CARS by John Lasseter
Rookie racing car Lightning McQueen is a winner. His goal is success, he is convinced he is the best, and he doesn’t need help from anybody. He even fires his whole team before the most important race in his career. But on his way to California to the race he gets lost, crashes into the sleepy town of Radiator Springs, gets arrested and sentenced to repair the damage.
The residents of Radiator Springs are annoyed by Lightning’s attitude at first, but soon he befriends rusty tow-truck Mater, and there is this lovely Porsche Sally ….
Can Pixar do anything wrong? Certainly, and sooner or later, they will. But not yet. Each of their movies so far was a success, some became instant classics.
Cars is technically perfect – every car has it’s distinct personality, the landscapes are striking, difficult to animate objects and effects like water and reflections seem to pose no technical problems for Pixar, and most important: the animated characters have a heart and soul, even minor supporting characters (my favorite: Guido, the assistant of Luigi) are “alive”.
The dramatic racing sequences make Cars the best sports movie since Cool Runnings, only the story of Lightning’s journey to become a better car is not as original as Pixar’s best (Toy Story, Monsters Inc). It’s quite obvious right away how it will all develop and end, especially when you have seen Doc Hollywood with Michael J. Fox (self-obsessed doctor crashes into a sleepy town, makes friends there, and there is this lovely ambulance driver, Lou …)
The voice talent in the Original English version includes Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and Larry The Cable Guy.
In the dubbed Austrian version, Formula One racing legend Niki Lauda lends his voice to the retiring champion (unfortunately, with zero theatrical talent), and real-life TV-commentator Heinz Prueller, the voice of Formula One for generations of Austrians, is the voice for the film’s racing commentator (no need for him to act!).
Not for the kids only!
Sally: Cars didn’t drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.
