Cars poster & wallpaper

Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Larry The Cable Guy

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town o...( read more  read more... )f Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

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80% liked it

785,952 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

188 critics

G, 1 hr. 57 min.

Directed by: John Lasseter

Release Date: June 9, 2006

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DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006

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Stats: 54,598 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (54,598)

  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    A nice kids film. Not too preachy either. Highlights include impressive voice talent, fantastic animation and tractor tipping. Low-lights include car flys. I know it?s a world in which cars live but car flys?
  • mrpopcorn
    May 10, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Life is a journey. Enjoy the trip."

    A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family.

    REVIEW

    I wasn'...( read more)t one of those persons who thought a car as a character was a bad idea. Mainly because, well, I love cars. But I did wonder - what kind of story can be told about a car - a story that is engaging enough to compete with stories about cherished toys of our youth, a fish separated from his father, or a cute ant banished from his colony? It turns out I shouldn't have worried at all - because, as always, Pixar didn't do a story specific to a car - it did a story everyone can relate to. Cars are just an excuse to tell it, and have a lot of fun.

    Years and years after it came out, I'm still enjoying the little details here, there and everywhere a car nut can appreciate. The love for America and cars in general is pretty evident throughout the movie. But, guess what? That really doesn't matter. I think the really important thing here is, once again, Pixar made a story that has more of a human side than many other movies with real life actors.

    And, once again, the fact that they did it with bits and bytes is nothing short of amazing.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 30, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning."


    Conside

    ...( read more)ring the astronomical box office intake for every CGI-animated picture Pixar has distributed as of 2006, the revolutionary animation studio has developed into the most commercially successful studio in history. Their first six feature films (beginning with 1995's Toy Story) were extensively considered to be instant classics from the moment their first digitally-rendered frames streaked across worldwide theatre screens. Yet more than mere dollars are in consideration here - Pixar pictures are resonant works of art which shall remain watchable and enjoyable for many subsequent generations. Each Pixar masterpiece is infused with genuine heart, timeless laughs and meaningful messages. Thus far, Pixar features have given voices to bugs, toys, monsters and fish...so why not cars?


    Cars arguably marks the first true Pixar misfire. In addition, this 2006 picture is debatably the weakest animated feature to emerge from the virtual drawing board at this successful company. Not to say that Cars is a total disaster - by all accounts it's bright and creative, and is pervaded with a very intriguing concept indeed. This is also one of Pixar's greatest visual achievements to date, featuring state-of-the-art CGI animation bordering on photo-realism guaranteed to astound on a very high level. However, feeble screenwriting proves injurious - fewer laughs, lots of excess, and a cumbersome, predictable story that preaches the same ol' clichéd messages. It's too long and listless, and while adults may tolerate the excessive character development, the children - with their notoriously diminutive attention spans - may grow restless. Cars is a character-driven feature, therefore including fewer action scenes than most animated films. The kinetic energy of the initial racing sequences is unfortunately not sustained.


    Cars transpires in a universe dominated entirely by automobiles (without any humans or animals...even flies are tiny cars with wings).
    The story centres on cocky hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Wilson). In his first year of racing, Lightning has taken the prestigious Piston Cup by storm. Locked in a battle for the championship against two seasoned pros, the final race is set to be held in California. En route across the country to compete in this final race, Lightning becomes waylaid in the small forgotten town of Radiator Springs after inadvertently mangling the main street during a police pursuit. In a subtle homage to Cool Hand Luke (starring Paul Newman, who lends his voice to the cantankerous old Doc Hudson), Lightning is sentenced to repair the main street through days of gruelling labour. As Lightning begins befriending the townsfolk (towncars?) of Radiator Springs, the conceited race car begins to realise that perhaps there's more to life than winning. The question soon arises: when he attends the big race will be maintain his newfound values or revert to his old ways?


    "When was the last time you cared about something except yourself, hot rod? You name me one time, and I will take it all back. Uh-huh. I thought so.


    In conveying its plot, Cars brings two well-worn clichés to the animation realm. The first is the apprehensive friendship between an elderly gent and a young hotshot. The second is the story of how a pastoral setting percolates the blood of a city boy. However, Cars isn't merely the story about one little NASCAR-type racer who becomes lost and stranded in the desert, nor is it just about a big-city hotshot who learns valuable messages. It's primarily a story concerning all the vanishing little towns in America that modern Interstate thoroughfares have bypassed and left for dead. The simple message is quite clear: life was better in the old days.


    "I don't need a map! I have the GPS. Never need a map again, thank you."


    For Pixar chief John Lasseter, Cars was a personal project. Lasseter had worked flat out for 10 years, and the outcome of these exertions was the first two Toy Story features. Following this extensive labour, his wife explained that his commitment to other children's happiness may cause him to miss the experience of witnessing his own children grow up. Lasseter responded to this by taking a few months off to drive his family through the backwaters of America, circumventing the interstate highways. The excursion was a revelation for the animation director - he was moved by the stories he was told about the consequences of interstates on the old Route 66 towns. Lasseter was inspired to begin penning (with the sadly deceased Joe Ranft) a story about slowing down and smelling the roses.


    As usual for a Pixar movie, Cars sports a strong ensemble cast, featuring the voices of Bonnie Hunt, Owen Wilson, Cheech Marin, Tony Shaloub, Paul Newman, George Carlin, and Michael Keaton (to name a few), along with a plethora of racing personalities and a few other interesting celebrities.

    Owen Wilson possesses the requisite mix of brashness and congeniality, and his vocal inflections are well-suited for the egotistical little speedster. The filmmakers reportedly named Lightning McQueen after the late Pixar animator Glenn McQueen, but most viewers will most likely associate the character name with the late actor Steve McQueen (who was fond of driving).


