Cars: A Nostalgic Trip

This weekend I made my way over to the Crossroads Mall in Redmond to take in Pixar’s latest animated feature. Though I am what is known in lay terms as an “adult” I still throw off the shackles of responsibility and hunker down to cartoons with immense enjoyment. Say what you will, but they can be a wonderful pairing of technology and storytelling. And for all of you macho, wouldn’t-be-caught-dead-watching-mere-cartoons, folks out there, you might just be surprised how much CGI putty is filling in the budget gaps of your favorite action films.

All this to say, that I was looking forward to Cars and was a bit crestfallen to discover that it merely alludes to the previous glory of Pixar films like Toy Story and the Incredibles. I did enjoy Owen Wilson playing the film's protagonist, the egomaniac racecar, Lightening, whom we discover has many life lessons to learn, oh yes. Wilson's character is reassuring as an animated version of his cheeky and charming self.

That is about as much praise as I can muster for the character development found in Cars. I am not certain if the use of automobiles to populate this little cartoon world was somehow more difficult than say bugs, toys or monsters, but they are lacking something in the personality department. The writers seem to have fallen back on tired stereotypes in many cases rather than fleshing out actual characters. Within Cars there is also a strong nostalgic yearning for the older, better and simpler times, times when know-how and relationships beat out money and fame. This kind of approach to delivering that message always makes me a little nervous. Especially when the time in question is that special decade in the middle of last century, which we insist upon glorifying: the '50's. Still, Cars is an enjoyable ride down the nostalgia highway, and will perhaps strike better notes with NASCAR moms and dads everywhere.