Cars | The Week

last updated 8 January 2015

'œIt was bound to happen,' said Steven Rea in The Philadelphia Inquirer. After an 11-year run of such instant classics as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, 'œPixar finally rolled out a clunker.' The problem is that this time, instead of animals or superheroes or rubber-faced toys, creative brain John Lasseter has attempted to anthropomorphize a cast of cars. But the steel and glass machines never come alive the way Pixar's other creatures did, and the result is a visually stunning film that lacks a beating heart. In its place are some syrupy life lessons, said David Ansen in Newsweek. Our hero, the speedy red Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), learns the value of the simple life after he lands in a roadside ghost town against his will. A rusty jalopy (Paul Newman) and a sexy Porsche (Bonnie Hunt) join a raucous tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy) to dispense words of wisdom at a leisurely pace. It's nice to see an animated movie slow down a bit, said Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times. Movies such as Shrek have taught us to expect a constant patter of in-jokes to keep parents happy, but in the process they've lost the soothing quality of older G-rated classics. Cars is the first kids' film in a long while that 'œis not powered by glibness and speed, but by warmth, emotion, and good-hearted charm.'

Rating: G