Cars (2006): Kachow!

This week's random wheel landed on Cars! A cult classic, in my opinion (even if it is a movie about talking cars). 

Sidebar: after a while of reviewing these movies, it makes me feel old realizing how long ago they were all made. Like, 2006? That was 16 years ago... I was in my parents' bed eating Froot Loops in a onesie. Wild.

Anyway, back to the classic... Something that I just found out is that apparently this film premiered not in theaters, as you'd expect, but at Lowe's Motor Speedway in North Carolina. A speedway. How fitting!

Similarly, Cars actually starts off in a speedway where anthropomorphic talking vehicles compete in a final race of the Piston Cup season. We are introduced to a major rivalry between three top race cars fighting for the number one spot in the race: retiring veteran Strip "The King" Weathers, frequent runner-up Chick Hicks, and brash rookie sensation Lightning McQueen.

McQueen, who is our main character, is not only at the back of the line but he also avoids a multi-car crash caused by Chick, even making McQueen blow out both rear tires on the last lap. Ugh, this guy always got on my nerves when I was a kid because he's an arrogant cheater. While the rest of the competitors pit for new tires, McQueen stays out, even with two blown tires. Chick and the King catch up, resulting in a three-way tie, much to the disappointment of McQueen. As a result, the tiebreaker race is scheduled for one week later at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

Obviously, McQueen is desperate to win the race because he would be the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, as well as allow him to leave his hated Rust-Eze sponsorship, a bumper ointment company, and instead, take The King's place on the prestigious and lucrative Dinoco team. However, McQueen also has some serious selfishness and controlling issues as he fires three crew chiefs and his pit crew quits after the race. In fact, McQueen is so focused on winning the race that he pushes his traveling semi-truck, Mack, into driving straight through the night in order to get to California first. While McQueen is sleeping, Mack nods off (to no surprise) and is startled awake by a gang of tuner cars, causing McQueen to fall out the back of the trailer and onto the interstate road. McQueen wakes up in the middle of traffic and speeds off the highway in search of Mack, but instead ends up in the rundown desert town of Radiator Springs where he is chased by Sheriff and inadvertently damages the pavement of the main road. If only McQueen hadn't forced Mack to keep driving through, then they probably would have made it to California on-time and hassle-free.

The next day, McQueen is ordered by the town judge and medical doctor, Doc Hudson, to leave town immediately, but the local lawyer, Sally, requests that McQueen should instead be assigned community service to repave the road by a machine (good ole Bessie), to which Doc reluctantly agrees.

Even after a failed attempt to escape from the town, and still being in a rush to leave, McQueen repaves the road honestly very terribly. Doc is not satisfied and he challenges McQueen to a race around an old dirt lap outside of town—if McQueen wins, he can leave; however, McQueen loses and he must start the pavement all over again. During this time, he begins to warm up to the town, and befriends several of its residents, including tow truck Mater (my absolute favorite).

In fact, McQueen learns that Radiator Springs is not just a ghost town but was once a popular stop along U.S. Route 66 until it was bypassed with the construction of Interstate 40. Also, and mostly forgotten, Doc was apparently the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion whose career ended from a devastating crash in 1954. He bonds with Sally, who found happiness when she gave up a fast life in Los Angeles to live in Radiator Springs, and now dreams of putting the town back on the map.

McQueen eventually repairs the road (successfully this time), reinvigorating the town's residents, and decides to spend an extra day in Radiator Springs with his new friends. But his time there is cut short when Mack and the media (including helicopters) descend on the town. McQueen reluctantly leaves to reach California in time for the race while the brokenhearted Sally expresses her disappointment with Doc upon discovering that he was responsible for tipping off the media to McQueen's whereabouts. She and the others, dismayed about the departure of their new friend, go to sleep, while Doc, alone by the constantly yellow-blinking traffic light, regrets his actions.

At the race, as he couldn't say goodbye to his friends, McQueen races distractedly and ends up with one entire lap behind. He is then surprised to discover that Doc, having a change of heart (as the Hudson Hornet), has taken over as his crew chief, and most friends from Radiator Springs are helping in the pit. Inspired and recalling tricks he learned from Doc and his friends, McQueen manages to recover and vaults into the lead. And unfortunately, on the final lap, Chick performs a PIT maneuver and sends The King into a dangerous crash. Recalling Doc's fate, McQueen stops just short of the finish line and drives back to push The King over the line to finish his last race, while Chick zooms by. Literally the scene always gives me goosebumps. As a result, though, the angered crowd and media condemn Chick's victory but praise McQueen's sportsmanship. A representative from Dinoco even offers McQueen the Dinoco sponsorship (his dream!), but he declines and insists on staying with Rust-Eze out of loyalty for their past support. Back at Radiator Springs, McQueen reunites with Sally and announces that he will be setting up his racing headquarters there, thus putting Radiator Springs back on the map.

If you haven't watched Cars, then did you really have a childhood? Go back and watch it now! It may just become your next favorite Disney classic.