Cars

Review by Jason Donner

I can't knock Pixar too much. After all, when a studio only seems to improve every time it releases a movie, it's only a matter of time until they fall back a little bit.

Such is the case with Cars... in itself, not a terrible movie and not even what I would call a mediocre one. It's quite good, quite cute, and more than entertaining. Problem is, based on the movies that Pixar has cranked out in the past, it's the weakest one.

Cars, which is of course, a computer generated wonder for the eyes, tells a story set in a world where there are no people, only cars - hence the catchy title. In this world we meet Lightning McQueen voiced by Owen Wilson, a hot-shot rookie racecar who is on the verge of winning the Piston Cup after a tie-breaking race.

On the way to the race, McQueen accidentally ends up in the sleepy little town of Radiator Springs on Route 66 where, after getting arrested for tearing up the street and meeting a cast of colorful car cartoon characters, McQueen learns a lesson about life and himself.

Meh.

Cars may not be aces in the story department this time around, but it does have some pretty visuals and impressive animation that shames all of the other studios out there. At least Pixar manages to keep that bar high.

My problem with this movie is that it's just so darned underwhelming. Aside from a few choice moments when the story does veer a little off the road, this is a paint by numbers formula straight off the assembly line. Point a leads to point b and etcetera. It's just not that surprising. This is an old story dressed up with pretty animation and occasional wit.

That being said, you know... it's still more than passable entertainment and based on the garbage that's been spewed out into theaters by other studio kid's movies, Cars is still on the top of a very shameful heap.

Is it worth the price of admission? Yes. Absolutely. Will this movie engage and move you like other Pixar films? No, not in the least bit. The characters are hollow and the stereotypes are grating, the story is flimsy, but the movie is, at worst, average fair.

If any other studio put this out it would be cause for celebration. From Pixar, though, I just feel like they didn't try as hard and that the turbulent relationship with Disney (hence resolved) finally took its toll.

Zoom Zoom.