Movie Maven
The Community News

Disney’s latest technological masterpiece, “Cars,” presents yet another feel-good family film full of that animated eye candy we’ve all come to expect from the folks at Pixar Animation.

The film tells the story of Lightning McQueen (the voice of Owen Wilson), a rapidly rising rookie race car on his way to the Piston Cup, who finds himself trapped in Radiator Springs, a dusty little town on Route 66 that was bypassed by the interstate. McQueen is apprehended for damaging much of the Route 66 town and forced to remain in the town until he fixes it himself.

The self-centered city-slicker at first detests the hillbilly hamlet, but as he works reluctantly through his sentence, McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the hodgepodge of characters that reside in Radiator Springs, including the irresistible Porsche, Sally (Bonnie Hunt), and a rusty old tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). “It’s like ‘tamater,’ only without the ‘ta.’”

I was surprised to hear a couple of “H-bombs” during “Cars,” which was probably the “raciest” Pixar creation yet. The film is anything but vulgar, but a few lines were a bit edgier than in films like “Monsters, Inc.” and “The Incredibles.” The movie also felt about 10 minutes too long, though the dragging of the story toward the end is made up for by the credit-roll footage, which is certainly worth the extended sitting, especially if you’re a fan of the previous Pixar films.

Continued in the June 16 issue of The Community News.