Cars (2006)

Directed by: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft | 111 minutes | animation, comedy, family, fantasy | Original voice cast: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Cheech Marin, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt, George Carlin, Bob Costas, Paul Dooley, Katherine Helmond, Jenifer Lewis, Ray Magliozzi, Tom Magliozzi, Richard Petty, Guido Quaroni, John Ratzenberger, Tony Shalhoub , Larry The Cable Guy, Michael Wallis, Darrell Waltrip | Dutch voice cast: Hans Somers, Wim van Rooij, Laus Steenbeeke, Danilo de Girolamo, Jetty Mathurin, Peter Bolhuis, Doris Baaten, Pim Koopman, Luis Daniel Ramírez, Jan Nonhof, Filip Bolluyt, Rogier Komproe, Edwin Evers, Jeroen van Inkel, Ad Visser, Frits Lambrechts, Jörgen Raymann, Frédérique Huydts, Lange Frans, Baas B, Hero Muller, Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Fred Butter, Beatrijs Sluijter, Frans Limburg, Edo Brunner, Anneke Beukman, Huub Dikstaal, Sander van der Poel, Dennis Kivit, Cyrille Carreon, Bart Bosch, Lizemijn Libgot, Ruud Drupsteen, Robert Hilhorst, Jonas Leopold, Bert Marskamp, ​​Murth Mossel, Eva Poppink, Job Schuring, Bertine van Voorst, Léon Wiedijk, Barry Worsteling, Hikari Yono

The new Pixar release is always a highly anticipated movie event. This heavyweight in the (digital) animation world manages to amaze viewers time and again with beautiful new characters and worlds, paying attention to the smallest details, whether it concerns the specific movements of the toy soldiers in ‘Toy Story’, the scale structure and gleam of the fish in ‘Finding Nemo’, or the way our heroes’ hair flutters in the wind in ‘The Incredibles’. But as strong as the aesthetics of the Pixar films is the humor, both in terms of the fun finds in the animation itself, the dry facial expressions, and the dialogue. In addition, many Pixar films are characterized by an original concept or story.

‘Cars’, the studio’s latest showpiece, is, as expected, a masterpiece of animation, and another innovative concept has been devised. After toys, insects, monsters, fish, and human superheroes, automobiles are now the main characters of the film. A bold approach. However, apart from these two positive elements there is unfortunately little about ‘Cars’ that is really special or makes the heart beat faster. The story is sentimental, trite, and very predictable; the humor is only fair; the pace is often too slow; and the film has too few exciting scenes to keep the viewer excited. ‘Cars’ isn’t bad, but it is the first Pixar film in a long time to disappoint.

A big question, of course, is whether Pixar’s animators could manage to infuse a bunch of lifeless crackers with convincing personalities, and whether they could make these sacred cows show real emotions. The result is beyond expectations. Expressions and emotions such as arrogance and shame, for example, are clearly visible on the faces and, even though the viewer has to get used to this new form of characterization, at some point we start to see the cars as believable and feeling characters. Nevertheless, they have limitations. The silly hare-toothed tow truck Mater is disarming, Lightning’s pit-stop helpers are amusing when they get mad, and the Italian mechanic cars in Radiator Springs will no doubt bring a smile to the viewer’s face with their obsession with Ferraris, but still the cars are sometimes just not expressive enough. Reproducing subtle facial expressions or an emotion like infatuation proves difficult with the cars’ little versatile eyes and mouths. And because of this, the possible bond with these characters is potentially less strong. At the same time, quite a bit is compensated with expressively moving wheels, flashing headlights and motor temperament, creating distinct personalities. It probably couldn’t have gotten much better than this.

But this is really only a minor point of criticism. And the cars themselves are beautifully made, with an extensive repertoire of models, from old to new, from tow truck to sports car to lowrider. Throughout the very exciting opening sequence, when Lightning is flashily introduced to the viewer, we sometimes almost forget that we are watching an animated car and racetrack. The montage, with fetishistic close-up shots of decals, wheels and bodywork, and the rousing music and engine sounds make you think that you have ended up in a slick live action racing movie. And the environments in the rest of the film are often breathtaking too, including beautiful nature shots of the Radiator Springs area. The humor, while generally not superlative, is sometimes well represented. Often visually. So it’s both exciting and funny to watch Lightning casually swerve past his opponents in the opening race, ending in a hilarious photo finish. The many nods to ‘The Fast and the Furious’ are also worthwhile, including (in addition to the introduction of Lightning just discussed) an episode on the highway where four illuminated sports cars enclose Lightning’s transport car. One of them suffers from sneezing attacks, which are accompanied by sudden injections of speed.

Unfortunately, these moments are too rare, and the film soon drowns in a swamp of clichés, dullness, and good intentions when Lightning gets stranded in Radiator Springs. Here he learns the value of friendship, and that there is more to life than winning. He gets to know some funny characters, including Mater and an adorable Porsche, and a Paul Newman voiced vintage car who is more than he appears to be and tries to overcome an old trauma by confronting his talent again after a long time ( bringing back memories of his role as Fast Eddie Felson in ‘The Color of Money’). This much too long middle section has several problems. On the one hand, we as viewers have invested little in Lightning’s mission to be able to participate in the decisive race. We simply don’t care enough about the fate of this arrogant racing car. He’s already the best, so tension is nowhere to be found and his overconfidence wins him little sympathy. In short, the viewer doesn’t care much whether he stays in the licorice or gets away from it. As a result, the eventual change in priorities for the racing car does not really captivate the viewer. And if these new insights had more to offer than an unsubtle message about the value of friendship over celebrity and money, it might make some difference, but here again the script disappoints. Where have the original finds from previous Pixar films gone? ‘Cars’ has to make do with sweetly presented simple “truths”. The final race, which could have been exciting, is now thwarted by an extremely predictable resolution of every single storyline, and an overly generous ending. Don’t leave before the end credits though, because then you’d almost miss the funniest part of the film, as bland as it may sound. Here you get to see a very funny ode to regular Pixar voice John Ratzenberger.

‘Cars’ lacks the original storyline, touchiness and humor of ‘Monster’s Inc.’, a real sense of wonder as there was with ‘Finding Nemo’, and the kinetic action of ‘The Incredibles’. What the film does on its own level, it does relatively well, and with younger viewers or fans of old-fashioned movies with clear lessons about friendship, the film might be a hit. But we can’t help but notice that ‘Cars’ is not in the higher regions within the pantheon of Pixar films.