Cars

Cars is the story of Lightning McQueen, an animated stock-car, racing in the yearly Piston Cup. The Piston Cup is their version of the Nextel Cup prevalent in the world of NASCAR, and the stars of this film are actually the cars themselves. Giving the cars each their own personalities, they take on the embodiment of the main characters in Cars, as we get to follow the story of one in particular; McQueen. The movie starts as the final race of the regular season is about to take place, and we get a quick glimpse of what McQueen is all about. He is very confident in his racing abilities, feeling he is the best in the land and people should stay out of his way. It just shows what he knows as a rookie in the sport, and that he has a lot to learn about both racing and the value of the people surrounding you in the racing world.

At the finish of that first race, the result leaves question as to who the real champion for that years Piston Cup is going to be. This sets up one final race, which will take place across the country in California, one week from the end of this race. With a no crew chief after showing his inability to work with one, no crew after he claimed he didn't need their help, and no real friends to speak of, McQueen begins his journey across the country to make it to the final race. Unfortunately for him, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, McQueen gets lost in transit, and ends up in the small city of Radiator Springs. Here he finds a laid-back world that knows nothing of his fame and fortune, and cars that care more about family and friends than putting themselves first. It is a shock to the system, and McQueen wants out of there as fast as possible. That goal is not going to be easy though, as some damage to the street he has caused forces his stay to be elongated.

Now if this story sounds very familiar, you could be thinking of the Michael J. Fox movie; Doc Hollywood. That is the one where Fox is a big city doctor, forced to look within himself when he is stuck in a small town. Cars is the exact same film, with very subtle plot differences, and cars replacing the characters of the people from Fox's film. The originality is not here to that extent, but this is the first film since the Herby series or Knight Rider on television where I have been able to enjoy cars as the main characters. If you are a long time Disney fan, you can see this film as a take-off of Disney's 1952 Susie The Little Blue Coupe, another film where the cars take on their own personalities. In Cars however, there are no people interacting, or ever driving them around. This is a film entirely staring the cars, and giving them a world entirely their own.

There are plenty of celebrity voices used in Cars, including Owen Wilson as McQueen, Paul Newman as a dodgy older car, Bonnie Hunt as a Porsche lawyer in the small town, and Tony Shaloub as a funny tire salescar. George Carlin, Cheech Marin, Michael Keaton, and John Ratzenberger also all have significant parts. Each one of the characters has their own unique quality that brings humor and entertainment to the film, and mixed together create a great atmosphere for Cars. There is a lot of humor surrounding the main story, but at its heart, this is a story about the importance of learning, living, and friendship. The computer animation by Pixar is simply as good as it gets, and when you see the scenic overlooks of Middle America, you start to forget that you are really watching a cartoon. This is a film that has a little bit for everyone, and Cars has mass appeal to that wide audience. Funny in many instances and endearing in others, Cars is one of those films that will last for years as a watchable DVD. It his highly recommended, and I suggest watching the credits at the end, because there are many funny moments included.