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It is rare for a movie to be talked about in our house before its release, but Ken and Benjamin have been talking about going to see Cars, the new movie by Disney-Pixar, for a month or more. (Considering the last movie Ken and I saw together in the theater was the first Toy Story, that’s really saying something.)
So, for perhaps the first time in my life, I attended a movie the weekend it opened. (Ken had wanted to go opening day, but didn’t know what his work schedule would be, so we had to wait until Saturday.) I wasn’t disappointed.
In the movie, rookie racing sensation Lightning McQueen ties for the Piston Cup title with two veterans. A special match race is scheduled for a week later in California, and the self-centered hotshot takes off across country with his only remaining friend, his Mack rig.
A mishap in the night sends the race car off to the forgotten hamlet of Radiator Springs, all-but abandoned when the interstate replaced historic Route 66. There, Lightning finally learns to put others before himself, that he can’t succeed alone, that selflessness wins over selfishness in the end.
Oh, and by the way, the characters are all cars, not just people driving cars.
For NASCAR fans, the opening sequence is about as realistic as an animated race can be. OK, sure there was plenty of exaggeration. After all, this is a cartoon. But you can almost imagine you’re there at the race track.
Even the announcers were authentic. Retired NASCAR veteran Darrell Waltrip, who now provides color commentary on TV, portrayed basically himself in the form of commentator Darrel Cartrip.
NASCAR’s own “king,” Richard Petty, the all-time winningest driver and holder of seven Winston Cup titles, voices “The King,” while his wife, Lynda, lends her voice to “Mrs. The King.” Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes a cameo appearance, although Benjamin was disappointed that he didn’t see the trademark red No. 8 race in the film.
But this is not a racing movie. If you’re expecting an animated “Days of Thunder,” you’ll be disappointed. In fact, although it begins and ends with a race, you definitely don’t have to be a NASCAR fan to enjoy this film.
It seems silly to say this of an animated movie, but the panoramic scenery was breathtaking. And the nostalgic look at the America we seem to have lost added some depth to the feel-good piece.
Admittedly, if you believe automobiles are an energy-guzzling nuisance which can only be endured until a better mode of transportation comes along, you probably won’t like this film. But if you’re fascinated by how many ways the creators could transform the natural world into the mechanical, you’ll find something in every scene to bring a smile.
Even the flies are tiny VW bugs, the cows chewing their cud in the field are tractors, and the jet-trails through the sky are tire tracks.
Overall, the movie was simply two hours of light-hearted fun, and definitely worth seeing.
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