Dir(s): John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

Starring: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy

Since the digital revolution of the 90’s, animation has changed. Computer Generated Images are now so advanced that Disney have announced the end of their hugely popular cartoon animated features and signed a brand new deal with Pixar. It used to be that to see the best animated films around you would look no further than Disney, but let’s face it Disney’s sole outing Chicken Little is most definitely no Toy Story. Pixar, on the other hand, have been the CGI game longer than any other studio and combined with Disney have created long-lasting greats such as Finding Nemo, Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. They have firmly established themselves as the very best around and their latest outing Cars is no exception.

The CGI in Cars is the most realistic ever produced in an animated feature and races past the likes of Shrek and Ice Age.

When it was announced that the title was Cars, I was very sceptical about how good this film would be. The Disney/Pixar brand name combined with a relentless marketing campaign ensures box office success no matter how good or bad it is, but the story has to be there. With the subject matter of cars, I questioned whether the film would be in the wrong gear for the target audience. However, I am delighted to say that this was not the case as the plot is very strong.

In a world completely populated by motor vehicles, Cars follows an obnoxious, self-centred racing car called Lightning McQueen who is on the verge of winning the world championship in his rookie year. On the journey to the biggest race of his life he gets lost in a small village on route 66 that has become isolated since the interstate was built, making all possible visitors bypass the town. This is a side of the world that Lightning has never experienced and, away from the glitz and glamour of the NASCAR circuit, he embarks on a journey and one that he never expected to go on.

The film is the absolute archetype of a road movie. It aligns to all the inner and outer forms of the genre and the life changing journey that takes place is not dissimilar to Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night, which is a comparison I never thought I would make. It has that trademark Disney spark which lights up the whole film.

The comedy is second to none and it is very clever as it relates to all ages. There are many laugh-out-loud moments which have become a rarity of late and that were definitely missing from The Incredibles. Everything on the screen was extensively thought out, from the car version of a Mexican wave (using headlights instead of arms) to the male cars going in and out of the toilet whilst the women cars queued outside. The car-world of the film was simply an art to behold with the screen being the canvas.

It is also pleasing when they refer to previous films and the intertextuality here was very clever, referencing Toy Story and Monsters Inc.

The acting (or voicing) was solid with Owen Wilson in the driving seat. The staple Pixar voices are also there and this was noted in the film to hilarious effect. The cameo appearances by Jay ‘Limo’(Leno) and Jeremy Clarkson with Clarkson particularly outstanding in his role as Lightining’s agent.

If this film conveys anything it is that life is journey. Enjoy the trip.

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