Cars

Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Kids/Family and Animation
Running Time: 1 hr. 54 min.
Release Date: June 9, 2006 (wide)
MPAA Rating: G
Distributors: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Buena Vista International

Directed by: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

JJ Rating: A-

What makes this movie good is the amount of facial expressions the animators can give the cars. It helps so much in telling the story and it is so subtle that it is not obvious unless you are looking at it.

It is also good because Cars is fun and not harsh to children as are some animated films. The amount of sarcasm and rudeness towards authority figures with witty snappiness are good for adult movies but not so for children’s. That is why Cars is nice. It kept it simple and playful while at the same time show casing something very important: friendship and appreciation for those that help you get somewhere because no one gets anywhere without help.

When the commercial for Cars was shown last year I fell in love with the tow truck – Mater. So when I saw the movie I wanted to really like him and I can say I really do. He is the one I most relate to for different reasons than how he looks or acts. My favorite part was when McQueen and Mater had this conversation:

Mater: I knew I made the right choice.

McQueen: What?

Mater: Picking you as my best friend.

It is so meaningful for so many reasons. There is a love story that is told but I think Cars is more about how important it is to appreciate people in your life. That is because that makes life fun. It showed reckless behavior has to be paid for. That is why McQueen gets stuck in that Podunk town. He ruined the road so he had to fix it. He does not appreciate hard work as he does speed and he does not understand why anyone would choose to live in a small town such as Radiator Springs.

There is a fun “cow” tipping scene. Mater and his obliviousness is amusing. I love how excited they get over new people coming to town. Mater removing the boot before hooking McQueen up to the asphalt machine Betsy is amusing. The movie has a cozy small town feel to it. I love the ending with the drive-in and the movies they show.

It reminded me of Toy Story because it focused on the friendship more than the love story. I think Toy Story did that more though. It is just nice to have movies on friendship because I think people do not appreciate what they have and then wonder why they lose it.

Cars is good. I do know that I will purchase it because I love the friendly feel and the lessons it shares. I enjoy the tail gate party and I was glad I decided to attend.