Toon Talk: CARS
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(c) Disney
The main drawback lies in the main character of McQueen himself. It’s not that he’s unlikable; with his single-minded drive to win and his carelessly selfish ways, he merely registers as slightly annoying. The other characters warm up to him long before we the audience do, so his so-called plight is easily resistible. His evolution from mopey brat to the film’s “hero�? is so drawn out as to be almost imperceptible, and it isn’t until the film’s final third that we are able to invest any true empathy in his winning desires.
The supporting characters don’t fare much better, with the cast of cars easily interchangeable with, say, the circus bugs of A Bug’s Life or the fish tank gang from Finding Nemo. Pixar has fallen into a bad habit of filling their films with quirky, one-note side characters such as these rusty residents of Radiator Springs; in a film like Nemo though, strong central characters offset this, whereas Cars is severely lacking in that department. Even the only discernable villain, McQueen’s green-with-envy racing rival Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton, in his second Disney racecar role after last year’s Herbie: Fully Loaded), appears only briefly and ineffectually. Far and away the most memorable character is the one most obviously created for such effect, the rust-bucket Mater; as voiced by blue collar comic Larry the Cable Guy (who, daggum, manages to throw in at least one “Git ’r done�?), the simple-minded sidekick easily drives off with every scene he’s in.
Like a pleasant scenic drive along the iconic Route 66, Cars is nice to look at, but what it is notably lacking is the patented Pixar humor. Save for a funny (if obvious) episode of “tractor tipping�?, any real laughs are few and far between - that is, until the credits roll. Be sure to stay put for some classic Pixar pun-ditry that they seemingly forgot to put in the trunk of the main feature.
Also showing with Cars is the new animated short One Man Band. A cute little moppet finds her bright and shiny coin is the prize in a crazed competition between two dueling one man bands, who go to outrageous lengths to win her favor - and the gold. This charming confection, written and directed by Mark Andrews and Andrew Jimenez, was one of the nominees this year for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
Toon Talk Rating: B-
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In this ‘Toon Talk’ feature, I will briefly highlight a recommended film or DVD, outside of the Disney universe, of similar interest to the main subject. Macho Man McQueen Like his namesake in Cars, superstar Steve McQueen liked to live fast, both on- and off-screen. And boy, did he go really really fast in Bullitt (1968, Warner), his classic crime thriller featuring one of the most celebrated stunt sequences in film history: a death-defying car chase in, over and through the hilly streets of San Francisco. Directed by Peter Yates and co-starring Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. DVD available from Warner Home Video. MPAA Rating: PG. |
Coming Soon in Toon Talk:
- The “Stitch Saga�? concludes with the new Disney DVD Leroy and Stitch (June 27) … wait, did you say “Leroy�??
- Yo ho, yo ho … Captain Jack is back in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (July 7, Disney).
- Beware of the Monster House, the newest motion-capture animated adventure (July 21, Columbia).
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-- Kirby C. Holt
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http://www.cafepress.com/MagicBear
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted June 8, 2006