Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: HAPPY MOTORING!
Summary: 5 Stars
"Cars", the latest offering from the animation geniuses at Pixar, is a sweet little movie that combines a witty (and spectacular) look at NASCAR racing with a leisurely story line that harks back to simpler times on the road. All the characters are- yes- cars! This may take a little getting used to, but it works well.
Our hero, cocky young race car Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson), earns his way into a race-off for the Piston Cup, but he falls out of his truck and winds up in the colorful, but faded, Western town of Radiator Springs (a beautifully rendered duplicate of northern Arizona). There, he does community service as a paver while meeting the various
"car-acters" in town. The most interesting of these is Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), a sleek vintage '51 Hudson Hornet who serves as mayor, judge and doctor. There's also Mater, the zany tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy); Sally, the Porsche and former hotshot LA lawyer (a likable Bonnie Hunt), and a great little comic-relief duo: Luigi and Guido, the Italian-accented Fiat and forklift who run a tire store (Tony Shalhoub). Lightning
learns a little more about life and returns to the speedway a new man- I mean car. It's all nicely done and has a different kind of feel than other Pixar movies- more of an easy-going road trip than a slam-bang adventure or undersea odyssey. The racing sequences, narrated by real-life announcers Bob Cutlass (I mean, Costas) and Darrell Waltrip, add genuine excitement that even non-gearheads like me will love. Did we mention that even the announcers are cars?
"Cars" comes in a package that's a little slimmer than the other Pixar DVDs, but this movie looks good. Two shorts, the cute "One Man Band"
(two street musicians, a boy, and an Italian town square) and "Mater and the Ghostlight", are part of it along with a short but interesting documentary that details Pixar honcho John Lasseter's surprising car background (his dad ran a body shop), love of Route 66-style road culture and research into NASCAR broadcasts. There's also an epilogue with little spoofs of past Pixar hits like "Monster Trucks, Inc." that will delight outtake fans. Musical choices include the doo-wop classic "Sh-Boom" (the Chords' version) and, at the end, a nifty take on "Route 66" by John Mayer. Randy Newman's back, too, with the poignant "Our Town" (sung by James Taylor).
"Cars" may not wow you at first, aside from the racing portions, but it will grow on you. It might be a little slow in parts for the very young. Give it a spin- you'll enjoy this ride.
Movie Review: Love those Cars
Summary: 5 Stars
"Cars" is a very enjoyable and beautifully animated feature about an arrogant racecar that learns about friendship and humility after an unintentional detour along Route 66. Set in a world populated by living cars, Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the rookie sensation of the Piston Cup stock-car racing series. While on his way to the championship race in California to become the first rookie to win a Piston Cup, McQueen ends up under arrest in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs on Route 66 after his carrier Mack (John Ratzenburger) accidentally dumps him on the interstate. The local judge and doctor, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), sentences McQueen to repair the town's damaged thoroughfare, which puts McQueen at risk in getting to the race on time, as well as schmoozing a deal with a major racing team. McQueen meets Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt) and a host of other locals during his stay. While the detour starts out to be an unpleasant episode, the people and the town begin to teach McQueen some valuable lessons in life.
The artwork and computer generated imagery for this feature set a new benchmark in animation. Scene after scene is filled with innumerable details relating to automobiles such as the desert terrain reminiscent of Monument Valley, Arizona that looms fenders and hoods to Flo's (Jenifer Lewis) V8 Café that looks like a motor rising from the ground--not to mention tire-tread contrails in the sky. It's an auto-enthusiasts' delight to watch all the different characters and guess what kind of cars they're based on, as well as the associated themes. Particularly impressive is how Pixar-Disney made these car-characters come to life, their mannerisms and movements balanced with how cars operate is very clever.
The characters are good and all the actors' voices fit very well. While Owen Wilson and Bonnie Hunt headline the story, Paul Newman stirs up a lot of attention as the mysterious Hudson coupe, and Larry the Cable Guy takes center-stage in many scenes as a naïve tow truck who takes an instant liking to McQueen. A pair of scene stealers is Luigi (Tony Shalhoub), a Fiat who sells tires and loves Ferraris, and his lovable diminutive sidekick Guido (Guido Quaroni), an Isetta forklift who dreams of performing a pit-stop at an actual race. There are numerous cameo roles by celebrities associated with racing and to see them portrayed as cars is delightful. My personal favorites are Guido, and a 1970 Hemi-Challenger called Snot-Rod (Lou Romano).
Movie Review: SURPRISINGLY CLEVER AND ENGAGING
Summary: 5 Stars
I doubted whether a story populated with cars could actually make an interesting movie, but boy was I wrong. Once again, Pixar has come up with a story that is both engaging and meaningful, whose characters are endearing with effects that take animation one more level up. I actually fell in love with the little red racecar named Lightning McQueen. Now, I know guys are supposed to love cars - but this is ridiculous.
