Cars (2006)

Here's the thing about Cars: it's a perfectly enjoyable film, and I feel slightly guilty that "perfectly enjoyable" is about as enthusiastic as I can get about a Pixar release. Because with Pixar, you've been spoiled. You think about what they managed with Toy Story, and the bar they set from almost the very beginning, and then you sit down with Cars and you think: yeah, this is fine. This is good, even. But it's not that.

Lightning McQueen is your classic arrogant hotshot, too focused on winning to notice anything or anyone around him. Through a series of events that strand him in the tiny, forgotten town of Radiator Springs, he's forced to slow down, literally and figuratively, and rediscover what actually matters. It's a sweet arc. Predictable as sunrise, but sweet. Owen Wilson brings an easy, laconic charm to McQueen, and Paul Newman is genuinely warm as Doc Hudson, the grizzled elder statesman of the town. Newman in particular gives the film some real emotional weight in his quieter moments, and you feel his presence throughout.

Radiator Springs itself is a cosy, well-realised little setting. There's a genuine fondness for that old Route 66 Americana, the kind of roadside culture that the motorway bypassed and slowly left to decay. The film's message, that modern life moves too fast and we've forgotten to appreciate what we're rushing past, is actually quite lovely. It's not subtle, but it doesn't need to be. Kids films rarely benefit from subtlety, and there's something refreshing about a Pixar picture that's genuinely content to be gentle rather than gutting you emotionally.

The animation holds up well too. Those glossy, polished character designs and the sweeping desert landscapes look beautiful, and for 2006 the technical craft is impressive. Pixar clearly put the work in, as they always do.

But here's where I have to be honest: Cars never fully escapes the strangeness of its own premise. A world populated entirely by sentient vehicles is a concept that, if you let your brain wander for even a moment, starts to raise questions that have no good answers. Who built the cars? Who are the cars building things for? Do they have children, and if so, how? I'm aware that this is probably not the intended viewing experience for a film aimed at seven-year-olds, but Pixar has always encouraged that kind of engagement from adults, and here the foundations don't quite hold up to scrutiny. The best Pixar films make you forget to ask those questions because you're too emotionally invested. Cars doesn't quite pull that off.

And that's the crux of it, really. The emotional depth just isn't there at the level Pixar has conditioned us to expect. The story hits its beats reliably, the characters are likeable, the humour lands often enough, but it never genuinely moves you. Compare it to the studio's finest work and it comes up a little short in almost every department that matters most.

None of that makes it a bad film. Kids will have a brilliant time with it, and if you've got a soft spot for motor racing or that old American road-trip nostalgia, there's plenty here to enjoy. It's harmless, warm, and colourful. Three stars feels right: a good film from a studio capable of greatness, which is its own kind of mild disappointment.

Three stars.

Rating: ★★★  | Year: 2006  | Watched: 2025-04-07

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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