What is "wrong" with Cars

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

I went to see Cars this afternoon. Unlike all the other Pixar films which are action/adventure films, Cars strikes me as more of a romantic comedy. Because of that, I don't think it has the same entertainment value for kids as TS, TS2, Bugs, etc., so IMO that is what is "wrong" with Cars. But I think it is an excellent effort with a LOT of heart, so I really don't see anything wrong with it at all. Big thumbs up from me!

 

Originally Posted By utahjosh

The only complaint I can think of about Cars is the formulaic story. There really weren't any surprises in the movie.

However, it didn't bother me. I enjoyed the AMAZING animation, the great characters, and the hilarity to care.

 

Originally Posted By Dlmusic

I think there are a few factors into why some people aren't reacting to cars the same way:

1) It's not a buddy story/one character's struggle with another character that turns into a friendship

While this is somewhat touched on with Lightning Mcqueen and Mater, it's a minor point. Mostly this film is about Mcqueen and Doc getting "over themselves" and healing from emotional baggage.

2) It's not action packed

While there are exciting sequences to bookend the film, this movie does not "pull out all the stops" like other Pixar films that tend to have a dramatic sequence every 20 minutes or so.

3) Many of the characters are actually fairly normal and not that cartoony

In almost every Pixar film up to this one, the characters have been incredibly cartoony even many of the small roles. In Cars, while Lighting Mcqueen is a bit of an overstatement, his greediness and emotional disconnect is not played for laughs as is Marlin's overprotectiveness in Finding Nemo or Buzz's reality problems in the Toy Story films. Many of the characters, and in fact just about all the main characters that effect the story are played straight in Cars.

4) There is no big dark villain

While Finding Nemo didn't have one major villian, it set up many dramatic obstacles that became the villain to the main characters. Cars doesn't really have one single villain, in the end the biggest villain in the film is Lightning Mcqueen. His egotism and selfishness is negatively effecting his life and those around him. Without a big dark villain looming over the proceedings, movies tend to lose a bit of their punch (at least for some people).

These are just a few of the points that I think are keeping some people from liking Cars as much as other Pixar films.

Honestly, I saw Cars for the second time and liked it even more. It still ranks above Finding Nemo and A Bug's Life in my mind.

 

Originally Posted By HyperTyper

>>> healing from emotional baggage.

Ugh. Now that you put it that way, I like "Cars" even less! A NASCAR movie about emotional baggage? That throws a little cold water on the barbecue.

>>>It's not action packed

Action helps, but it isn't always needed. "Beauty and the Beast" was universally popular, and NOT action-packed. (Had plenty of "emotional baggage" too.) If you have great characters, interesting plot, and genuine humor, action is entirely optional.

>>> There is no big dark villain

Excellent point. It's okay to not have one, but it's been quite a while since we have seen a genuinely likeable/detestable evildoer. After the final "Star Wars" where we learn Darth Vader began as a whiny pansy named "Annie," we could use a good bad guy. Probably won't happen for a while, though ... Political correctness in Hollywood seems to have put a moratorium on depicting evil in kids' films. I think it has something to do with the mindset that thinks that people aren't bad, just carrying around excessive emotional baggage, and we should try to understand the terrorists, despots and criminals of the world, and not judge them. Whatever.

Characters are key. A little quiz: No cheating ... you have 5 seconds to answer each question:

1. Who was the monkey in "Aladdin?"

2. Name all the characters you can from "Beauty and the Beast."

3. Name the seven dwarves.

4. Besides Nemo and his dad, name just two fish from "Finding Nemo." ("The blowfish" or "the shark" don't count. What are their NAMES?)

5. Name ANY character from "Treasure Planet."

6. Besides Mater, name two cars from "Cars." (I'd wager most people won't remember the name "Lightning McQueen," THE main character, two days after seeing the movie!)

I can't even answer some of my own questions. Most recent Disney films aren't building a cast of memorable characters. I mean, are you really going to see a stuffed "Sally Carera" doll on sale at Disneyland in two years? But you can find plenty of Simbas and Belles.

