Pixar and I seem to have established a pleasant little tradition. They put out a bunch of commercials and trailers for their movies that make me think they’ve finally put out a dud—and then I go to the movie and am enchanted with it. Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles all had trailers that left me cold.
Leading up to Cars, the pattern continued. The story didn’t sound all that interesting to me; I have no interest in NASCAR racing (or any other type of car racing), and the cars looked like slightly improved versions of what you see in those Chevron commercials. So it was with some confidence that this time around I was shaking my fist at the sky and proclaiming, “This time! This time for sure Pixar has created a dud!”
But no. This time, yet again, I was wrong.
I don’t know if it is a game the Pixar marketers play or if they’re just not so good at attractively marketing their films, but I think it is safe to say that they have another hit on their hands. It may also be that when you really look closely, the basic storylines in Pixar’s movies aren’t really all that strong. They are well-worn formulas and perhaps it is hard to make that look appealing in a 30-second movie trailer. This is true for Cars as well.
© Disney/Pixar.
The story is an old one. A young and brash superstar has been blinded by the lights of fame and fortune, turning his back on the kinder things in life that make it actually worth living. An unintended stay with homier, normal folk reignites a passion for life and the simple joys. In Cars the profession is racing, the brash young superstar is Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and the unintended detour is an accident in Radiator Springs where a judge sentences him to three days of community service fixing the main road through town. The town itself is populated by an oddball group of vehicles living in a town bypassed by the interstate. The key to bringing Lightning’s focus back to the important things is a love-interest in a Porsche named Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt). The mayor, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), also plays a pivotal role in bringing him around.
Just as an example of how worn this story is, consider the classic example of Doc Hollywood where the profession was plastic surgery, the young superstar was Michael J. Fox, the unintended detour followed a traffic accident in Grady, South Carolina, after which he is sentenced to three-days’ community service as a community doctor. The love interest bringing things into focus was played by Julie Warner and the mayor is David Ogden Stiers. Of course, all the other figures around town are an oddball collection of quirks and characters.
You could almost literally take the Doc Hollywood script, pencil in the new character names, make everybody a car of some sort, and you’d have the script for Cars. And yet, Cars is a much better movie than Doc Hollywood and most of the other movies that have used this general storyline.
© Disney/Pixar.
As animated by Pixar, these characters are more alive than most live-action characters. The magic coming out of Pixar that is missing from almost every other computer-animation house out there is that within minutes you are completely sucked into the reality of the movie. Except for the odd moment when you’re left wondering how they possibly animated something so beautifully, you quickly forget you’re watching animation at all.
It comes to feel so real that when the animators engage in standard cartoon gag (a car pauses for a moment after going off a ledge before falling), is seems like a betrayal of what they have completed. That’s fine in a Road Runner cartoon but this is a “real” world and it feels wrong. For this reason it is also good that the private jokes and cross-movie references are left for the credits where they are effective but separate from the movie itself. The credits also include a brief tribute to the work of Joe Ranft, a Pixar animator and voice actor who died in a car accident in 2005. He had worked as head of story for Cars, provides the voice of Red, an emotional fire engine, and is credited as co-director with John Lasseter.
Speaking of John Lasseter, with all of his new responsibilities with Disney after its purchase of Pixar, it is easy to wonder how many more films, if any, he’ll be able to actually direct himself. It is good for Pixar that they have equally qualified directors in Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), Brad Bird (The Incredibles), and Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), but Lasseter’s true genius seems to be in imbuing his characters with a tangible spirit, a heart that gives them a reality beyond what is simply drawn on the screen. He’ll still be around as producer but he creates a big shadow for those other directors to work in.
© Disney/Pixar.
My preference would be that the animation world move away from the use of celebrity voices for these films but that is a battle lost long ago. Even here, though, all the choices work out in Pixar’s favor. Though some reasonably big names are present—Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, George Carlin, Cheech Marin, Michael Keaton, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub—it is really only Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen that has a voice so distinctive that an image of the actual actor insists on intruding in your mind. Wilson’s voice acting, however, is so laid back and non-aggressive that even that fades after the first few scenes.
