I think that it would be a mute point to tell you now that Pixar has captured the magic, luster, and creativity that Walt Disney Pictures had once been known to have had. Ever since ‘Toy Story’ was released in 1995 critics, audiences, and the motion picture industry knew that the little computer animation company was something special, and not to mention, the wave of the future. I remember seeing the film for the first time on the big screen with my family and being dazzled by the amazing sites and imagination that were put into the film. Well as you probably know, unless you have been living under a rock for the last decade, Pixar has continued hit after hit and their newest entry to the race carries on that tradition quite nicely.

For those of you who thought ‘Cars’ was just a cheap play on a society which idolizes NASCAR, think again. There is much more under the hood of this baby than meets the eye, it has as much heart and soul as any previous Pixar entry. In fact deep down ‘Cars’ drives down the same path that films like ‘Easy Rider’ helped pave the way for, at its most basic story arc it is a road trip movie. Like any good cross country picture though ‘Cars’ is filled with self discovery, social commentary, spectacular visuals and an awesome soundtrack. Perhaps more than anything else ‘Cars’ is Pixar’s first example of a genre picture.

On the surface, and from the first fifteen minutes of the film, that isn’t exactly the journey you would expect the film to take you on, as right away the film opens up with the ‘Piston 400’, the championship race which Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, is trying to win in his rookie year. Don’t get me wrong, the scene is quite entertaining and exciting. The visuals in these sequences are by far some of the best work to come out of Pixar yet and at times they can look almost photorealistic too. The problem with the start of ‘Cars’ is that it tends to sputter a bit, initially coming across just as shallowly as some of the other studios’ recent computer generated entries. Thankfully though as the film progresses you realize that we are seeing the world through the eyes of Lightning McQueen and at this point in the film he is a very arrogant and self absorbed character, almost fitting with the opening of the picture, it is just the beginning of a process of self actualization and a road to discovery.
However just as quickly as McQueen can smoke his competition fate takes him on a different course other than his next big race. After a series of mishaps the little race car that could finds himself in the custody of a grumpy sheriff in a sleepy, desert town just off of a Route 66 bypass. Now there is something you should know about ‘Cars’ before I venture any further into the analysis of the film. Unlike any Pixar film before it, which usually had human beings involved in the story in some form or another, ‘Cars’ eliminates man entirely, replacing them with talking, thinking, and at times, emotionally complex, well, cars. It is a bit strange at first since is places us completely outside the context of our reality, something none of the studio’s previous franchises have done. Thankfully, after you let yourself sink into the characters, the witty humor, and the sheer beauty of the animation this criticism quickly becomes an afterthought.

Perhaps the heart of the film comes from the incredible voices that brought these characters to life; some of the characters are literally the driving forces behind the film. I overheard another critic in the audience mutter, “Oh I heard Paul Newman is in it, his voice will stick out badly”. Well he was right about a few things. Yes, Paul Newman is in the picture and his voice does stand out. However he, and just about the majority of the cast, fit so well into their character’s design and personalities that regardless of how recognizable their voices are they work. This is one area Pixar manages to excel at and I wish other animation studios would take notice. Though there are big name stars voicing the vehicles in ‘Cars’, like the aforementioned Wilson and Newman, plus others like Larry the Cable Guy, George Carlin, Michael Keaton, and Bonnie Hunt, not one detracts from the story, they literally become the characters they were brought in to play.

The most impressive thing about ‘Cars’ was just how mature the picture was. Sure there were some fart jokes here and there, but for the most part long time Disney director John Lasseter handles McQueen’s road to self discovery quite prudently. In fact there are many levels of social commentary audiences of all ages will have fun absorbing during the film. On the surface level we watch McQueen as he grows as an automobile, I mean individual, as he makes friends, finds love and discovers that there is more to life than just the speed of a big race and that he can find all this by just slowing down and enjoying what is in front of him.

Older audiences will enjoy the deeper context which drives the picture, the commentary on the giant, cross country freeways which monotonously take us from point A to point B when there is so much beauty and mystery passing us by. Anyone who has ever made the trek across the U.S. can find some emotional resonance with this, and as we see McQueen’s eyes open to this discovery you too may find yourself wanting to slow down just a little bit to enjoy everything the country’s beautiful lands have to offer.

Rejoice all you Disney nuts out there, Pixar has pulled out another hit for ‘The House of Mouse’ and it is a sure fire winner. ‘Cars’ is at its core a road trip movie and Pixar absolutely nailed the genre. For a family, computer animated comedy ‘Cars’ has a surprisingly versatile amount of depth while still managing to be able to entertain audiences of young and old alike; I couldn’t have enjoyed it more.

-Joe Russo