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Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin ... see more see more... , Tony Shalhoub , Guido Quaroni , Jenifer Lewis , Paul Dooley , Michael Wallis , George Carlin , Katherine Helmond , Michael Keaton , Jeremy Piven , Bob Costas , Darell Waltrip , Richard Kind , Edie McClurg , Humpy Wheeler , Tom Magliozzi , Ray Magliozzi , Richard Petty , Andrew Stanton , Dale Earnhardt Jr. , Michael Schumacher , Jay Leno , Mario Andretti , Sarah Clark , Mike "No Name" Nelson , Joe Ranft , Jonas Rivera , Lou Romano , Adrian Ochoa , E.J. Holowicki , Elissa Knight , Lindsey Collins , Larry Benton , Douglas "Mater" Keever , Tom Hanks , Tim Allen , Billy Crystal , John Goodman , Dave Foley , John Ratzenberger , Jack Angel , Michael Patrick Bell , Bob Bergen , Susan Blu , Andrea Boerries , Rodger Bumpass , Torbin Xan Bullock , Richard Cawood , Scott Clark , Kathy Coates , John Cygan , Jennifer Darling , Paul Eiding , Bill Farmer , Brian Fee , Teresa Ganzel , Craig Good , Jess Harnell , Artie Kempner , Hooman Khalili , Sonoko Konishi , Erik Langley , Sherry Lynn , Danny Mann , Mickie T. McGowan , Laraine Newman , Teddy Newton , Colleen O'Shaughnessy , Bob Peterson , Steve Purcell , Jan Rabson , A. J. Riebli III , Dan Scanlon , Steve Schaffer , Ken Schretzmann , Bob Scott , Matt Staudt , Jay Ward , Jim Ward , Colette Whitaker

Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town o... read more read more...f Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

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80% liked it

785,952 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

192 critics

G, 1 hr. 57 min.

Directed by: John Lasseter

Release Date: June 9, 2006

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DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006

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Flixster Reviews (55,868)

  • shortcartoonist
    June 29, 2010
    shortcartoonist
    Childishly silly in its level of enjoyability, Cars is a film of formula and familiarity with obvious twists. While it may ultimately feel like more of a chore for an older audience, its brands of humour and characters are sure to please children - and with that, Pixar are onto a... read more winner. The studio's usual charm of rounded family entertainment may be absent, but Cars holds everything for an adrenaline charged youth outing. Its colours are dizzying, its pace swift, and its characters likeable and diverse. The world of Cars is borderline absurd, but this absurdity allows for a very easy-going level of fun.
  • smith44
    May 18, 2010
    smith44
    Amazing Visuals, Clever Story= Vintage Pixar: I loved this film. Cars is definately a winner, Pixar has done it again. After A Bug's Life, Toy Story 1 and 2, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo, comes another Pixar great to add to the collection. Not as great as Toy S... read moretory or Finding Nemo, but still vintage Pixar. On the outside an average looking film, on the inside a breakout success. With marvelously clever car characterization, astounding visuals and a truly great story about life in the slow lane, Pixar gold, worth the viewing.
  • ironclad1609
    December 31, 2009
    ironclad1609
    I am not a big fan of cars and the trailer looked merely okay, like a racing film. The story that they have woven around it after all has been told similarly many times before and is somewhat predictable. However, what Pixar made out of this is probably the Feel Good Movie of the... read more year 2006. So detailed, lovable, technically outstanding and even touching (what The Incredibles were lacking) that you never want it to end. The end credits with the car versions of the former Pixar blockbusters is fantastic. Wonderful! Makes you happy.
  • SirPant
    October 1, 2009
    SirPant
    A nice kids film. Not too preachy either. Highlights include impressive voice talent, fantastic animation and tractor tipping. Low-lights include car flys. I know it?s a world in which cars live but car flys?
  • mrpopcorn
    May 10, 2009
    mrpopcorn
    "Life is a journey. Enjoy the trip."

    A hot-shot race-car named Lightning McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family.

    REVIEW

    I wasn'... read moret one of those persons who thought a car as a character was a bad idea. Mainly because, well, I love cars. But I did wonder - what kind of story can be told about a car - a story that is engaging enough to compete with stories about cherished toys of our youth, a fish separated from his father, or a cute ant banished from his colony? It turns out I shouldn't have worried at all - because, as always, Pixar didn't do a story specific to a car - it did a story everyone can relate to. Cars are just an excuse to tell it, and have a lot of fun.

