In this latest release from the team of Disney and Pixar, we enter the world of (you guessed it) cars. There are no humans whatsoever in this one, as there have been (albeit only somewhat) in most of their other releases. This time around we are in a world that is inhabited solely by mechanized vehicles. Mostly cars, but also RVs, trucks and even a helicopter or two.
The star of the show is Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), the hot rookie on the Piston Cup circuit, and he is headed to California for a three-car showdown in the final race of the season to settle once and for all who will be the winner of the Piston Cup (after a bizarre three-way tie in the last race of the season).
What isn't explained adequately is how all three drivers were actually tied going into that last race so that they could have tied at the end of the race to keep things tied yet again, but I'll let that slide.
So our hot-shot driver is headed to California and on the way he gets lost in tiny Radiator Springs, along Route 66, a town that's been forgotten ever since the Interstate went by and left Route 66 a bit of a wasteland.
Unfortunately for Lightning, he gets caught up in all sort of trouble when he tears up the road, and he's required to fix the road before he can leave. Naturally he has to come to terms with that, and his own shallowness, before he can return to his normal life. Hilarity ensues.
The animation is, of course, quite stunning. That's to be expected from the team at Pixar. The voice talent is impressive. The writing, while solid, isn't exceptional. The story is pretty well telegraphed from beginning to end. And it clocks in a little long in parts. Then again, perhaps we're all just a little jaded and wanting something newer and better all the time. If this had come out five years ago, I'm sure I would have been amazed.
Rated G, so there is little to be worried about here. The little ones especially will enjoy it. The older you get the more antsy you will become, however, as it does tend to drag a bit in the middle, without having quite so much oomph as some of the other Pixar releases.
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