Cars (2006)

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

It's an animated movie about cars, made by the legendary Pixar studios at the pinnacle of their prime time no less! What's not to like?

And what's not to expect! It's just as masterful a piece of creative, otherworldly (it takes place in a parallel automobile realm) entertainment as you'd expect it to be... and it just doesn't seem to grow old. It's been over ten years already, yet the animation's holding surprisingly well - albeit with a little less detail than it would have had was it made today.

Is this like... the fourth time I watch this movie? I might have had more to say the first time around, but at this point I'm way past those first impressions and inspiring perceptions of what it's all about. Let me just summarize my overall impression with: it's great. It's got cars, speed, comedy, and a little romance too. It's like a parallel world of our own made entirely for this one vehicle-like species... and it's perfect! From the fly rides to the flies buzzing by the sky lights.

What it really is though, is a story of friendship, and kindness, and those core values that make life great. Aren't these values prevalent in pretty much all animated movies like this one? Yes, but this time it's that plus cars. Cars! No further commentary required.

They get it all right, too. Script. Pace. Relations. All of that as well as the rush and adrenaline involved with the races. After seeing this I really want to just drive.

Owen Wilson really got a goldmine going voicing Lightning McQueen here, and he works better in this role than I'd expect (not sure I realized it was him the first few times). George Carlin, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Keaton (this guy's been in more movies than I thought!), Jay Leno, Michael Schumacher, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen - there's a lot of people in that list I didn't expect to see there! Or knew I'd heard the voices of. Skimming the cast list on animated movies is turning out to be an interesting thing...

Memories fade... but it was better than I remembered. Timeless and...

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome