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Lunch » Tags » Movies » Reviews » Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2006)

Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2006)

1 rating: 5.0

DVD movie

There's an extra coat of hot wax on Pixar's vibrant, NASCAR-influenced comedy about a world populated entirely by cars. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the slick rookie taking the Piston Cup series by storm when the last race of the season … see full wiki

Tags: Movies

Cast: Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, George Carlin, Rodger Bumpass

1 review about Cars (Single-Disc Widescreen Edition) (2006)

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Slick Movie With Lots of Heart

Nov 15, 2006

by JanetBoyer
posted in Movie Hype

Rating:

My son and I watched Cars on the big screen and I LOVED it! The songs were perfect--especially Real Gone and Life is a Highway.

I've just watched the movie again, twice, on DVD. Unfortunately, my 25 inch TV screen doesn't do this movie justice! (It's one of those movies that pack a wallop when watched on the big screen...)

The realism achieved in this movie is amazing, especially with Lightning's shiny red paint job and the "fumes" rising from the drag cars. The writing is especially clever, too. (Look for the shapes in the rocky background at Radiator Springs.) For example, Harv, Lightning's fast-talking publicist/agent admonishes his client to get out of "Radiation Stinks" (you gotta hear it to appreciate it.)

Every single time I watch this movie, I choke up twice during the last race. There are some critics who say that Cars doesn't have "heart" like Toy Story or other Pixar features. I can't help but wonder if we're talking about the same movie! I feel that Cars has more heart than ANY Pixar movie thus far--especially as it shows that winning isn't everything and that dignity is found in much more than an "empty cup" (like the Piston Cup).

The voices in this movie are perfect, especially Owen Wilson as Lightning and Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. (Gosh, what a scene stealer that Mater is! And the funny thing is, if you watch the 16-minute "Inspiration for Cars" clip, you'll see the actual Mater--who sounds a lot like the character!)

Speaking of the 16 minute Inspiration clip, I'm surprised that this DVD didn't have more extras--not even a commentary or movie video or sample story boards or anything! That was a disappointment, I admit. (I'm used to Disney packing the extras on there! Heck, I found out neat trivia bits--like why number 96 was chosen for Lightning's car--but I didn't find this out from the DVD!)

However, the 16-minute clip was quite touching, especially hearing how the director was inspired for Cars. Turns out that he has several boys and his wife said to him one day: "You know, we supported you through Toy Story 1 and 2 and your other projects...but one day, you'll wake up to find that your little boys are now off to college."

This sobering realization spurred him to take an entire summer off with his wife and kids--a road trip in a motor home. He said it was the best time of his life. Alas, he combined the two loves of his parents (his mother was an artist and his Dad was a car buff) to create the wonderful movie Cars, which also reflects his newfound wisdom: you can push, push, push for that next accomplishment, and one day realize that you're friendless or perhaps alone.

There's also some great laughs in this movie; I LOVE the tractor-tipping scene with Mater and Lightning! (OMG--and that Frank is scary!)

As I said, the extras are slim pickins:

--New animated short Mater and the Ghostlight (Amusing. Fans of Mater will *especially* love this short!)
--Academy Award-nominated animated short: One Man Band (This was the cute short about two deuling musicians fighting for a coin that a girl wants to throw into a fountain. It's the same short shown at the theater before the Cars movie.)
--John Lasseter's inspiration for Cars (Very good. Inspirational in its own right.)
--Ratatouille teaser trailer (A movie about a mouse in France with expensive tastes)
--Deleted scenes

This is an exceptional movie in terms of script, voice acting, music, authenticity, and animation. Car and racing lovers will no doubt love it, as will fans of Pixar. (Personally, I can't STAND car racing--or country music--but I loved both the soundtrack and the plot! Goes to show that one doesn't HAVE to be into cars to enjoy this movie.)

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