Kicking it into high gear... Review on Cars Movie

Animation is definitely taking on bigger challenges these days. The evolution of animation into a mainstream genre drawing audiences of all demographies can be attributed to the sheer virtuosity of the graphics artists, voice-over actors and directors that bring an almost life-like quality to their animated characters. Pixar has long led the charge with such classics as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and more recently, The Incredibles. Their most recent effort, Cars, is yet another feather on Pixar's impressive cap. It brings together two dramatically different aspects of the American culture - one where life whizzes by on the fast lane in the pedal-to-metal world of Nascar, and the other where life puts its brakes on and meanders through one of many little forgotten towns in small town America - all through the eyes of - you guessed it - CARS! Playing what are essentially four-wheeled, metal-grilled, large-eyed versions of themselves are a rather impressive cast of characters:

Owen Wilson - Lightning McQueen

Richard Petty - The King

Michael Keaton - Chick Hicks

Bonnie Hunt - Sally

Paul Newman - Doc Hudson

Larry The Cable Guy - Tow Mater

To kick things up a notch, the film is also speckled with the who's whos in the racing world, including such legends as Michael Schumacher, Mario Andretti and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Vroom...

The story takes rather predictable turns. It starts off with cocky little hot rod Lightning McQueen who's busy trying to make his big debut at the Piston Cup. But his opponents The King and Chick Hicks are determined not to make things easy for him and after burning the rubber through lap after lap, the three end up with a tie on the finish line and a second shot at glory at the tie-breaker in Los Angeles. So while Lightning McQueen hops on the back of his trailer and heads westward, things take an unexpected turn when McQueen nods off for a bit only to wake up to screeching horns and blaring headlights in the middle of a highway to nowhere.

As McQueen races around trying to find his bearings, an unexpected detour finds him tearing through the tarmac into Radiator Springs, a sleepy little town off historic Route 66. This apparent misadventure, unbeknownst to him, is about to change his life. But for the time being it costs him his freedom after the town cop on seeing the damage done to the one street that runs through Radiator Springs accosts McQueen and has him impounded. At the impound lot, McQueen meets Tow Mater, a rusty old tow truck who in the course of time becomes McQueen's highly unlikely cohort. In any case, McQueen ends up in the town court where the town judge Doc Hudson gives McQueen the bottom line - repave the road you destroyed and you go free. This does not sit too well with the little guy who's itching to get back on the road and to the race. But that's where part two of the story kicks in - during the course of his stay at Radiator Springs, McQueen learns that sometimes in life, it does pay to stop and smell the flowers. A slew of diverse townsfolk all get their 15 minutes of fame in the story, all vehicles of course, including a vehicle parts store owner, a gas station owning lowrider, a hippy dippy Volkswagen bus and an over emotional fire engine. However the main characters in the town are Tow Mater, the redneck tow truck, sexy Sally Carerra, an ex-racer Porsche turned town crusader and finally Doc Hudson, a closet racing legend turned cynic who's racing past is a carefully guarded secret thanks to a life-changing accident. As time passes by, McQueen slowly abandons his quest for glory on the racetrack and gives in to simpler pleasures in life like toppling tractors with Tow Mater and gallivanting with Sally around the breathtaking canyon backroads around Route 66. (A note here about the animation - your eyes will pop out of their sockets when you see the sheer virtuosity with which the graphics have been rendered. The realism and the relentless attention to detail is simply stunning and makes for some absolutely mind boggling visuals both on the racetrack and in the great American outdoors.)

Predictably enough, right around when McQueen has surrendered to the charms of small town life and the charms of Sally, his old life comes racing back to him in the form of a frenzy of media trucks and helicopters that discover his whereabouts and swarm into Radiator Springs to whisk him back to the racetrack. So McQueen leaves for LA with a heavy heart but before long he's back in the spotlight - ready for prime time. The race begins, the three cars are on a dead heat when all of a sudden, McQueen's tires go bust and he goes on a tailspin off the track. Just as he's ready to give up, out booms Doc Hudson's voice on a foghorn egging him on and in the distance he sees all his old friends from Radiator Springs right there, cheering him on. So after his auto parts store attendant buddy pulls off the fastest pit stop ever, off goes McQueen in his quest for the grand prize, doesnt quite make it but all is good at the end because while Chick Hicks pulls off some sleazy tricks and knocks The King off the track to win the race, McQueen's newly learned life lessons are put to good use when he helps the King complete his race. That, my friends, is how you end a movie - throw in the feelgood vibes at the end and everybody goes home with a smile on their faces.

Screeching to a halt...

First off, Owen Wilson's charming but cocky attitude lends itself to McQueen's character and IMHO, there couldn't have been a better choice for the role. Paul Newman brings dignity to Doc Hudson's role, Bonnie Hunt adds the spice to Sally's role and Larry The Cable Guy - well he's just himself all the way - gittin' er' done!! My big moment in the film is the part where McQueen not only fixes the road he destroyed in Radiator Springs but breathes life into it by restoring the neon lights in the town and lighting it up to a night of celebration on the streets. That's one scene that's stuck in my mind. Cars has all the makings of an American classic. It's soul food and has all the right ingredients to make you feel like a million dollars after you're done watching. If you're a Nascar fan, there are some edge of the seat moments to keep you interested for the first 15 minutes. There are glitches in the storytelling and the humor isn't quite up to snuff but these are forgivable when you take into account the wizardry of the graphics artists and the liveliness of the characters that make the story. So...if you haven't seen Cars already, go get an eyeful. One last tip- don't walk away before the closing credits end rolling, otherwise you'll miss some of the best punchlines in the movie.