Another year, another children's animation film with Pixar continuing their remarkable run delivering top notch quality family entertainment with Cars. Well, sort of.
Cars tells the story of Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) a hot shot rookie race car that plays by his own rules, his big ego alienating those around him. On the way to California, Lightning makes an unexpected detour in the sleepy town of Radiator Springs, where he runs a foul of the law and is sentenced to community service due to the damage he had made to the town’s main road.
At first reluctant towards the hospitality of the townsfolk, Lightning slowly begins to fall for the town and learns that life is a journey best made with the ones you love next to you.
As expected, Pixar have produced another very good family film with fantastic animation full of bright colours and excellent scenery, the animators wisely not over doing it when it came to the car designs; the less is more approach working very well.
Very enjoyable are the racing scenes which proved to be both funny and also exciting to watch.
The movie is full of cute, quirky characters that will no doubt crack the kids up with Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Michael Keaton and Tony Shalhoub providing solid voice work. Entourage fans should keep their ear out for Jeremy Piven as Lightning's manager "Harv".
Yet it's Larry the Cable Guy who steals the show as Mater, his red neck shtick coming off very well with the majority of the laughs from his performance.
Unlike other Pixar releases, Cars does not cross over to adults as well as Finding Nemo or The Incredibles. Not that it has been dumbed down for the kids, it's just that adults will find those other films to be much more enjoyable. But kids will love it, and isn’t that what this type of animation is all about? |