A Look Back at Cars

Copyright 2009, Disney-Pixar

Cars, the seventh feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, holds a special place in my heart, but not the kind you'd think: it's the only film Pixar's ever done that I didn't see in theaters. Though the ostensible reason was due to my wife having zero interest in the film, the real reason was that...well, I didn't really have a major pull to see the film. That alone should tell you something, coming from an avowed Pixar fanatic. When you have John Lasseter, the Pixar head, the man who directed Toy Story, directing a movie, I should want to go. But, no, and when I first caught up with the film on DVD, my fears were proven right.

In November, though, once I got myself an HDTV and a Blu-ray player, Cars was one of the first films I bought on the new format. Despite my being so-so on the film, there's no question about this much: with Cars, Pixar makes leaps and bounds from its previous animated efforts solely in terms of technical skill. If anyone ever asks you why they should buy an HDTV and/or a Blu-ray player, and you happen to own this film, tell them to hold on as you put on the 21st scene of the film, when Lightning McQueen and Sally the Porsche take a leisurely, flirty drive around the small town of Radiator Springs. There's little in terms of dialogue here as we watch the two cars drive around the most photorealistic vistas and landscapes Pixar has ever created. It's so damn awe-inspiring, Lightning drops his jaw and I can't blame him. The animation here is flawless, with the exception of the "faces" the cars have, which are rooted in old-style Disney cartoons.

But let's be honest: Cars is, by the terms of previous Pixar films, not great. If it had been the company's first feature film, we'd all be over the moon about it, at least upon its initial release. I'm not so sure it would have had the lasting effect that Toy Story has, but the film wouldn't have been so thoroughly disappointing, because there'd be no prior hype going into it. Instead, we're looking at the film that follows up movies like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, two truly fantastic movies that work on a commercial level, but are also complex in their stories and characters. Cars, on the other hand, is easily the most unsubtle film Pixar's ever made. Within the first five minutes, you know exactly what problem the main character, Lightning, an arrogant young race car, has, you know he'll learn a lesson about his problem, and he'll fix it. No surprises.

Another interesting thing I noted is how, for the first time (and hopefully the last time), the folks at Pixar fell into the trap those working at DreamWorks make on an almost daily basis: they make far too many jokes that kids won't get, jokes that are squarely targeted at adults. What often separates Pixar films from DreamWorks films is the relatability of the characters and how the jokes cross boundaries. You don't have to be an adult to laugh at Woody and Buzz Lightyear struggling their way through a claw game and the fanatical toys living inside the claw; there are certain aspects to the joke that adults get more than kids, but everyone can laugh at it. But who under the age of 10 is going to get the joke of a character voiced by famed sportscaster Bob Costas being called Bob Cutlass? Having Jeremy Piven play a slick Hollywood agent is funny...if you know about Piven's role on HBO's Entourage, but kids won't know that.

Even worse, once the film steps away from having oddly placed celebrity cameos, the story that unfolds is both extremely slow-paced (I ended up being a bit distracted halfway through the film, and after another 15 minutes, Lightning hadn't gotten any further at being found by his own famous entourage of agents and the like) and completely derivative. It pains me to use those words in describing a Pixar film, but the truth is the truth. Though it's funny in parts and the animation is sensational, Cars is too much of a specific labor of love meant to cater to John Lasseter and his Walt Disney-esque fondness for a time long since forgotten. Obviously, having that kind of nostalgia works very well for Disney (and I'm certainly not against it, being a Disney fan and an annual passholder for Disneyland), but in Cars, it falls flat.

The story is, again, very slow and nothing original: Lightning is a successful race car who needs to be taken down a peg or two, gets stuck in a small town, and learns to be a good person...er, car. In paying more attention to the story this time, I realized also that it's the love of Sally that turns Lightning around. Of course, I'm not particularly sure that Sally's affection is warranted; it comes out of nowhere that she begins awkwardly flirting with him. Sure, having Bonnie Hunt as the voice of Sally helps, but why should Lightning (who starts out as an affable if almost completely awful character, someone who you want to fail) deserve any nice treatment from her? We've seen Lightning be rude to every denizen of Radiator Springs, act condescending to the only character who wants to be his friend (Mater, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy, in a performance that's far more likable than I would have originally thought). Now, suddenly, Sally turns on a dime and likes him; this feels very false.

Again, I like Cars. I certainly don't love it, despite some great performances from Owen Wilson (as Lightning), Hunt, Michael Keaton (as Lightning's main rival), and the late Paul Newman as the crusty Doc Hudson. The animation is awesome, proof positive that Pixar will always win the visuals game. Unfortunately, following up Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird doesn't do wonders for John Lasseter; at least, not this time.

A final note: I realize I'm going out of order here, and the next look back at Pixar will be of last year's WALL-E (not a repeat of the original review, either). Still, bear with me. We've only got the Brad Bird films to look at, and those will be great treats for me and, hopefully, for you too.