« Unwise Choices | Main | MinMaxing Politics »

June 11, 2006

Cars

I'm on the road to Fort Riley tomorrow, so Amanda and I have been catching up on our movie watching. Yesterday it was Cars, Pixar's latest computer animated flick. We're big fans of Pixar, because many of their past movies, in particular the two Toy Story films and The Incredibles, contained a lot more than just entertainment for children. Toy Story delved into the question of the meaning of life, while Toy Story 2 took on the question of mortality, rather heady stuff for so-called children's films. So we went into Cars with rather high expectations.

Having said that, I can't pretend that there wasn't a small degree of letdown in Cars, but only because it's not as good as Pixar at their best. Cars is a story we've seen before, but it is still done very well, and with Pixar's blend of amazing animation and clever humor. Cars tells the story of Lightning McQueen, a race car who is on his way to becoming the first rookie to win the Piston Cup. En route to the last race of the season, he gets a little lost and ends up in Radiator Springs, the self-proclaimed 'cutest little town in Carburetor County.' The town is one of the many that time forgot along Route 66, when the interstates provided Americans with mobility across the country. But much like the shift from railroads to automobiles, the new mobility came at a price, as small towns that existed to serve travellers along the old route suddenly found they had no one to serve any longer. Radiator Springs is now a repository for old-timers of interesting pedigree, hanging on in the vain hope of customers returning to town.

The characters are an entertaining blend, led by Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, the two truck, Paul Newman as Doc Hudson the town doctor and judge, and Bonnie Hunt as Sally Carrera, a former LA lawyer who fell in love with Radiator Springs. Mater is, of course, the comic relief, and is excellent in the role, while Doc Hudson and Sally provide the movie's moral center, teaching young Lightning McQueen that there's a little more to life than racing. As is common in animated films, the supporting cast includes quite a few well-known actors. Unlike Frederica Mathewes-Green, they didn't seem like they detracted from the plot at all. They were funny and entertaining, but I never got the feeling they took up screen time that needed to be spent on the plot rather than just providing a touch of color and comic relief.

If you're looking for the great American story, you'll probably want to look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a movie that you'll be glad you took the time to see, Cars is a great choice.