Cars (2006)

3 out of 4

Starring: voices of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub

Directors: John Lasseter

Time: 116 mins

Viewed: Mega Movies at Brunswick Square, East Brunswick, New Jersey

Pixar's 7th film focuses on, obviously enough, cars, having previously delved into the world of toys, bugs, monsters, fish and superheroes. Rookie hotshot racecar Lightning McQueen (Wilson) is on his way to the final, deciding event of the season when he falls out of his truck transport (Ratzenberger) and finds himself in a quiet little town by the name of Radiator Springs. While there, he runs afoul of stern Judge Hudson (Newman), becomes best buddies with tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and romances the female Porsche Sally (Hunt). Will he be able to escape the charms of the town and win the race? Dazzling animation helps prop up a plodding script that waxes nostalgic about the impact of development and suggests the simple life may not be so bad after all. Surprisingly low humour quotient for a Pixar film (with Larry the Cable Guy's Mater providing most of the laughs), but enough visual entertainment to hold your interest throughout its almost 2 hour length. Also, aside from the racing scenes, there is little action, and certainly nothing like one of the frantic finales that stamped previous classics like The Incredibles, Toy Story 2 and A Bug's Life. A lesser entry in the Pixar canon, but Pixar is Pixar, and this still makes it beyond the average line. (Stay tuned through the credits - there is a hilarious segment for those in-the-know about Pixar films.)

(c) Joe Wong (11 June 2006)