Sadly, all the other reviews I had read about this movie were right. This is the weakest of all the Pixar movies but against the competition (namely PDI), it’s a well-made movie. It’s just impossible to not compare it against Toy Story orThe Incredibles and feel disappointed because the story was weak. How weak? It’s really Doc Hollywood with talking cars and every other story involving a cocky city slicker learning life’s valuable lessons from the people living in “Flyover Country.” I actually nodded off in the middle it was so slow.
With the story out of the way in a mere sentence, the rest of the movie is a technical marvel as always with Pixar. My favorite part would be the sequence of the main character travelling across the southern-half of the US; from somewhere in the heart of NASCAR-land to the American desert of Arizona or New Mexico. The artists did a fantastic job illustrating the changes in the land from green and flat to hilly and brown. If you stay through the closing credits, there’s a list of places Pixar thanks for their reference and inspiration. The racing parts are really well done. The cars zooming by rapidly and the audio is the reason why this movie works best in a theater, unless one has the overpriced home theater equpment set up. It almost made NASCAR half interesting if it could be covered in such a manner and with fewer redneck trappings. Voice acting is another area the movie excels. Ray and Tom from NPR’s Car Talk as the main character’s corporate sponsor, Tony Shaloub as a Fiat, Cheech Marin as a lowrider, Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks (villain) and Paul Newman as older, grizzled car. I only take issue with the use of Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy because they’re flavor-of-the-month actors these days. John Ratzenberger is present as Mack the Truck who transports Lightning McQueen (Wilson). Can’t have a Pixar movie without their good-luck charm. Stay through the ending credits since there are great surprises of past voices from Pixar movies.
There isn’t much else to cover. Kids will love the movie. Some NASCAR diehards may cheer or get their panties in a knot over the cameos from Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mario Andretti (really a Formula One racer) and Richard Petty. Everyone else will be amused but it just lacks the wow factor I came away with from Toy Story through The Incredibles.