Director: John Lasseter Studio: Pixar Animation Genre(s): Comedy/Drama Rated: G |
One of the biggest issues facing the world today is not that
we do too much things, but that we do those things at the expense of what
really matters. We live lives that are
fast, on-the-go, and way too chaotic for our own good. Stress is a major killer now and they have
balls to help relieve that for $2.99 at your local Wal-Mart. Pixar has been in such a steady climb that
“Cars” is initially going to disappoint you.
Its characters are (admittedly) not as memorable as you’d hope. It doesn’t have the grandeur of “The
Incredibles” or “Wall-E.” It doesn’t
have the fast humor of “Toy Story 2” or “A Bug’s Life.” Instead, it opens with fast driving until our
main hero Lightening McQueen (Owen Wilson) winds up in a small town where he
unintentionally destroyed the main road.
Before, he was a rock star in the racing world. Now, he pulls a tar machine meant to put
pavement on a busted street.
There is a rusty old towing truck named Tow Mater (Larry the
Cable Guy) who makes wisecracks all day long.
Kids are likely to fall in love with him (while parents will lean more
towards the other cars). The head of the
down is Doc Hudson, who is voiced by Paul Newman. I don’t know how Pixar managed to make a car
that looked like Paul Newman, but those brilliant animators managed to do it
anyway. Life in this town is quiet and
gay. There isn’t much traffic and most
stores remain open even though there doesn’t appear to have been a customer for
years. The lifestyle is very different
from while McQueen is used to, and you can bet that it wouldn’t be a family
movie if he didn’t learn to love the quiet life before the end of the
movie. So, this all sounds pretty
predictable. Heck, if you’re a parent,
it may seem more like an animated version of “Doc Hollywood” if nothing else.
I think you would be correct in both ways of thinking. “Cars” doesn’t exactly break new ground for
Pixar. It doesn’t even do anything original
when all is said and done. This is bound
to disappoint many who keep going to their films and being surprised that they
keep managing to top themselves. Unlike
most though, I don’t see the lack of ambition as a terrible thing. The director is John Lasseter, who directed
“Toy Story,” “A Bug’s Life,” and “Toy Story 2.”
For years he was the golden boy at Pixar, and he was hired to save a few
projects because his talent was undisputable.
In that time though he realized his kids were growing up without
him. After “Toy Story 2,” he packed the
family in an RV and took a long trip down the famous Route 66. The kids told him to take the freeway to get
to their destination faster, but this trip was about slowing down and enjoying
life, and, thus, he insisted on taking the long, winding way.
Does it come as any surprise that his return feature is
about that very thing? He is trying to
emphasize that life is worth living.
Drive too fast or try to be too ambitious, and you might forget where
you came from or the little things that make the journey so worthwhile. So even though “Cars” is a much smaller film
than Pixar usually makes, it is entirely deliberate and it makes perfect
sense. It makes sense as a personal
project. It makes sense as a statement
about a company that grows more and more ambitious with each new film. It makes sense as a movie. Personally, I don’t demand perfection. Even perfect movies have their flaws. “Cars” may be more imperfect than most movies
I’ve seen, but it has something to say, and I believe it says it
beautifully. On a side note, I should
mention the songs are catchy and have a great road trip quality feel to
them. Wouldn’t you know it; even in the
midst of slowing down, Pixar had the foresight to create a perfect soundtrack
for your next road trip. You should
thank them for that!
