Cars

Celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, Pixar Animation Studios—recently acquired by Walt Disney Pictures—has earned a reputation that has not only made them pioneers in computer animation, but also equated their name with excellence in entertainment. After a long string of Oscar-winning short films, Pixar kept hitting home runs with Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and The Incredibles (2004).

With that resume, it would seem that Pixar can do no wrong, and their seventh feature is destined to become another hit at the box office. Still, Cars could well be Pixar's least satisfying project to date.

Not that all audiences will be disappointed. Families with young boys enchanted by cars will find a lot to love in this animated world completely populated with automobiles instead of humans. And as such, the athletes are represented by racecars like Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), a rookie hotshot so cocky that he thinks he doesn't need a crew chief or pit team. Self-driven by success and self-absorbed with celebrity, he earns a place as a finalist in the championship race for the Piston Cup, competing against The King (legendary racer Richard Petty) and the even more ruthless Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton).

Lightning McQueen, the star of the show, as voiced by Owen Wilson

But en route to the big race, McQueen gets separated from his transport through a series of improbable (and rather convoluted) circumstances. His late-night panic attack to get back on track crashes him in the sleepy Southwestern town of Radiator Springs off of historic Route 66, where he accidentally causes much damage to public property. Gruff town judge Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) sentences McQueen to community service—to repave the road he tore up. While doing his time in the following days, McQueen befriends the town's other residents, including dopey tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and sleek Porsche Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt). It's a rural experience that quickly teaches McQueen that there are more important things to life than trophies and corporate sponsorships.

If any of that sounds familiar, it's fortunate for director John Lasseter and his fellow screenwriters that no kids in the audience will recognize this as a retread of Doc Hollywood, the formulaic 1991 hit starring Michael J. Fox. For sure, there are some terrific lessons to be gleaned from Cars—investing selflessly in the lives of others, respecting our history and our elders, being a Good Samaritan to those in need, and most of all, learning to run a good race in life rather than live only for the finish line. But terrific life lessons don't necessarily add up to a terrific story.

Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and McQueen have a little chat

Over the years, two general qualities have placed Pixar's films head and shoulders above the endless parade of other computer animated movies of the month: they deliver state-of-the-art animation and an inventive storyline laced with a terrific sense of humor. Cars gets it only half right.

At this point, it's a sure bet to win an Oscar for Best Animated Film; the characters—yes, the cars—are amazingly life-like. Metallic reflections and malleable plastics make these autos look tangible enough to pluck from the screen, and the animators pour enough expressions into the cars' faces and actions to keep the characters from behaving too stiffly—including a few celebrity parodies that are cleverly rendered.

Then there are the races, particularly the opening sequence, an adrenaline rush that trumps the pod race in Star Wars Episode I. Lasseter and company play smartly with the camera angles, creating a kinetic hyper-reality that places viewers on the track amid all the cars. It's thrilling to behold and the most obvious examples of considerable effort by the animators.

But above all that are the jaw-dropping backgrounds that so beautifully capture scenic Route 66, particularly the Grand Canyon and a picturesque waterfall drive near Radiator Springs. Floating dust, falling leaves, splashing mud—it's remarkable how Pixar has bridged the gap between characters that look so artificial (though tangible) and environments that seem so real, coexisting in the same world. Cars plays extremely well on the big screen—pity that it's not being shown on IMAX screens.

Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt) joins McQueen for a ride in the country

Yet in spite of all this, as Incredibles writer/director Brad Bird once put it, story is king. And it's rather ironic (or prophetic?) that Pixar cofounder Steve Jobs said in promotion of Cars that, "No amount of special effects can make a bad story into a good story." In fairness, this isn't a bad story, but it's a bit hokey, and not nearly as imaginative as Pixar's previous triumphs.

Though we've seen old animation involving toys, fish, monsters, and superheroes before, Pixar gave a fresh and inventive spin in developing those worlds. With Cars, it doesn't feel like anything particularly new. The characters are able to perform simple day-to-day actions by pushing buttons and switches with their tires. A tire shop is modeled to look like a shoe store. Traffic cone shaped garages serve as motel rooms. Fillmore the Volkswagen van is voiced by George Carlin as an aging hippie with a special "organic blend" of gasoline. All well and good, yet it's seemingly old hat in comparison to Monsters Inc. or Finding Nemo—more Nickelodeon in scope than Pixar.

Considering how laugh-out-loud funny most computer-animated films are these days, it was also surprising to sit through Cars with minimal chuckles. Pixar banked their hopes on Larry the Cable Guy, but his delivery and characterization don't have the broad appeal to make Mater anything more than likeable (if not annoying). The best thing about him is his name—Tow Mater. Seriously, how many times can someone say "Dad gum!" before it wears thin?

McQueen passes Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) and The King (Richard Petty)

A lengthy scene of "cow"-tipping is fun for about thirty seconds until it begins to feel like stretched B-material. McQueen's racing motto is a pun on Muhammad Ali: "Built like a Cadillac, stings like a Beemer." And most of the characters are reduced to walk-on stereotypes rather than detailed supporting players. It all feels a bit too obvious, mostly relying on an ignorant redneck comment from Mater or McQueen driving into a cactus-populated ravine as gags. It's the little touches that get the biggest laughs ("Free Bird!"), particularly some inside humor during the end credits. Otherwise, if it's laughs you want, try this summer's other big animation blockbuster Over the Hedge (which is admittedly cruder with its PG rating).

If I seem too cynical or jaded for a movie ultimately aimed at children, bear in mind that I think Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., and The Incredibles are some of the finest movies made in the last five years. For that matter, there are key scenes in most all of Pixar's films that still get me choked up years later. Those movies told compelling stories with believable characters, despite the fantastic settings. It's the broad appeal to both kids and adults that have ultimately made these movies so enormously successful, elevating them beyond simple children's movies.

Cars still deserves the benefit of the doubt in its kid appeal, though at nearly two hours, it's the longest film Pixar has ever made. And for a movie that's supposedly about fast cars, it's not particularly exciting beyond the two races. A good chunk of the story's middle is spent on McQueen repaving a street, which is about as thrilling as drying paint and peeling linoleum. This certainly relates to the movie's message about taking life slow, but does that necessarily make it a fun film?

Appropriately enough, the difference between Cars and its Pixar brethren is like taking kids to see the Grand Canyon instead of Disney World. It's something beautiful to behold while imparting some solid life lessons, and the family is ultimately better off because of it. But it's not necessarily the place to go if you're looking for an exciting thrill ride or humorous entertainment.