The Plot
The plot of this film is rather simple. In many ways it is a story about growing up and realizing that are more important things in life than just winning a race and without people in your life (or in the case of the film cars) , it is an empty life and that is when you ask yourself is it really worth it?
The Location
Radiator Springs
Now before I talk about the characters, I wish to talk about the location, Radiator Springs. As the town itself is a character in of itself. Radiator Springs represents all of the small town in the USA that built our great country and it shows how we as a country have ignored the small towns that made us great. In some aspects, this town reminds of the Alan Jackson song, "Little Man" talking about how with changes we are tearing the mom & pop stores that made us great. The town may be old and rundown but the folks that live there still love it and pine for the day when it will be brought back to it's former glory. The sad fact is that there many small towns across the USA that are experiencing the same turmoil.
Characters
Now this area is going to work a bit differently as I really feel that there is no true villain in this film but rather a rival. So instead of the usual breakdown, it'll be Important Characters, Supporting Characters and Rival.
Important Characters
Lightning McQueen voiced by Owen Wilson
Now if there are some words to describe McQueen in the beginning of the film, they would be self-centered, egoistical and foolish. When the film starts, McQueen is a hotshot rookie in NASCAR that thinks he is all that but after his stint in Radiator Springs, he comes to realize that there is more to life than just racing and starts to understand that there are more important things in life such as love and friendship. I think McQueen is one of the best examples of a character developing in a Pixar film. Because as I stated when the film starts he only cares about himself but after he spends time in Radiator Springs, he starts to grow up and starts to become a more well rounded character than he was at the start and shows that he isn't a bad guy but just misguided.
Doc Hudson voiced by Paul Newman
Doc is a character that I have grown to like more and more since this film first came out. In many ways he is a father figure to the town of Radiator Springs. He doesn't take to kindly to McQueen showing up in his town. Though he has good reason as he used to be a great race car driver but after a serious crash in '54, the sport turned it's back on him. Needless to say he was a little bitter about it. Now part of the reason I like this character is because as I stated is because he is a father figure to the town and more importantly to McQueen. He is willing to stand up to McQueen and let him know that he needs to knock his act off and that he isn't all that. He is also there to aid the town when it is need and he truly cares for the folks that live there. He is a simple man that wants to see the best for everyone.
Sally voiced by Bonnie Hunt
Sally is a no holds barred character and she won't put up with McQueen's tough guy attitude as she just finds him annoying at first. She is the one that convinces the townspeople to have McQueen fix the road in town. Though Sally doesn't like McQueen at first, over time she grows to care for him and she ends up becoming the love interest for this film. Now I have heard many people state that they find the character of Sally to be a bit bland. Personally, I can't see where that argument is coming from as I feel next to Doc she plays the most important role in shaping McQueen into the character that he becomes by the end of the film. Is she a simple character? Yes but I feel that works to her advantage because there are so many other characters that are over the top in this film, that it is nice to have a character that is a bit down to earth.
Supporting Characters
Mater voiced by Larry The Cable Guy
Mater is defiantly my favorite character from this film. Though part of that is, I'm a big of the Blue Collar Comedy Boys and hearing Larry The Cable Guy was going to be in a Pixar film, I was pretty stoked. They could not have done any better at casting for this character. Mater is Larry The Cable Guy because they share the same mannerisms and the humor of Larry The Cable Guy transfers well to this character. Mater is just so funny and I really feel that the film took great advantage of having Larry The Cable Guy in this film. Besides that Mater is just a sweet and simple character. He may not be the smartest character in the film but he has the most heart out of all the characters in this film.
Mack voiced by John Rateznberger
Pixar has often called John Rateznberger, their goo luck charm as he has been in just about every Pixar film. A fact that was acknowledged at the end of this film. Hmm, maybe that was part of the problem with Cars 2, he wasn't in it enough. Sorry back on topic, the character of Mack is perhaps my second favorite character from this film. Just as with Mater, he is good hearted and he only wants to see the best for McQueen. Out of all of McQueen's crew, he is the only one that stands by him through thick and thin. Sure, Mack is part of the reason that McQueen goes missing but in a way his actions set the story in motion that help to shape McQueen into the character he becomes. So Mack inadvertently helps to get the story moving even if it was by accident.
The King voiced by Richard Petty
The King is the veteran in the racing circuit and he has won every race. The King in many ways reminds me of Doc Hudson as they are both wise old souls that know that there is more to life than just racing. The King has done the best he can in racing and is ready to retire. He had his fun but he feels that it is time to move on. I think that is the reason I like this character. He may not seem important to the story and maybe he isn't but again it goes back to McQueen because in the final race when McQueen helps him cross the finish line. McQueen's transformation has come full circle.
Music
Let me state right here that I'll only be covering 4 songs because I'm saving the rest of this soundtrack for a special Music Fridays.
Real Gone
This song is just so much fun and a great way to open the film as it gets the audience pumped for the film that they are about to watch. It ties in well with the opening sequences and in a way it reflects McQueen's attitude at the start of the film. As this song has vibe that says "Yeah, I'm all that!" The song is a bit in your face but that works. It is a song that is just so easy to have fun with.
Life is a Highway
Now this song is once again simple in it's message and it too is a lot of fun. The scenery blends in nicely with this song. It's a great metaphor of saying how life is a highway and there will always be bumps that we have to deal with and that life is worth living. Rascal Flatts do a nice job of singing this song but I have always liked their style and as I stated it works for this film. They really put their all into this song.
Our Town
Now I have already talked about this song in the past but I feel that I would be doing a disservice to this film if
I did not bring up this song. As this song helps to tell the story of Radiator Springs and what it was. As stated when I first talked about this song, it lets the town become a character and it shows just how much this little old town means to the people that live there.
Find Yourself
I feel that this song by Brad Paisley is a song that I overlooked for far too long. Honestly, I used to find this song a bore but after listening to it some more, it is a quite a nice song. While Our Town is still my favorite Pixar song, this one is rather good too and it is able to sum the whole of the movie quite well without giving a point by point analysis. This song helps to show the changes that McQueen went through and who he became. It is a great song and I don't understand why I never paid that much attention to this song before because it's not that bad. Better than the other song by Paisley on this soundtrack in my humble opinion. It is a sweet and simple song.
The Rival
Chick Hicks voiced by Micheal Keaton
Good lord, if there is one character that I hated in this film. It would have to be Chick Hicks. I'm only calling him a rival because he wasn't in the film enough to actually count as a villain in my eyes. People think Mater is annoying, well did they forget about this character? He serves no purpose in the grand story. Sure I get the idea of having a rival for McQueen but as I said he is barely in the film for that to work. If this film had been a straight up racing film without the small town emphasis, maybe he would have worked. But as the film stands, he doesn't. Honestly, you could take him out of the film and the story would be the same. Actually, it would be a better film if you got rid of this character.
My Final Thoughts
In the end, I think that Cars does not deserve the bashing it gets. Is it different? Yes but that works, it isn't the oil stain on Pixar's resume that some people like to think it is. It is a fun and simple story with a soundtrack full of beautiful songs to go along with it. In my opinion, this film has one of the best stories to come out of a Pixar film and perhaps the greatest soundtrack for a Pixar film. Sure there are some minor changes that would have made this film better such as excluding Chick Hicks but in the end, it still remains my all time # 2 favorite Pixar film. For those of your curious, Toy Story 2 is my favorite Pixar film.
Join me tomorrow for a special Music Fridays, where I take a look at other songs from the Cars Soundtrack.
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