Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a cocky, rookie race car. Speeding on his way to a big race, he crashes into Radiator Springs, destroying lots of the inhabitants' belongings! In order to make up for what he did, the raucous roadster is sentenced to community service. Though he will do anything to get away from the work, McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the Radiator Springs inhabitants in order to get out of the town and back on the racetrack... After taking moviegoers magically into the realm of toys, bugs, monsters, fish, and superheroes, the masterful storytellers and technical wizards at Pixar Animation Studios (The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc.), and Academy Award-winning director John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug's Life), hit the road with a fast-paced comedy adventure set inside the world of cars. Fuelled with plenty of humour, action, heartfelt drama and amazing new technical feats, Cars is a high octane delight for moviegoers of all ages.
Directed by
John Lasseter; Joe Ranft (co-director).
Written by
John Lasseter (story); Joe Ranft (story); Jorgen Klubien (story). Please follow the IMDB link for full writing credits.
Starring
Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen (voice)); Paul Newman (Doc Hudson (voice)); Bonnie Hunt (Sally Carrera (voice)); Larry The Cable Guy (Mater (voice)); Cheech Marin (Ramone (voice)); Tony Shalhoub (Luigi (voice)); Guido Quaroni (Guido (voice)); Jenifer Lewis (Flo (voice)); Paul Dooley (Sarge (voice)); Michael Wallis (Sheriff (voice)); George Carlin (Fillmore (voice)); Katherine Helmond (Lizzie (voice)); John Ratzenberger (Mack / Hamm Truck / Abominable Snow Plow / P.T. Flea Car (voice)); Joe Ranft (Red / Peterbilt (voice)); Michael Keaton (Chick Hicks (voice)). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
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Sometimes when you lose yourself that's when you find yourself
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I thought Cars was a great film. Initially it hadn't been particularly high up on my list of films to watch but having seen the trademark Pixar quality of animation at a friend's house, it soon jumped up my list. I was hesitant to watch it beforehand because whilst there are many animations that I love, the medium is by nature one further step away from humanity. And so to then go and replace the animated human form with that of animated machines, I wasn't sure how it would work out and how I as the viewer would relate to that. But! I'm pleased to say it did work out and the film still managed to embody a great deal of humanity; perhaps even re-enforcing the fact that it is our words and actions that count above all else. As mentioned, the animation is sublime, and for me the best scene is Lightning taking a drive with Sally out through the Arizona/Nevada desert, where they come to an old redundant gas station that looks out over the valley and magnificent scenery all around. It's here that Sally explains how she was living life in the fast lane in LA but "never felt happy - so I left for California, I drove and drove, and finally broke down here". I love the various car analogies being applied to our own human behaviour; they're so fitting for the manner in which we steer ourselves (and our egos!) through this life and this world. I also liked the nostalgia for the golden era of times past when "cars didn't drive on it to make great time, they drove on it to have a good time". The overriding message though (if you'll excuse the pun) is that we can't travel through this life alone - we all need help, love and the company of good, honest, selfless friends to help us through life's various ups and downs. I'll leave the rest for you to enjoy and comment upon yourself, but if you haven't seen Cars yet, rest assured it's another Pixar offering the whole family can enjoy.