    Years and years after it came out, I'm still enjoying the little details here, there and everywhere a car nut can appreciate. The love for America and cars in general is pretty evident throughout the movie. But, guess what? That really doesn't matter. I think the really important thing here is, once again, Pixar made a story that has more of a human side than many other movies with real life actors.

    And, once again, the fact that they did it with bits and bytes is nothing short of amazing.
  • PvtCaboose91
    April 30, 2009
    PvtCaboose91
    "Okay, here we go. Focus. Speed. I am speed. One winner, forty-two losers. I eat losers for breakfast. Breakfast? Maybe I should have had breakfast? Brekkie could be good for me. No, no, no, focus. Speed. Faster than fast, quicker than quick. I am Lightning."


    Conside

    ... read morering the astronomical box office intake for every CGI-animated picture Pixar has distributed as of 2006, the revolutionary animation studio has developed into the most commercially successful studio in history. Their first six feature films (beginning with 1995's Toy Story) were extensively considered to be instant classics from the moment their first digitally-rendered frames streaked across worldwide theatre screens. Yet more than mere dollars are in consideration here - Pixar pictures are resonant works of art which shall remain watchable and enjoyable for many subsequent generations. Each Pixar masterpiece is infused with genuine heart, timeless laughs and meaningful messages. Thus far, Pixar features have given voices to bugs, toys, monsters and fish...so why not cars?


    Cars arguably marks the first true Pixar misfire. In addition, this 2006 picture is debatably the weakest animated feature to emerge from the virtual drawing board at this successful company. Not to say that Cars is a total disaster - by all accounts it's bright and creative, and is pervaded with a very intriguing concept indeed. This is also one of Pixar's greatest visual achievements to date, featuring state-of-the-art CGI animation bordering on photo-realism guaranteed to astound on a very high level. However, feeble screenwriting proves injurious - fewer laughs, lots of excess, and a cumbersome, predictable story that preaches the same ol' clichéd messages. It's too long and listless, and while adults may tolerate the excessive character development, the children - with their notoriously diminutive attention spans - may grow restless. Cars is a character-driven feature, therefore including fewer action scenes than most animated films. The kinetic energy of the initial racing sequences is unfortunately not sustained.


    Cars transpires in a universe dominated entirely by automobiles (without any humans or animals...even flies are tiny cars with wings).
    The story centres on cocky hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Wilson). In his first year of racing, Lightning has taken the prestigious Piston Cup by storm. Locked in a battle for the championship against two seasoned pros, the final race is set to be held in California. En route across the country to compete in this final race, Lightning becomes waylaid in the small forgotten town of Radiator Springs after inadvertently mangling the main street during a police pursuit. In a subtle homage to Cool Hand Luke (starring Paul Newman, who lends his voice to the cantankerous old Doc Hudson), Lightning is sentenced to repair the main street through days of gruelling labour. As Lightning begins befriending the townsfolk (towncars?) of Radiator Springs, the conceited race car begins to realise that perhaps there's more to life than winning. The question soon arises: when he attends the big race will be maintain his newfound values or revert to his old ways?


    "When was the last time you cared about something except yourself, hot rod? You name me one time, and I will take it all back. Uh-huh. I thought so.


    In conveying its plot, Cars brings two well-worn clichés to the animation realm. The first is the apprehensive friendship between an elderly gent and a young hotshot. The second is the story of how a pastoral setting percolates the blood of a city boy. However, Cars isn't merely the story about one little NASCAR-type racer who becomes lost and stranded in the desert, nor is it just about a big-city hotshot who learns valuable messages. It's primarily a story concerning all the vanishing little towns in America that modern Interstate thoroughfares have bypassed and left for dead. The simple message is quite clear: life was better in the old days.


    "I don't need a map! I have the GPS. Never need a map again, thank you."


    For Pixar chief John Lasseter, Cars was a personal project. Lasseter had worked flat out for 10 years, and the outcome of these exertions was the first two Toy Story features. Following this extensive labour, his wife explained that his commitment to other children's happiness may cause him to miss the experience of witnessing his own children grow up. Lasseter responded to this by taking a few months off to drive his family through the backwaters of America, circumventing the interstate highways. The excursion was a revelation for the animation director - he was moved by the stories he was told about the consequences of interstates on the old Route 66 towns. Lasseter was inspired to begin penning (with the sadly deceased Joe Ranft) a story about slowing down and smelling the roses.


