(061506) Thus
far, Pixar has given features and voices to bugs, toys,
monsters, and fish, so why not cars? Although Cars is
arguably the weakest animated feature to emerge from the
virtual drawing board at this successful company, it's also
the best animated film to come along since Disney
distributed The Incredibles. The flaws in Cars relate to how
younger viewers will see the film - it's a little too long
and a little too slow. While adults may not mind sitting
through "filler," children, with their notoriously short
attention spans, may become restless.
Cars brings two well-worn clichés to the animated realm. The
first is the uneasy buddy relationship between an older gent
and a young hotshot. The second is the story of how a
pastoral setting seeps into the blood of a city boy. Cars is
character-driven, which means that it has fewer action
scenes than most recent animated films. Aside from car
races, there's very little here to base a video game upon.
The action/adventure limitations allow the character arcs to
breathe and provide room for a love story, but there are
times when the pace is sluggish.
Cars transpires in a world of automobiles, where there are
no humans or animals. Even the flies are tiny cars with
wings. Owen Wilson provides the voice of Lightning McQueen,
a rookie NASCAR-inspired race car striving to win The Piston
Cup. When he ends the season tied with his two chief
competitors, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) and The King
(Richard Petty), it's off to a winner-takes-all tie-breaker
in California. Along the way, however, Lightning wanders off
the interstate and gets stranded along Route 66 in the tiny
Carburetor County town of Radiator Springs. Arrested for
traffic violations, Lightning is sentenced to repair the
road before being allowed to continue west. At first, he
resents this, but soon friendships form: with tow truck
Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), who takes him "tractor
tipping;" with Sally (Bonnie Hunt) the motel owner, who
takes him on long, scenic drives; and with Doc Hudson (Paul
Newman), a retired race car champion who teaches the
youngster a few lessons while surprisingly learning a thing
or two. Will Lightning finish the road in time to make it to
the big race? Will he abandon his true love and Radiator
Springs for the spotlight of fame and fortune? Admittedly,
you probably know the answers, but it's still fun watching
them play out.
The story may be soft for a Pixar film, but the animation in
Cars exceeds anything we have previously seen, and that's
quite a statement considering how far computer-generated
visuals have come in the last ten years. Pixar sets the bar
higher; now it will be up to Fox and Dreamworks to see if
they can match or top this level. (Considering how much
recent animation has been about product at the expense of
art, one wonders if they'll try.) The single most stunning
sequences come during Lightning and Sally's "Sunday drive,"
as they head out into the desert canyons and up into the
mountains. The landscapes are as gorgeous as anything ever
before depicted on film: animated or otherwise. Other scenes
in Cars' are impressive; this one is breathtaking.
As usual, the voices are expertly chosen. Owen Wilson has
the requisite mix of brashness and likeability to play
Lightning, the self-absorbed car who discovers there's more
to life than winning races. Paul Newman's Doc Hudson sounds
wise and world-weary. Bonnie Hunt, abandoning her usual
sardonic style, is bright and chipper. Larry the Cable Guy
is perfect as the friendless, dim bulb Mater. Cheech Marin,
Tony Shalhoub, and George Carlin also contribute. The film
is peppered with cameos - both Jay Leno and Bob Costas
appear, the former as a late-night talk show host and the
latter as a sportscaster. Meanwhile, racing fans will
appreciate contributions from Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip,
Mario Andretti, and Michael Schumacher. Those of you
familiar with National Public Radio’ weekly series Car Talk
will enjoy the brief appearance of the shows hosts Tom and
Ray Magliozzi.
The humor, as is typical of Pixar, is comprised of jokes
aimed at all age ranges. Some of the comedy will go over the
heads of younger viewers, but there are plenty of gags for
the junior members of the audience. Overall, if the film is
not as funny as its predecessors, that's probably part and
parcel of why it doesn't seem as enchanting. Emotionally,
despite the character arc, Cars doesn't resonate in the same
way The Incredibles or Toy Story did. The film represents
solid family entertainment, and this will be reflected in a
huge box office windfall but, while Cars may cross the
finish line ahead of any of 2006's other animated films,
it's several laps behind its Pixar siblings.
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