are also great too, such as how insects in this world are actually miniature VW Beetles. As is generally the case with its storytelling, Pixar is also far ahead of its competitors with regards to creating cutting edge visual animations. This is particularly noticeable in many of the backgrounds, landscapes, and small intricate details that we see - many of these could easily pass for lifelike.

Another strength that the company seems to have over its other animated brethren, is that it takes better advantage of the voice actors and doesn't simply use them to market the movie. Pixar has not been shy about hiring talented and recognizable actors to voice many of its leading parts. But while it often backfires or doesn't work for others - just having a name actor doesn't guarantee that they will do a good job (*coughWillSmithcough*) - somehow with alumni such as Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Kevin Spacey, Billy Crystal, and now Newman, Wilson, and even Larry the Cable Guy, these voices aren't just names but original, careful, and well-crafted roles.

Certainly a few of the characters in Cars aren't too much more than riffs on some basic stereotypes (especially with Mater). And most adults will probably be able to generally predict the ending; but it's getting to that point where the real fun lies. The heart-warming story and the voice characterizations and the exquisite details in the artwork and animation quickly make you forget that the story is really just a variation of something we've seen a number of times before. This should get a very warm reaction from most people - kids, parents, and others - but I have a feeling that the many nuances will help it to become even better over time. And don't forget to stay through the end credits too.

The Verdict: A-.

Michael Bentley 12:36 PM

"That's a nice-a donut."

Friday, June 16, 2006

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