Cars

I had been waiting for a good amount of time for Cars to come out. I watched almost all of the trailers and teasers that came out before the movie. It looked pretty interesting. But I was blown away by the movie. I really really liked it.

Firstly, I got to watch the digital version of the film. It was exquisite. The colors were so very vibrant. The animation quality was excellent. Pixar is really getting better at what they do.

I loved the story line. The characters are portrayed so wonderfully. You really start believing these cars to have their own individual personalities. I loved Mater, Mario, Luigi, and Mack the truck. But, all of them are so good in their own special way. There are tiny jokes all through the movie, and watching it a second time (which I did!) or even a third (which I intend to) is worth the ticket money. The part where Mater and McQueen go "tractor-tipping" made the entire theater burst into laughter!

Some might feel the pace of the movie slow down after about 30 minutes. But I think the slow pace does effectively symbolize the slow and laid back life in a small town. The scenes in the big city are fast and hectic, while those in Radiator Springs are much more relaxed. I liked the fact that they didnt try to make the cars look explicitly similar to the actors voicing them, as in Shark Tale. But most say that the cars do have a tinge of the actor voicing them, especially Paul Newman. The flash-back of when the interstate is built, and Route 66 is by-passed does make you feel a tad sad for the cars in Radiator Springs. I bet the lives of real people along an old road thats been by-passed by a big highway mustn't have been much different. A real example is the Mumbai-Pune highway. The old NH4 is being used lesser and lesser every month, as people prefer the new expressway. Now, small towns, restaurants, and road-side attractions that have been by-passed seem like they've had their time in the lime-light, and now they're languishing in dust, dirt, and empty chairs and tables, which once had families around them, kids playing, cars cooling down. Many of my childhood memories of going to Pune are of the spots on the highways, favorite turns, sandwich stops, the treacherous hilly road, etc. Ahh well..

The more that I think of Cars, the more I like it. Each of the cars, even the ones at the side, eg. Mia and Tia - the Mazda Miatas - McQueen's fans, Fred - the rusty truck, the sponsors of McQueen, Mack the truck, the helicopters, etc. have "acted" so very nicely.

All in all, a very nice story, deep characterizations, plenty of attention to minute details, lots of explicit and sublte humor, and exquisite visuals. Go watch it before it goes off the big screen.