Lightning is in love with himself. He thinks he doesn't need anyone else, even a pit crew. As the fastest rookie on the circuit, he thinks he's got everything he needs. He three-way ties for first place in the Piston Cup race and has to do a race off in California with the two other fastest cars: ego maniac Chick Hicks and good ol' boy The King. But on the way, he gets lost in the Arizona desert and ends up in a little forgotten town on legendary Route 66 called Radiator Springs, where he tears up the pavement on the town's main street and has to serve time repairing it. In the course of events, a little tow truck named Mater befriends him, as do most of the rest of the town, and he discovers there's been something missing from his life that he kind of likes: friends. He's been in such a hurry to be the fastest car on the track that he hasn't taken the time to enjoy, or realize how much he needs, other people - er, cars.
It's a great story, and masterfully directed by John Lasseter (Toy Story I & II, A Bug's Life). Owen Wilson's voice is perfect for Lightning, as is Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. The writing is superb, and the animation - whew! The Nascar experience is perfectly reproduced with everyone participating as a vehicle - including the audience and announcers. There are even some actual racecar drivers playing themselves as cars, like Darrell Waltrip and Mario Andretti.
The Route 66 experience is equally compelling, and actually the best part of the film, in my opinion. The underlying message is that there is something missing in our fast paced lives that if we would just slow down we might recapture. Thus, the metaphor between the race track (as well as the Interstate) and Route 66, which used to be a very scenic, well driven road that represented a more gracious time in our history - a time when friends and family were more important than getting ahead and winning the rat race.
It's a great movie and a great DVD - a little slim on the extra features, but still well worth the money. I hope you fall in love with Lightning McQueen as I did.
Waitsel Smith
Movie Review: Pixar's Best Film to Date...
Summary: 5 Stars
With thew somewhat dissapointing "Rattatouille", you may find yourself wondering "Does Pixar still have magic? Or are they being eaten by the Disney Moster?" It is a legitimate question, and one that I will answer with one word: CARS.
You may find yourself scratching your head in confusion because I say it is Paxiar's best to date, which would mean it is better than the "Toy Story" films and "Finding Nemo". The reason this claim has been made is because although "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo" were amazing, "Cars" succeeds on a few ways that those movies do not.
Let us start with a synopsis. This movie has an extremely simple premise; a race car with the name "Lightning McQueen" (voiced by Owen Wilson" is living life in the "fast lane". He is letting life pass him by so that he can be the youngest car to ever win a Piston Cup. He is on the brink of winning it when by accident he winds up in a redneck town called "Radiatory Springs". It seems to have frozen in time, and after Mcqueen tears the roads to shreds he is sentenced to community service, and well, these simple minded people of course teach him the point lessons he has failed to learn up to that point.
The story on paper sounds mundane, but it is the visuals that are stunning (even by Pixar's standards) and the characters that bring this tale to life. What makes this movie so good is that it will touch your heart, and remind you that there is more to life than trying to succeed, and that sometimes slowing down and just taking a drive to look at the scenery is a more satisfying than winning another trophy. It is the kind of movie that children and adults alike can enjoy. It has funny and animated characters for children like "Tow Mater" (Voiced to perfection by Larry the Cable Guy), more serious characters like "Doc" that is embittered, and sober-minded.
While most these characters or characters like them are in other Pixar movies, that are just not as well fleshed out as they here. Even if we cannot agree with me on this, we can agree that the visuals here are so amazing that you will forget you are watching a "cartoon". This is one animated movie that will stand the test of time fifty years down the road and will be considered a great classic as well as a milestone in computer animation.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!
God Bless ~Amy
Movie Review: Another delightful family film from Pixar
Summary: 5 Stars
In Pixar's CARS, directed by TOY STORY director John Lasseter, the world is populated entirely by - you guessed it - cars. So it's only natural that the biggest event in the entire car world is the Piston Cup, the world's most popular race (inspired by the ever-popular NASCAR racing). This year, the public's rooting for Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), an immensely-talented albeit egotistic rookie. While traveling to California to prepare for the Piston Cup, Lightning's driver, Mack (John Ratzenberger), dozes off and sends Lightning off into the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere happens to be the small town of Radiator Springs, or - as Lightning described it - "hillbilly hell". Though at first Lightning wants nothing more than to escape from Radiator Springs and win the Piston Cup, he gradually becomes more and more attached to the town and its citizens, eventually realizing that friends and family mean more than fame.
Pixar makes family movies better than anyone. Adults find their films just as entertaining as do children. CARS is no exception, though it lacks the power of many of Pixar's previous creations, such as TOY STORY or FINDING NEMO. Also, it is becoming more and more clear that Pixar's films seem to revolve around the same sort of formula. Eventually, I believe that this will begin to bother some adults, but the children will go on loving these films, and that's what the films are here for in the first place.
The cast for CARS is even more impressive than that of previous Pixar films. The cast includes, along with Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, George Carlin, NASCAR racers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Jr., FINDING NEMO/A BUG'S LIFE director Andrew Stanton, Jay Leno, and Michael Keaton. That is quite the cast. It also features music by Randy Newman and some fantastic animation.
Despite all that it has going for it, CARS was considered a flop at the box office, primarily when compared to Pixar's previous masterpieces. I believe that this is due in part to the advertising, which I thought made the film look like many of the other stupid CGI family film imitations in theaters recently. All I can say is disregard the advertising and see the film for yourself. It's another delightful family film from Pixar. Your kids'll love it, and you'll love it too. What more could you ask for?