It isn't enough to make characters that are funny or quiry. You get that from the clowns at the circus. The characters have to be endearing. You've got to care about them, and identify with them. "Cars" characters aren't awful, but something magic is missing, and it's tough to put it into words. It's just magic, and it's either there, or it isn't.

There is something else that's missing from all Disney films lately: Memorable music. From the last ten years, can you name even one universally-recognizable Disney theme that would instantly remind you where you are, eyes closed, when played over the Disneyland P.A.? Probably nothing since "Tarzan." There are some nice tunes in "Cars," but they are few and not all that memorable. With the success of "High School Musical" and Disney's bringing back Alan Menken (Hallalujah!), look for that to change. It would be great if they also bring back Sherman & Sherman ("Small World," "Mary Poppins," & "Bedknobs & Broomsticks") for a few tunes, while they are still able. People can whine about musicals being over-done, and I agree Disney wants to avoid a rut. But the gaps in Disney movie popularity (70s and 80s, late 90s through now) have clearly coincided with periods where good music was basically dumped from the program.

 

Originally Posted By HyperTyper

>>> Action helps, but it isn't always needed. "Beauty and the Beast" was universally popular, and NOT action-packed.

Okay, I forgot ... there was the rooftop battle, the wolves, and the fighting furniture.

 

Originally Posted By trekkeruss

<<Characters are key. A little quiz: No cheating ... you have 5 seconds to answer each question:>>

I'd hardly call that a fair test, as Cars has barely hit the theater, let alone gone to video.

<<"Cars" characters aren't awful, but something magic is missing>>

I'd disagree with you on that.

 

Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan

You also forgot that the "action" in that movie were Broadway musical showpieces throughout.

I did really good on your quiz, Hyper. I haven't seen Cars yet, however.

1. Who was the monkey in "Aladdin?"
ABU

2. Name all the characters you can from "Beauty and the Beast."
LUMIERE, MRS. POTTS, CHIP, GASTON, BELLE, LEFOO, PAPA

3. Name the seven dwarves.
DOPEY HAPPY SLEEPY GRUMPY DOC BASHFUL HAPPY SNEEZY

4. Besides Nemo and his dad, name just two fish from "Finding Nemo." ("The blowfish" or "the shark" don't count. What are their NAMES?)
MR. RAY, DORY

5. Name ANY character from "Treasure Planet."
LONG JOHN SILVER, B.E.N., DR. DOPPLER, JIM

Do I win the "I'M A REAL DISNEY GEEK" Crown of the Week?

: )

 

Originally Posted By Dlmusic

I'll play

<<1. Who was the monkey in "Aladdin?">>

Abu

<<2. Name all the characters you can from "Beauty and the Beast.">>

Belle, Gaston, Beast, Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Chip, Le Fou, Maurice, Phillipe, Footstool, Fifi, Tom, Dick, Stanley, Marie, Mousier De Larque (sp)

<<3. Name the seven dwarves.>>
Doc, Bashful, Happy, Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy

<<4. Besides Nemo and his dad, name just two fish from "Finding Nemo." ("The blowfish" or "the shark" don't count. What are their NAMES?)>>

The dad's name is Marlin by the way. And assuming that you don't mind non-fish characters: Bruce, Anchor, Dory, Sheldon, Deb, Peach, Jaques, Bubbles, Gurgle, Gil, Darla, Crush, Squirt and so on and so forth

<<5. Name ANY character from "Treasure Planet.">>
Long John Silver, Jim, Morph, Captain Amelia, Dr. Albus Dobbler, B.E.N

<<6. Besides Mater, name two cars from "Cars." (I'd wager most people won't remember the name "Lightning McQueen," THE main character, two days after seeing the movie!)>>

Chick, King, Luigi, Guido, Sally, Red, Doc Hudson, Mack


Not exactly sure what the point of all of this is, but it was a fun test.

