CARS - What did everyone think? (SPOILERS INSIDE!)

[rachelica9]

i actually surprised myself (not being a fan of Cars, NASCAR, or country music) and really enjoyed this movie. there is no possible way i can rank it among other Pizar releases (it's too hard) but i definitely thought it was far better than Finding Nemo. after reading all the reviews and hearing the little buzz surrounding the movie, i wasn't really expecting much at all. i really should have known better. i thought the characters were actually pretty easy to realate to, being cars and all. i absolutely loved all the scenery and i loved the storyline. i also love how much Route 66 had to do with the movie. it could be that ever since a family vacation through the Arizona portions of the route i have a bit of a soft spot for it but i loved how accurate it really was. and i doubt anyone has ever been there to recognize this, but the Cozy Cones motel very closely resembles the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, AZ (obviously on purpose) right down to the same design and layout of the lobby. i loved that. and the other places in Radiator Springs truely did look like real Route 66 buildings.

i, personally, had no problem with the tractor-tipping scene. it was somewhat funny and if all the younger kids loved it, that's wonderful. i loved the end scene like everyone else and i loved the other Pixar films being turned into cars.

i also loved "one man band" it was cute and creative. Ratoutille also looks fun, much unlike the other CGI trailers i saw.

the theater i went to also was very full considering that the movie had been out for about 2 weeks by then. and everyone in the theater seemed to enjoy the movie. it was not only families (which i don't even see as a bad thing in the first place) and everyone was laughing throughout the whole thing.

i loved the scene during the Piston Cup where the women are "bumper-to-bumper" in line for the restroom and the men are in-and-out. that was cute and so true to real-life. (i'm sure all of us girls know how long those lines can be )

btw, my brother and i loved guido, filmore, and of course mater (hearing all the younger kids in the theater recite "the name's mater like ta-mater, but without the ta" was cute).

however, one thing i did not like about the movie was the lack of memorable songs like those of past Pixar movies. maybe that could be due to my own ignorance but i think songs like "life is a highway", "real gone", and a remake of "route 66" should be the only major songs played. although i did like them, i don't think that they should be the only ones. but again, my thoughts in this sectiopn could be due to my own ignorance

[BrandonH]

Thanks for the review, and welcome to the boards, rachelica9!

[rachelica9]

Thanks for the review, and welcome to the boards, rachelica9!

thank you. i'm glad i finally decided to join

[Finchx0rz]

I saw it Sunday. Though I wasn't too keen on seeing it, I thought I'd give it a chance anyway and provide myself with brief respite from schoolwork (final exams approacheth, bleh!). Everyone in the theater loved it, but the adults in particular loved One Man Band. (That little girl was awesome!)

The storyline was a bit cliched, but there was plenty of Pixar cleverness to make up for it. I'm a big George Carlin fan so Fillmore was my automatic favorite. "Fly, Stanley! Be <em>free</em>!" was his best line. I don't know if anyone posted this yet, but his license plate, 51237, is Carlin's birthdate.

A laundry list of other stuff l liked:

- Chick Hicks's body design. I like green. I like '80s boxy-shaped cars. And I love references to my birth year. Paint me easily amused. ("Hostile Takeover Bank", OMG LOL!)

- Red. A minor character, but I love sensitive types.

- The tire tracks in the sky

- Someone quietly shouting "FREEBIRD!" when Lightning is in the Rust-eze tent.

- "Stanley, I wish you were here to see this." That was the saddest line in the entire film for me. Poor Lizzie's all by herself.

- The tribute to Joe Ranft.

- The parody of other Pixar movies. "CIRCUS CARS?!" got a huge laugh out of me.

[MadonnasManOne]

According to estimates posted at BoxOfficeMojo.com, Cars brought in $14,035,000.00 during the Friday-Sunday period. This represents a 39.7% drop from the previous weekend. If estimates hold, Cars will have brought in a domestic gross of $182,056,000.00. Current foreign grosses show Cars has brought in a total of $24,404,000.00 in international release, where the film has yet to open in several markets.
The current worldwide total gross stands at $206,460,000.00 with 24 days in release.