    As usual for a Pixar movie, Cars sports a strong ensemble cast, featuring the voices of Bonnie Hunt, Owen Wilson, Cheech Marin, Tony Shaloub, Paul Newman, George Carlin, and Michael Keaton (to name a few), along with a plethora of racing personalities and a few other interesting celebrities.

    Owen Wilson possesses the requisite mix of brashness and congeniality, and his vocal inflections are well-suited for the egotistical little speedster. The filmmakers reportedly named Lightning McQueen after the late Pixar animator Glenn McQueen, but most viewers will most likely associate the character name with the late actor Steve McQueen (who was fond of driving).


    "These are good folk around here who care about one another. I don't want them depending on someone they can't count on."


    This was one of Paul Newman's final films. Newman's wise and amiable voice is perfect for Doc Hudson. Bonnie Hunt, abandoning her regular sardonic style, wonderfully mixes sassiness and heart as the sexy Porsche Sally. Larry the Cable Guy is terrific as Mater, who invests his character with charm that makes him a memorable sidekick. Additionally, authentic broadcasters and race drivers such as Bob Costas, Jay Leno, Darrel Waltrip, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Schumacher, and Mario Andretti lend their voices to the film in cameo appearances.


    "I don't know what's harder to find: Lightning McQueen or a crew chief who'll work with him."


    At a little under two hours, Cars is (just barely) Pixar's longest animated feature to date. With its first act lacking a solid hook, Cars almost certainly would've been a considerably smoother ride if the road to Radiator Springs was more streamlined. Furthermore, the majority of the laughs aren't as sophisticated as we've come to expect from Pixar. The double-underlined moral lessons and oversentimentality can also be quite ham-fisted. This is not Pixar firing on all cylinders. Judged merely as a visual exercise, Cars is a triumph. However, Pixar are usually renowned for their clever stories and great screenplays which are as deft as the animation. On account of the screenplay here being so dodgy, Cars is a misfire - visually wonderful, but still a misfire. As a piece of storytelling, Cars sometimes has a sluggishness that is all the more surprising considering it's directed by animation god John Lasseter, back behind the wheel for the first time since Toy Story 2.
  • kenstachnik
    March 30, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Better than I expected, but I kept wondering how a world populated by cars came to be. Plus they don't have opposable thumbs...so how did they build anything?
  • sdcraftnmom
    September 28, 2008
    sdcraftnmom
    Awesome Movie... i laughted.. i cried.. i laughed cause i was crying... Great family movie..paul was a great man. he will be missed
  • barrys
    July 6, 2008
    barrys
    well this movie surely will become a disney classic, we can see the magic touch of pixar in this movie.

    its funny, it aslso has its touching moments.very good movie
  • purplemegan
    March 4, 2008
    purplemegan
    Very cute and thoroughly enjoyable. But the best part was after the credits when they were watching car versions of the other Pixar movies. I want to see Monster Trucks, Inc.!

View All Cars Reviews

Critic Reviews

Christy Lemire
December 14, 2006
Christy Lemire, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Rips off Doc Hollywood, almost note for note. Full Review

Anthony Lane
June 12, 2006
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Along came the interstate, apparently, and ruined everything. Just like that darned Internet, I guess, or that superhighway stuff, or those dumb movies they make with computers nowadays. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
June 9, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Cars might get us into car world as a gimmick, but it doesn't get us into car world as a state of mind. Thus, the animation, rather than seeming like an expression of the movie's deeper truth, becomes... Full Review

Peter Howell
June 9, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Cars made me want to hop in my jalopy and to head out to Route 66, bypassing the boring interstate highways that made the Mother Road redundant. Full Review

Roger Moore
June 9, 2006
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's beautiful to look at. The talking cars feel more alive than talking cars should. Full Review

Lisa Rose
June 9, 2006
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger

It's another innovative piece of entertainment from the animation studio, taking the audience on a kinetic trip into a world populated only by automobiles. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
June 9, 2006
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Cars somewhat self-indulgently runs nearly two hours -- but overall, it's well worth the trip. Full Review

David Edelstein
June 9, 2006
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Like the Toy Story films, Cars is a state-of-the-computer-art plea on behalf of outmoded, wholesome fifties technology, with a dash of Zen by way of George Lucas. Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman
June 9, 2006
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

It achieves the near impossible, turning cars, trucks, tractors and farm harvesters into cute Disney characters whose fates you'll care about. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
June 9, 2006
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

It thunders ahead with breezy abandon, scoring big grins on its way. Full Review

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