Cars ***1/2

Pixar’s latest masterpiece is Cars. I say masterpiece, because anything Pixar does is a masterpiece. The 3 1/2 star rating is based on the previous Pixar releases, not on all movies as a whole. Compared to the other Pixar films, this one rates slightly lower than most others. To me, the biggest cause of this slight lowering from perfection is caused by some dialog problems. It seems that this film is slowed down for those who need more time to follow along. It lacks the quick wit of Monsters Inc., the adult tone of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, and is more on pace with A Bug’s Life. Speaking of slow, there are many critics out there who are faulting the movie with a lagging pace, but it’s obviously intentional. The best example of this lag is when the movie’s star, Lightning McQueen, becomes stranded in a small Arizona town called Radiator Springs.

The film begins with the big race between Lightning McQueen, his rival, Chick Hicks (gloriously voiced by Michael Keaton), and the King himself, Strip Weathers (voiced by NASCAR legend Richard Petty). This spectacular opening sequence is devoted to a race not unlike a NASCAR event, complete with crowd shots, many drive-bys, and some heart-pumping close-up shots of the cars zooming by the camera at ground level. This thrilling race ends in a three-way tie, and a tie-breaker race must take place in a week to determine the winner of the coveted Piston Cup. As Lightning and his crew drive all the way to California for the big race, mishaps occur and Lightning becomes stranded in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs. Here’s where the movie slows its pace considerably. However, the movie shouldn’t be faulted for this, because it’s completely deliberate. The idea behind this movie is that the pace of our society has increased so dramatically, and with the introduction of super highways and interstates, and “The Mother Road”, Route 66, and all the small towns that lived along the way were left behind. Lightning McQueen lives his life in the fast lane. It’s all about speed and glitz and crowds and energy. When he finds himself a prisoner of this sleepy little community, it slows his life down to a crawl. He wants nothing more than to get out of Radiator Springs and get to that race to win the Piston Cup. He doesn’t care for these boring people and their boring, beat up, run down little ghost town. But life in Radiator Springs is slow, because not much happens here. They rarely get any customers or visitors, which is unfortunate. Lightning McQueen decides to make the best of his situation, since it seems impossible to get out of town in time to make the big race.

Once again, the Pixar tradition continues with scores of wonderful characters, and many great actors to voice them. There are so many different personalities to fall in love with. Visually, the movie is stunning, in true Pixar fashion. There aren’t as many textures though, because of the smooth finishes on the cars, and the look of the movie seems more polished. Animation is excellent as usual, and there are many clever sight gags, since there are only cars. No bugs, no animals, no humans, only cars in their place.

Seeing this and all the other Pixar features in DLP is a real treat. It’s the absolute best way to see these digital productions. The audio wasn’t as punchy as some of the other films I’ve seen at this theater. There were a few moments of deep bass, but I suppose the theater operators toned it down a bit since this is by and large a children’s movie.

If you see this movie, wait through ALL the credits. There are many great surprises in store!