 

Originally Posted By Dlmusic

Back to discussion:

<<Ugh. Now that you put it that way, I like "Cars" even less! A NASCAR movie about emotional baggage? That throws a little cold water on the barbecue.>>

You show me a sports movie that doesn't invlove a character with emotional baggage. It's a common theme in sports movies that not only do you have to defeat competitors but you also have to defeat your own personal demons.

<<Most recent Disney films aren't building a cast of memorable characters.>>

Do you think the average person can rattle off the cast of Dumbo, Pinocchio or Jungle Book? But I dare say those movies had a cast of great characters.

<< mean, are you really going to see a stuffed "Sally Carera" doll on sale at Disneyland in two years? But you can find plenty of Simbas and Belles.>>

Personally I wouldn't be surprised if I do see Lightning Mcqueen cars on sale at Disneyland for many years to come. And marketing toys is another matter from a movie altogether. There are plenty of great Disney animated films (Fantasia comes to mind) that are not exactly merchandising bonazas but are classics none the less.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

Trust me that I answered all except the "Treasure Planet" question. (I keep coming up with the Robert Louis Stevenson originals!)

>>6. Besides Mater, name two cars from "Cars." (I'd wager most people won't remember the name "Lightning McQueen," THE main character, two days after seeing the movie!)<<
I saw the movie last Thursday and have no trouble remembering Lightning McQueen. Or... Doc Hudson, the Sheriff, Flo, Ramon, Luigi and Guido, Fillmore, Sarge, Lizzy (cute unsung character), Red (the late, great Joe Ranft), the King, Tex, Mrs. the King, Chick Hicks, and on and on. I can even name the cameos: Jay Limo, Bob Cutlass, Mario Andretti (that's his name in the film, too!), Dusty and Rusty Rust-Eze, and, well, you get it.

Doesn't mean a thing, though.

(P.S. Kids love the toy cars. You should have seen them at the Disney Studio Store and Soda Fountain.)

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

>>Most recent Disney films aren't building a cast of memorable characters. I mean, are you really going to see a stuffed "Sally Carera" doll on sale at Disneyland in two years? But you can find plenty of Simbas and Belles.<<

And Stitch. You'll find Stitch.

>>From the last ten years, can you name even one universally-recognizable Disney theme that would instantly remind you where you are, eyes closed, when played over the Disneyland P.A.?<<

I'll bite: Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

>>It would be great if they also bring back Sherman & Sherman...<<

Well, last year they did Pooh's Heffalump Movie. In 2003 they did Piglet's Big Movie, and in 2000 the Tigger Movie.

 

Originally Posted By Dlmusic

<<Well, last year they did Pooh's Heffalump Movie. In 2003 they did Piglet's Big Movie, and in 2000 the Tigger Movie.>>

Actually Carly Simon did the music for Pooh's Heffalump and Piglet's Big Movie.

I agree that I would love to see a big-budgeted Pixar musical, but how risky would that be? With everybody ready to stamp on Pixar's grave with the less than desired opening of Cars I'd hate to see what would happen if they tried to experiment and actually created a flop.

 

Originally Posted By DlandDug

>>Actually Carly Simon did the music for Pooh's Heffalump and Piglet's Big Movie.<<

I looked further. Joel McNeely did the music for Pooh's Heffalump movie, with songs by Carly Simon and "Winnie the Pooh" by the Sherman brothers. Carl Johnson did the music for Piglet's Big Movie, with songs by Carly Simon, and "Winnie the Pooh" by the Shermans. Harry Gregson-Williams did the music for The Tigger Movie, with songs by the Sherman brothers, and Kenny Loggins.

Just to keep things straight!

 

Originally Posted By sherrytodd

My son (8 years old) and I saw it last night. I loved it because it actually had a good story line that was entertaining to an adult and followed through with the story line without doing the usual bouncing around that many recent animated features do (hey look here, hey look what we can do here, hey let's throw a fart joke in here...). But what is even better, even with a more mature story line, my son absolutely LOVED this movie. Plus I was so happy when they used the voices of the Car Talk guys. I listen to that show every weekend on NPR. There is a long list of celebrity voices used in this movie, but it felt like the characters were developed first and then the celebrities picked to match the characters and not like some other movies where I feel like the movie was made around which celebrities they could sign.

