Pixar's "Cars"

[Massage...Bored]

I wisened up and went to this one last night at 10:00 p.m. No babies!!!!

What I was almost even more excitied for was the inevitable preview of the next Pixar film, which I got.

"From WIKI:

Ratatouille (rat-a-too-ee) is the eighth animated feature film produced by Pixar, scheduled for release for June 29, 2007. Ratatouille is a rat who lives in the sewers near a fancy uptown and upscale restaurant run by a famous but eccentric French chef (Brad Garrett)."

The preview looked great, with a rat running through a French restaraunt with a hunk of cheese from the cheese cart, all the while having absolutely everything hurled at him and narrowly escaping. He explains, "I know I live in the sewer and us rats are meant to eat garbage, but I have highe standards." A fat rat comes up holding something vile looking that he's nibbling on and says, "You know, once you get around the immediate gag reflex and the taste, its not really that bad." Then chokes down a bite. It was good, can't wait until it debuts next summer. I hear Toy Story 3 is on the way after that. If that's as good as the other two, you've got another blockbuster.

Anyways, the short film before the feature, another staple of the Pixar experience and a welcome throwback, was entitled One Man Band. It features a couple of street performers competing for a child's wishing well coin with disasterous results. Could it be another short film Oscar for Pixar? Maybe.

So, onto the film. "Cars" starts of with a giant "Nascar"-like race with racecars, new and old style, competing for the heralded "Piston Cup". The three favorites for the Cup are Lightning Mcqueen (Owen Wilson), The King (Richard Petty), and Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton, its always nice to hear this guy). They end up in a tie and there is a race-off announced in one week in California. The race itself looks ridiculous, I can't imagine having to animate that thing. It is also a Hell of a lot of fun.

Anyways, on the way to the race McQueen gets a call from his agent, Harv (Jeremy Piven, classic move, Pixar, simply classic), and is told that he needs to get to CA before CHick Hicks and start schmoozing the main Sponsor of the circuit to win their sponsorship from the retiring King. So he makes his carrier Mack (Cheers' John Ratzenberger, although you could call him Pixar's at this point, seeing as how he is in every Pixar feature.) drive through the night. The two become separated and Mcqueen gets picked up for speeding in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs. He is sentenced to road repair and he cannot leave until he's completed the task. In the town we meet Doc Hudson (Paul Newman, superb), a Porsche named Sally (Bonnie Hunt), a custom lowrider named Ramone (Cheech Marin, of course), a VW van appropriately named Fillmore (George Carlin, again superb casting, fellas), and an old tow truck named 'Mater (Larry the Cable Guy, I'd be bitchy about it but he does a great job and never once utters the phrase "Git 'r Done!"). This is a town that time forgot and all that jazz and Mcqueen goes from cocky to schlocky about the locals in a week. There is a great "cow tipping" scene, but since all things "animal" are now "car" the cows are tractors, its got to be seen. Lessons are learned, pride is squashed, secrets are revealed, love is blossomed, and Mcqueen is off to the big race.

I won't reveal the ending because it is a sort of surprise. But it is another fantastic Pixar film. It is easily the best looking of them all, though I give steady props to the guys that had to animate "Finding Nemo", steady rockin'. I suggest seeing this with a minimum of child disruption, unless you've got kids, then you better not be comin' to a late showing and makin' us without suffer through possible tantrums. You are banished to the realm of matinee unless you get a babysitter. Go see it, and be sure to stay through all the credits.

[Mama Dragon]

Credits, noted. Taking the young 'un tomorrow for her birthday.

[WBOB]

Sounds good!

Takin my minature movie goer too!

[Massage...Bored]

Oh, I forgot to put the Wiki stuff in quotes.

I did write the rest of it.

[helix eternal]

"From WIKI:

Ratatouille (rat-a-too-ee) is the eighth animated feature film produced by Pixar, scheduled for release for June 29, 2007. Ratatouille is a rat who lives in the sewers near a fancy uptown and upscale restaurant run by a famous but eccentric French chef (Brad Garrett)."

How is it that Pixar and Dreamworks always seem to get the same general ideas at the same time? I know "Flushed Away" is going to be awesome, though, since it's produced by Aardman.

After reading your review of Cars, I'm not sure if I want to waste the money to see it in theaters =/ The quality of the animation looks great, but the story sounds flat. Think I'll just wait and see it for free on video.

[sharkmansix]

How is it that Pixar and Dreamworks always seem to get the same general ideas at the same time? I know "Flushed Away" is going to be awesome, though, since it's produced by Aardman.

I imagine it goes something like this:

"Hey that fish movie of theirs did pretty well, let's do a fish movie."

or

"I got a fresh idea lets have talking animals that escape from a Zoo"


both are followed by:

"No, this is totally different!"

[tony2tone]

my ten year old son and his five year old brother liked the movie, but not enough to cop the bootleg.

[Mama Dragon]

We enjoyed it well enough, but it gave me serious NASCAR withdrawals.