Pixar animation studios have, in the past, brought us such cinematic treats as Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. It should come, then, as no surprise that their latest project 'Cars' is of the same high standard.

With CG cartoons, now more or less the standard, it is no longer enough to marvel us with effects - though they do get better in each film. These days you also need a good storyline and great characters. Cars has both.

Owen Wilson, star of some of my least favourite films of recent years including The Wedding Crashers and Starsky & Hutch, plays the hot rod rookie 'Lightning'. Lightning is hotly tipped to be the next big racing champion, but when he and his competitors draw the big race - They are forced to set up a tie break competition. En route, he falls off the lorry and ends up in the backwater town of Radiator Springs.

After accidentally ripping the main road to shreds he finds himself in the lock-up, then forced to re-tar the road. Here he makes some new friends, a tow truck called 'Mater' and a porche who seems out of place.

In a little under a week, Lightning learns how out of place his priorities were and changes his whole perspective, but with a lot of laughs along the way.

I was expecting Cars, to feature a human presence but instead it was set in a world where everything is a vehicle of some kind. All the spectators are Cars, the whole town are Cars. There are no animals either, the closest thing you get to a cow is a tractor which moo's and the bull is a combine harvester!

The film is fun and full of laughs. My favourite parts include the Car versions of Arnie, Jay Leno and the car snippets of the other Disney/Pixar movies at the end. Including a knowing mick take about John Ratzenburger having played a part in all the movies excpt "The Incredibles".

Sadly this is possibly the last Disney/Pixar collaboration in the pipeline. Though hopefully they can now both produce films as good by themselves. One to see.

see also:
Aladdin, Toy Story 3, Over the hedge, The Incredibles

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photo © Disney/Pixar.