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So it's just an exceptionally good movie rather than a masterpiece. The film's biggest problem, I think, is that it's kind of self-indulgent. At nearly two hours, it's relatively long for an American animated movie, and though it doesn't quite feel bloated or flabby, Cars could probably do with having its aerodynamics studied a bit (as in, I don't know where that drag is coming from, but I can feel it). Sure, it may seem like that's a somewhat inappropriate complaint about a film whose message is to slow down a little and enjoy the journey, but this journey could use a few more roadside attractions to make up for its lengths. Also, some of the car-and-racing-related bits may be highly amusing to car people but less so to those who see the things as necessary transportation but no basis for a hobby. For instance, there's a racecar named "The King" that is voiced by Richard Petty. I was a bit amused to see his name in the credits, and figured that a certain uncle and cousins would have really liked that while watching his scenes. That bit's just going to be lost on many people; others might seem like active wastes of time.

Still, the only "inside" thing that might even be close to really necessary to understand what's going on is that it's important to change tires rather than just refuel regularly during a stock-car race, and that's demonstrated in a dramatic enough manner. The film takes place in a world populated by intelligent motor vehicles rather than human beings; the most popular sport in that world's America is, naturally, stock car racing. Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), a cherry-red rookie, is set to be the first rookie car ever to win the circuit's top prize - and thus become heir apparent to the retiring King's lucrative sponsorship and endorsement deals, but his blowout during the final race of the season leaves him in a three-way tie with the King and Chick Hicks (voice of Michael Keaton), who is equally cocky but doesn't have youth as an excuse. On the way to a special tie-breaker race, though, McQueen is separated from his carrier, Mack (Pixar regular John Ratzenberger), and winds up before traffic court in out-of-the-way Radiator Flats. Judge Doc Hudson (voice of Paul Newman) would like to just send the troublemaker on his way, but after he gets on the bad side of part-time prosecutor Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), McQueen is sentenced to repave Main Street. Can he do it in time to make the big race out in California? Will his time in the small Route 66 town give him a new appreciation for things other than being #1?

Well, of course it will. The plot is Doc Hollywood ("... with talking cars!"), but it's not as though the kids coming to see it have seen Doc Hollywood, but even they are going to have some idea of where the movie is heading pretty quickly. Again, we know the destination, but the sights along the way are worth slowing down to see. The movie is remarkable first on a sheer "throwing great hardware and software at it" level; while a movie about cars may initially feel like a throwback all the way to Toy Story in terms of being a technological challenge (smooth, manufactured objects without fur or feathers), that's ignoring the vast, incredibly detailed backgrounds; they're almost too close to photorealistic to avoid clashing with the fanciful, somewhat simplified characters inhabiting them. Those cute character designs are also a lot trickier than one might initially give them credit for; they look like specific real-world models of cars, but they're flexible in just enough ways that real cars aren't to make them expressive characters.

This is the first Pixar production (or animated Disney picture, for that matter) to openly push their voice talent the same way DreamWorks does, but when you've got Paul Newman, it's worth crowing about. He growls like a blue-collar father, used to having his way because he's been right enough times that nobody questions him, and irritated when someone does. His voice is the perfect counterpoint to Owen Wilson's; Wilson puffs McQueen up with supposed authority that he hasn't earned, but puts just enough charm into it that the audience is willing to give him a chance to grow up. The supporting characters are, by and large, a treat: "Larry the Cable Guy" is an almost ideal rustic as Mater - not much book smarts, but big-hearted; it's not hard to imagine him perfectly at peace sitting by a lake, using his tow cable as a fishing line. Between Larry and the Pixar animators, the character can say dumb but amusing things and also seem absolutely crushed when he thinks he's screwed everything up. Bonnie Hunt's Sally sounds like a smart blonde (a Porsche probably being the automotive equivalent) - pleasant and capable most of the time and disarmingly cute when she gets flustered. Tony Shaloub pulls his accent from Wings out of mothballs as an Italian forklift who loves races - real races, F1 races with Ferarris (this is the race fans' equivalent of "why do you Americans watch baseball when the rest of the world knows footy is the superior game?") - and is a stitch.

Lasseter and Pixar got to the top of the pack by embracing technology and sweating details, and Cars does a fine job of that. The car motif is all over the visuals, from the shape of rock formations in the landscape to the jet contrails that look like tread marks in the clear blue sky. There may not be a logical reason for them, but they make the world more enveloping - they keep us in that place even when we'd question it. He makes the races fast and exciting without them becoming the confusing blur they can be to non-fans like me. Randy Newman contributes his first work in a couple of years, including a new song performed by James Taylor (it aims to serve the same function as "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2, but doesn't quite meet that standard. The ending credits are filled with goodies, like we've come to expect.

I'll be honest - I didn't like this movie quite as much when I started writing the review. On first blush, it seems like a lesser effort, but upon reflection it winds up feeling more solid and substantial. Over time, I think the kids in the audience who liked it will enjoy it even more as they grow up and spot all the details that the car nuts at Pixar put in.

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originally posted: 06/27/06 09:52:43
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