LUKE GLOECKNER, Pulse Movie Reviewer | Posted: Thursday, June 15, 2006 12:00 am
Once again, the Disney-Pixar team has taken some inanimate objects, made them stunningly animated and told an exciting and charming story.
"Cars" is the tale of a young, famous and arrogant athlete (in this case, a race car) who accidentally finds trouble - and a community service sentence - in a rural town while on the way to a championship race. Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) meets a comical cast of characters in Radiator Springs, including a rusty tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and a hippie Volkswagen bus named Filmore (George Carlin), who end up making his stay a little more bearable.
Before he can leave, Lightning has to re-pave the street that he mistakenly destroyed first, a job that will take him a few days. Once the shock of being stuck around country car folk wears off, he starts to fall for the town and all of its entertaining residents - especially a beautiful Porsche named Sally (Bonnie Hunt), who moved to the small town after running away from life as an attorney in Los Angeles. Suddenly winning the championship he always dreamed of doesn't seem so important.
"Cars" is a surprisingly rich story that glorifies rural life over city life. At first, it's upsetting when Lightning gets stuck in Radiator Springs - the story of the tiny town certainly doesn't seem as captivating as a race car's life on the Piston Cup Circuit. But the slow pace of the town and the interesting stories of the characters who live there become appealing, and it's easy to see why Lightning gets won over by it all. The fact that a film about animated cars does such an admirable job of making rural life look appealing is a great reason for small-town residents to head to the theater.
The plethora of jokes aimed at adults speed by, and talk of cars and their "parts" should fly over Junior's head. No matter - "Cars" has plenty for the children, too. Everyone will have a blast with the funny story line and positive moral message.
For the uninitiated, Pixar's animation is known for being groundbreaking and breathtaking - and "Cars" is no different. The makers of animated classics including "A Bug's Life" and "The Incredibles" have topped themselves once again. "Cars" is this team's best work since "Toy Story."
{M3review
'Cars'
Starring: Voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, George Carlin
Director: John Lasseter
Run time: 2 hours, 1 minute
Rated: G
Now playing at: College Square, Crossroads 12 and Waverly Palace
****1/2 (out of *****)