Cars: A Nostalgic Ride Through a World of Machines
For those who appreciate high-octane, cutting-edge vehicles, equally impressive animated films are a must. John Lasseter and his team at Pixar understood this, meticulously allocating every penny of the $70 million budget for Cars (2006). Yet, the final product feels even more lavish, with a richness of detail that elevates the animated world to a new level of realism.
A Classic Western Tale, Reimagined
The story follows a cocky young race car who, after a lucky win, recklessly pursues fame and fortune, only to find himself lost in a forgotten town. A wise, old-timer takes him under his wing, teaching him valuable life lessons. Along the way, he encounters a beautiful and independent Porsche, a cheerful tow truck, a cunning sheriff, a pair of boisterous Italian cars, an eccentric old lady, and a herd of tractors. These residents are more concerned with the survival of their dying town, bypassed by the relentless march of progress, than with chasing riches. The “villain” is a cheating rival from the big city, more of a nuisance than a true threat, fitting perfectly into this classic narrative.
The film borrows heavily from the later, more comedic Westerns of John Ford, starring an aging John Wayne. Cars adopts their plot structure, characters, and humor. Considering Ford directed over 150 films, there was plenty of material to draw from.
Machines Take Center Stage
However, instead of cowboys, we have racing cars, Plymouths, Porsches, Fiats, Volkswagens, Jeeps, trucks, trailers, and tractors. The result is a world populated entirely by vehicles, a metaphor for our own. In our modern era, technology has become so integrated into our lives that it feels familiar and personal. While Cars isn’t a laugh-out-loud comedy, it maintains a lighthearted and endearing tone throughout. The film also evokes a sense of nostalgia, with many of the cars modeled after vehicles from the 1950s and 60s, a time when the town was thriving and John Wayne was reaching his peak.
In the Russian dub, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan voices Paul Newman’s character, Doc Hudson, a former racing legend, which is a stroke of genius. While the other voice actors (Dmitry Kharatyan, Elena Smekhova) also deliver solid performances, Dzhigarkhanyan’s raspy voice elevates Doc Hudson from a supporting role to a central figure.
Visual Spectacle and Technical Innovation
With the story well in hand, Lasseter and his team focused on the technical aspects, and they didn’t disappoint. The racing scenes are as thrilling as those in live-action films like Grand Prix (1966) or The Fast and the Furious (2001). One scene even directly references The Fast and the Furious, with a sleeping trailer on the highway and a team of nighttime street racers.
Cars was the first film to utilize a new “ray tracing” method (not even used in The Incredibles (2004)). Regardless of the technical details, the result is breathtaking. Scenes like the jet planes flying over the stadium or McQueen’s date with the Porsche in the canyon are visually stunning. The eucalyptus grove, waterfall, suspension bridge, and overall natural beauty are incredibly lifelike.
A Fresh Take on Familiar Themes
Some might argue that the film relies on clichés, but these clichés feel fresh when applied to a world of machines. Unlike other animated films featuring fish or animals, Cars creates a unique civilization, a town of vehicles, not just a junkyard or a taxi depot. The way Doc Hudson performs a “medical checkup” on the arthritic sheriff, or how McQueen and Mater prank the tractors, is all original and inventive.
Lasseter and his team also paid close attention to the details of the cars and mechanics, and Route 66, which is based on the real-life highway in California. The film’s wit is both clever and insightful.