This movie felt more like artwork to me then much of the other garbage that's been coming out lately.

 

Originally Posted By dshyates

After they retheme autopia to cars, you'll find plenty of cars crap for years to come.
PS. I'd buy a Doc Hudson, and I love the Miata twins Mia and Tia.

 

Originally Posted By cstephens

I had totally spaced that Joe Ranft died during the making of "Cars". The tribute made me almost cry.

There's a reference to "For the Birds" that is super-quick, but we laughed so hard. The husband saw the pizza truck but I forget exactly which scene it's in.

I'm not that interested in any of the Cars merchandise, but I so want toys that replicate the cars from the movies at the drive-in.

Technically, I thought this movie was amazing. The scenes are indeed incredible, and you start to take them for granted and have to pretty much remind yourself that it's *all* animated, every speck of dust, every leaf, every droplet of water, EVERY SINGLE REFLECTION ON EVERY SURFACE. But as for story and content, it didn't do that much for me. I'm pretty gullible, but even I found the film and characters to be 90% predictable. There is one outcome that I hadn't figured on but which made perfect sense. I didn't find myself really connecting with the characters at all, and I found myself restless. I found moments and bits amusing and cool ("Hey, look at that!"), but overall, I don't have a desire to see the film again, except for the drive-in part. Prior to the movie, my ranking of Pixar films had "A Bug's Life" last and "The Incredibles" right above that. I'd personally put "Cars" between the two - more engaging for me than "A Bug's Life", but not even as engaging for me as "The Incredibles".

Oh, and I actually hate when they run new film stuff during the credits (I remember thinking that at "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"). I missed most of the credits because I was laughing so hard and looking so much at the drive-in stuff. There were a few interesting names I caught in the credits, so I'm wondering if there were any more I missed.

My first thought when I saw the location inspiration credits was "how cool!" My second thought was "I feel sorry for the people who had to compile those credits".

BTW, we saw the film at the El Capitan on Friday night, and I have a page with just a few pictures of the pit stop demo and the Cars outside: <a href="http://www.colddeadfish.net/carsatelcap.html" target="_blank">http://www.colddeadfish.net/ca
rsatelcap.html</a>.




/cs

 

Originally Posted By KeybladeMasterRobert

I thought it was a step up above Finding Nemo, that's for sure. I liked the more realistic atmosphere, and I'm not sure about everyone else, but I connected more to Lightning McQueen than anybody in Finding Nemo. (I thought Dory in particular was annoying)

It;s true the film was a tad predictable, but the way they did the finale with McQueen's decision in the final race... it was well done, methinks.

 

Originally Posted By Liberty Belle

>>There is something else that's missing from all Disney films lately: Memorable music<<

I absolutely agree. "The Little Mermaid" wouldn't have been nearly as good without the music, just to name one right off the top of my head. The music has gone severely downhill, mostly because it's not "the norm" anymore to have characters sing in animated movies, or even to feature original songs. I miss the music of old.

 

Originally Posted By KeybladeMasterRobert

Not to start an argument or anything, but many well done and critically acclaimed animated films (Spirited Away, The Iron Giant, Grave of the Fireflies, etc.) don't have musical scenes every 7 minutes.
I'm glad Disney is experimenting without having the notion that you NEED musical numbers to keep people's attention.

I loved the songs in Cars; fit the theme perfectly.

 

Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan

>>I didn't find myself really connecting with the characters at all, and I found myself restless.<<

Really? My daughter's boyfriend went with us to see the movie last night. Both he and I said the same thing -- we didn't want the movie to ever end!

I loved the characters, the story, the animation and especially the sequence that told the story of Radiator Springs.

I don't know how I'd rank the Pixar films in order of preference, I've enjoyed every one of them so much.

What's wrong with Cars? Not a thing, in my opinion.