The youngest members of the audience may get a little antsy through the more talkative scenes, but at the screening I attended all the children were still and quiet throughout the 110-minute running time of the movie. Even though actual car racing plays a minor role in the movie, there is more than enough action and humor (for all ages) to keep just about everybody involved from beginning to end.
Finally, for those wondering: Yes, John Ratzenberger has a role (several, including the end credits). Yes, the sequence A113 makes an appearance. Yes, there is an Apple joke in the movie involving a white racecar with an appropriate car number.
So, once again, Pixar has foiled my prejudices. Will I be able to resist once again shaking my fists towards the heavens when the trailers start showing for 2007’s Ratatouille?
Cars is a Disney/Pixar release.
Wide theatrical release June 9.
Directed by John Lasseter.
Screenplay by Dan Fogelman
Starring: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton
Running time: 116 minutes
Rated G
Alex’s Rating: 9 out of 10
One Man Band
Preceding the showing of Cars, most theater-goers will be treated with another Pixar short by the name of One Man Band. This four-minute film isn’t one that will stick in your mind for the rest of your life or anything, but it has charm in spades.
The entire thing consists of three characters. Two rival “one-man band” acts in an empty Italian square and the little girl with a coin. The two performers are competing to get the coin from the girl and go through ever-increasingly complicated acts of one-man-bandship until they get the just result of their avarice.
The short was released to at animation film festivals last year and was a nominee for an Academy Award this last January, though it did not win. It is not good enough to be reason alone for getting to the theater, but enjoy it while it’s on because there is no guarantee on when you’ll get another chance.
One Man Band is a Pixar release.
Wide theatrical release June 9, attached to Cars.
Written and directed by Mark Andrews and Andrew Jiminez
Running time: 4 minutes
Rated G
Alex’s rating: 7 out of 10
For those of you interested in seeing the movie at Disney’s El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California, here is the official information on what will be happening there.
KODAK PIT STOP CHALLENGE BEFORE EVERY PERFORMANCE
with a real pit crew LIVE on stage in a fun and interactive showJUNE 9TH TO JULY 4TH
Hollywood’s legendary El Capitan Theatre will rev up the action during its
special engagement of Disney/Pixar’s exciting new computer-animated movie
“CARS” with the “Kodak Pit Stop Challenge,” featuring a real pit crew – live
on stage – in a fun and interactive show at every performance from June 9th
to July 4th, it was announced today by Lylle Breier, senior vice president
of worldwide special events for Buena Vista Picture Distribution. The El
Capitan Theatre is located at 6838 Hollywood Blvd.Before every movie, the audience will get to watch a real professional pit
crew as they race against the clock to get their car back into the race, in
a not-to-be-missed, heart pounding show. The crew will be joined by
audience members, who will work with them onstage. Providing the
play-by-play – along with great music and giveaways – will be the El Capitan
DJ. The pit crew is from PIT Instruction and Training, the stock car
industry leader in preparing professional over-the-wall pit crews.Commenting on the announcement, Breier said, “Buckle up and hold onto your
seats! The entire event promises to be big fun for the whole family.
Guests are in for a treat as we begin our presentation of the new
Disney/Pixar ‘CARS’ with a show that will literally put our audience into
track excitement as they watch the crew trying to beat time and get their
car up, running and back in competition. ‘CARS’ is another amazing film from
Pixar and John Lasseter. This is the perfect entertainment to get the
summer off to the right start.”To further add to the fun, Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store (located
next door to the theatre) will be offering the special Pit Stop Sundae.
Refuel your engines with two scoops of rocky road ice cream, rich hot fudge,
and an Oreo® spare tire, topped off with whipped cream, car sprinkles, and a
cherry. After enjoying the sundae, patrons get to keep the collectable
bowl.Tickets for this special engagement of “CARS” can be purchased at the El
Capitan box office, online at www.elcapitantickets.com, or by calling
1-800-DISNEY6. Special group rates are available for parties of 20 or more.Author