    "These are good folk around here who care about one another. I don't want them depending on someone they can't count on."


    This was one of Paul Newman's final films. Newman's wise and amiable voice is perfect for Doc Hudson. Bonnie Hunt, abandoning her regular sardonic style, wonderfully mixes sassiness and heart as the sexy Porsche Sally. Larry the Cable Guy is terrific as Mater, who invests his character with charm that makes him a memorable sidekick. Additionally, authentic broadcasters and race drivers such as Bob Costas, Jay Leno, Darrel Waltrip, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Schumacher, and Mario Andretti lend their voices to the film in cameo appearances.


    "I don't know what's harder to find: Lightning McQueen or a crew chief who'll work with him."


    At a little under two hours, Cars is (just barely) Pixar's longest animated feature to date. With its first act lacking a solid hook, Cars almost certainly would've been a considerably smoother ride if the road to Radiator Springs was more streamlined. Furthermore, the majority of the laughs aren't as sophisticated as we've come to expect from Pixar. The double-underlined moral lessons and oversentimentality can also be quite ham-fisted. This is not Pixar firing on all cylinders. Judged merely as a visual exercise, Cars is a triumph. However, Pixar are usually renowned for their clever stories and great screenplays which are as deft as the animation. On account of the screenplay here being so dodgy, Cars is a misfire - visually wonderful, but still a misfire. As a piece of storytelling, Cars sometimes has a sluggishness that is all the more surprising considering it's directed by animation god John Lasseter, back behind the wheel for the first time since Toy Story 2.
  • kenstachnik
    March 30, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Better than I expected, but I kept wondering how a world populated by cars came to be. Plus they don't have opposable thumbs...so how did they build anything?
  • kevinjoy98
    December 25, 2008
    kevinjoy98
    Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championsh...( read more)ip in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.
  • btfinest1
    November 22, 2009
    btfinest1
    i have in my movie pile.
  • divyanshu86
    November 21, 2009
    divyanshu86
    good animation movie
  • dancergirlvw
    November 19, 2009
    dancergirlvw
    This was a cute movie, but I think it was more focused towards adults. I did NOT like the fact that they stole a scene from Lion King as that was a MUCH better movie than Cars!
  • samone993
    November 19, 2009
    samone993
    seen it, okay, funny
  • crazy15396
    November 16, 2009
    crazy15396
    i like it + every time

View All Cars Reviews

Critic Reviews

June 12, 2006
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Along came the interstate, apparently, and ruined everything. Just like that darned Internet, I guess, or that superhighway stuff, or those dumb movies they make with computers nowadays. full review

June 9, 2006
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Though the central idea of nostalgia for a quieter, small-town life may well be lost on this movie's young audience -- Cars finds a pleasant and often sparkling groove. full review

June 9, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Like the Toy Story films, Cars is a state-of-the-computer-art plea on behalf of outmoded, wholesome fifties technology, with a dash of Zen by way of George Lucas. full review

June 9, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It thunders ahead with breezy abandon, scoring big grins on its way. full review

June 9, 2006
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It tells a bright and cheery story, and then has a little something profound lurking around the edges. In this case, it's a sense of loss. full review

June 8, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

None of the characters in Cars feel like flesh and blood. None of them feel like family. Instead, they're just a means to an end -- vehicles and nothing more. full review

June 8, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The animation is stunningly rendered. But the story is always the critical element in Pixar movies, and Cars' story is heartfelt with a clear and unabashed moral. full review

June 8, 2006
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

It takes everything that's made Pixar shorthand for animation excellence -- strong characters, tight pacing, spot-on voice casting, a warm sense of humor and visuals that are pure, pixilated bliss -- ... full review

June 2, 2006
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Musty, corny, and largely devoid of any enchanting magic, it's also the pioneering Pixar's first effort that, trailblazing technical virtuosity be damned, feels disappointingly regressive. full review

April 27, 2006
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Fueled with plenty of humor, action, heartfelt drama, and amazing new technical feats, Cars is a high octane delight for moviegoers of all ages. full review

View more Cars reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • vioricavoa
    April 20, 2009
    vioricavoa
    me and my 2.6 y.o. sun are in love with this movie. it's incredible that we see it every day and we are not borred... we love this movie
  • UNIBEAR7
    November 20, 2007
    UNIBEAR7
    its a nice and coooool movie
  • misssexy0037
    November 15, 2007
    misssexy0037
    DANG THIS IS A PIMP MOVIE I HAVE LIKE 2 OF THE MOVIES SO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW A TRUE CARS FAN JUS HOLLA WELL CHECK YA L8R MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT
  • imurdancer
    November 14, 2007
    imurdancer
    i loved this movie!! Hillarious as ever!
    all laughs rite on through..
  • sportboy
    November 8, 2007
    sportboy
    I watched it when it was out and it was quite good actually well I weren't excpecting for it to be that good.
  • elizabethrose43
    October 30, 2007
    elizabethrose43
    I just loved this movie!
  • clairemc4
    August 18, 2007
    clairemc4
    Mater is sooooo cool =) good movie :D
  • melshorty2004
    August 16, 2007
    melshorty2004
    OMG this movie is soooo good!!! i love it my favorite is Luigi!!! But who doesnt love Mater tho!!! Definitely a movie I would recomend to ne1!!! Watch over and over again and still laugh!!!KA-CHOW!!!
  • starrey1
    August 4, 2007
    starrey1
    i love is movie it's very funny
  • fb656895426
    June 1, 2007
    fb656895426
    again pixel have done a wonderful job and overall its a nice film
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