Disney & Pixar's Cars [DVD] (2006)

There's very little wrong with this 'Pixney' collaboration. It's the story of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a young hotshot racing car who's taking the world by storm on his relentless march to win the Piston Cup (think Indy Car championship). We join the action halfway through the penultimate race as McQueen, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) and veteran but fading all-round good guy The King battle it out for the title.A decision to ignore a call from his crew to come in for fresh tyres ends in disaster for McQueen and the championship comes down to the final race.En route to the final race venue, McQueen becomes separated from his lorry, Mack (ever-present Pixar contributor John Ratzenberger), and finds himself in Radiator Springs, a decaying town off the largely-ignored Route 66, where he promptly gets arrested and sentenced to repair the road.It turns out the judge in the town is world famous racing car, Doc Hudson (the late, great Paul Newman) and as McQueen makes a new friend in Tow Mater the tow truck (Larry The Cable Guy) and finds himself falling for both Radiator Springs and, particularly attractive Porsche lawyer Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), he begins to learn at the fender of the master.The action culminates at the final race where The King, Hicks and McQueen lock horns to decide the destiny of the Piston Cup.This is a beautifully animated, tightly-plotted story with some wonderful characters (and voice characterisations). It delivers an ending that is poignant and guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye but, most importantly, it leaves you wanting more. And that's always the way to go out.Under the strict guidance of Pixar chief storyteller, John Lasseter, Cars is a film that works on a number of different levels to appeal to both children and adults. It's my children's generation's equivalent to, say, The Jungle Book - and I'm not sure it's possible to commend it more highly.

Cars may not have the whizz-bang of Toy Story but this subtle and multi-layered story is rich in detail, characterisation, humour and message. Its pacing is simply perfect with not a single scene wasted, each one contributing in its own way to the lead character's development. And despite the length, it flies by and withstands many repeat viewings. You'll notice something new every time you see it with in-jokes and references woven into the narrative and background action.There's a heart-warming character arc showing the value of friendship and the emptiness of celebrity but there's much more than that. There's a nod to respecting and learning from elders, hints at the perils of consumerism, emphasis on being true to one's promises and even a very subtle anti-class (possibly anti-racist?) message as we see Lightning originally hating being around rusty cars only to befriend one and in the process ashamedly admitting that "oh, I didn't mean you".Compared to the dull, linear and somewhat muddled (who exactly is the hero we're supposed to be following?) script of Finding Nemo, I found this to be a joy. Paul Newman is simply fantastic as the grumpy Doc whose cantankerous nature is only revealed by degrees as we work through the film. Owen Wilson is the perfect counterpoint as the cocky, yet charming, lead character of Lightning McQueen and there are great cameos from Michael Keaton and Larry The Cable Guy.Thankfully, as we reach the climax of the film there's a mixture of high thrills and lump-in-the-throat redemptive moments for many of the cast.Pixar films are generally pretty good but this one stands out from the rest. It somehow manages to tick all the boxes for a kids film whilst somehow revealing more about the human condition than you would ever think possible from a film containing not a single human.Joyous and the best Pixar movie by several country miles.

Meet Lighting McQueen the rookie racing car, whose life goal is to win the Piston Cup. While on his way to a tiebreaker race, he slips off the back of the truck and must try and find his way back to California. He comes across Radiator Springs, a town in the middle of Route 66, when he causes damage to the town he is sentenced to community service.I really enjoyed this movie. The animation is fantastic, the characters are great (even if Lightening McQueen is a bit of a jerk at the beginning of the movie, you know you love him really) and the storyline is very good. Okay, I admit it isn't as complex as a normal Pixar movie, but it manages to fit very grown up situations into a child's world (e.g Attorney escaping the city, coming to the country and falling in love with both the scenery and the people).I really don't understand why it's received such a cold reception from critics, but as they say the real critics are the kids. And let me tell you, kids (especially boys) adore this movie, and in Pixar's eyes that's all that matters.I personally didn't feel that it needed a sequel, but need and want are two totally different things. I'm definitely going to the cinema to see the sequel, even if I have to go by myself (which is a pretty sad thing for a teenager to do).I originally rated the film 4 star, but Mater is worth a whole star all by himself.

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