Who would expect an animated movie about cars to contain adorable characters with emotional depth, brilliant animation, realistic dialogue, incredible CG effects -- and have heart and be fun, too? That’s exactly what you get in Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter’s Cars, a new film from Pixar Animation Studios.
.jpg)
Lightning
Lightning McQueen (perfectly voiced by Owen Wilson), is a swaggering, hotshot racecar bound for California to compete in the Piston Cup Championship. He insists that Mack (voiced by John Ratzenberger), his transport truck, drive full speed ahead on the famous Route 66 and never mind pulling over to snooze.
Lightning and Mack
Lightning accidentally slips out the back and ends up in Radiator Springs, a town that was once a popular tourist spot along Route 66; but since the super highways came along, it’s a dried up, sleepy little town.
Doc Hudson and Lightning
Lightning insists he get fixed up and back on the road. The town’s judge, Doc Hudson (voiced by Paul Newman), a 1951 Hudson Hornet, takes an instant dislike to Lightning, especially after he tears up the street. He sentences Lightning to community service to repair the road, and insists that the Sheriff (voiced by Michael Wallis) keep Lightning in town. During many attempts to repair the road, Lightning gets acquainted with Radiator Springs’ inhabitants.
Lightning & Sally
Sally (voiced by Bonnie Hunt), a saucy 2002 Porsche, owns Cozy Cone Motel. She likes Lightning, and when she offers him a room for the night, he’s quite surprised to discover how nice it is. Mater – for Tow Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy), is a rusty tow truck who sounds like a hick but has a heart of gold and a great sense of humor. He becomes Lightning’s best friend and immediately tries to help him get back to the race.
Mater and Lightning
Tony Shalhoub is extremely amusing as Luigi, the proprietor of Casa Della Tires who along with his helper Guido (voiced by Guido Quaroni), insists he has the tires that will help Lightning win the race. George Carlin voices the hilarious hippie VW van Fillmore. He promotes peace, love and his own organic fuel while playing Jimmy Hendrix music, which wreaks havoc with the residents of Radiator Springs.
Lugi & Guido Fillmore & Lightning
Always at odds with Fillmore is Sarge (voiced by Paul Dooley), a military-minded jeep who runs the town surplus store. In addition to the romance between Lightning and Sally, Ramone (voiced by Cheech Marin), a 1959 Impala low-rider and Flo (voiced by Jenifer Lewis), a show car who owns the V-8 Café, are also an item. Michael Keaton voices Chick Hicks, a tough competitor who wants to win the Piston Cup as bad as Lightning does.
Ramone
As Lightning gets acquainted with his new pals, he can’t understand why Doc Hudson has such a dislike for him until he uncovers a secret about Doc’s past. This leads to the two being at odds, but then becoming fast friends and changing their futures.
John Lasseter, the incredible talent who directed A Bug’s Life, Toy Story, and Toy Story 2 and executive produced Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, is responsible for brining this story to life. “I have always loved cars,” he said. “In one vein I have Disney blood, and in the other, there’s motor oil.”
Like most people today, Lasseter had gone ages without a vacation. After taking his family on a road trip to scope out Route 66 and to research the area for the story, he made a key discovery. “When I came back from the trip, I was closer to my family, and I reattached to what was important in life. I knew what the film needed to be about. I discovered that the journey in life is the reward.”
These themes are played out again and again in Cars. The animation, under the helm of Scott Clark, is absolutely amazing. No details are overlooked. Each car becomes a real-life character due to the expertise of its actor who infuses his/her own personality into the performance. The authentic dialogue, from the screenplay by Dan Fogelman, Lasseter, Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, and Klubien, makes the cars come alive. Production designer Bob Pauley oversaw the design of the cars and mixed the cartoon look with humanistic qualities that really work. Bill Cone, responsible for the design of the town and environment, creates visuals that continually surprise and delight.
Paramount in Cars is the humor. From the time the Jay Leno car shows up to all the great time spent with Mater, there’s one fun-filled moment after another. Race fans will particularly enjoy the inclusion of cars voiced by racing legends Richard Petty (The King), Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Darrell Waltrup, and Michael Schumacher. Randy Newman’s music score and original songs, “Our Town” and “Main Street Isn’t Main Street Anymore,” add another level of enjoyment to the film.
Like some real life people, Lightning has tunnel vision and doesn't care about anything except winning the championship. But the inhabitants of Radiator Springs make him slow down and discover what’s really important in life. Grab up the entire family and go see Cars. It’s the best movie this year.
Photo Credits: 2006Disney/Pixar