[Super Leviathan]

I haven't seen Cars yet, but on the GAC forums, someone posted an article relevant to the movie: something i like to cal "People with too much time on their hands strike again"

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-cars24.html

The worst part of it is: they're pushing for Disney to Edit Cars when they put it out on DVD. Since Disney's fear of complaints, Boycotts and lawsuits have led to everything from small snippets from movies (Make Mine Music, Saludos amigos, Melody time, Fantasia, Alladin), to entire films (Only Yesterday, and of course Song of the South) to be banned from DVD, and it's very likely something like that will afflict Cars.

[dvdjunkie]

Pixar won't change anything when "Cars" comes to DVD, bet your dollar on that. What they may do is have a disclaimer from the railroad about the dangers of trying to beat a train to a crossing, or ignoring the flashing red lights, or whatever, but don't worry, those people who get riled up over this particular scene are the same ones who tried to have "The Lion King" banned for the 'supposed word S-E-X' appearing the dust cloud when Nala and Simba are playing, or some of the other stupid 'people with too much time on their hands' revelations.

Besides that is what parents are for, to teach our children what is right and wrong. Not the railroad, or the censors.

Pixar will not mess with "Cars" because that scene is integral to the story, it is part of the arrogance of McQueen, and their would be no logical reason to censor the scene from the DVD.

[magicalwands]

I saw Cars again last Thursday. The jokes weren't good the second time around because I saw them coming. Anyways, being a Californian, and driving up north 6 hours to my grandparents' house the next day made me appreciate Cars more. At least once a year my family and I would drive 6 hours to my grandparents' house. The ride this time around after watching Cars was much more exciting because there were so many references to the movie along the highway. I never took notice of the trucks that drove the big shiny cylinder tanks and the random fields of trees planted in nice neat rows. Those were just a few that I remember seeing. I think it helps to like Cars more if you live in California, or have taken road trips along our highways.

[Pluto Region1]

Pixar will not mess with "Cars" because that scene is integral to the story, it is part of the arrogance of McQueen, and their would be no logical reason to censor the scene from the DVD.

Great point dvdjunkie - I saw the film again a couple days ago. Many thinkgs I'd missed the first time, I got to appreciate this 2nd time aroung but true, Magicalwands, the jokes are not as funny if you are expecting them and know what they are.

This time a woman sitting in front of me had a toddler too young to sit or even understand the movie. Well this toddler did nothing but distract me from enjoying the film as she let the toddler stand and fritter around in the aisle in order to try and keep the toddler quiet. Several times she'd try and grab the toddler and put her back on her lap but the toddler would start fussing and want down, so she'd appease the toddler by letting her roam into the aisle again! Drove me nuts! She had brought this toddler, plus an older boy (7 or 8 yrs old), who was watching the movie and not causing any problems. Finally towards the end of the film, she had the decency to leave the theater, so I was able to watch the rest of the film in peace. Stuff like that just bugs me. The kid was TOO YOUNG to even understand the film; she should have paid for a sitter!

[bambifan56]

WOW...I don't know which film Aaron saw, but the CARS I saw was a terrific film. Being a big country fan, but not a big NASCAR fan, I was skeptical, but I was blown away. Great cast, characters and story. I highly recommend this to anyone I see. Esp. like the soundtrack with Rascal Flatts version of "Life is a Highway".

[mr jinx]

My Cars Review

Race car rookie Lightning McQueen is a real hot shot. After a 3-way tie, Lighting heads cross-country to compete in the Piston cup finals. But on the way, he gets separated from his transport truck. Trying to find the highway, he has a little run in with the law, does some serious damage to the road, and is forced to slow down in a town called Radiator Springs. Eventually Lightning makes it to the big race, and I wont tell you who wins the Piston cup (you may be able to guess), but I really liked the way the whole thing unfolded.

One of the film's main characters is the truck "Tow"- Mater voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. From everything I saw in previews, this character's hayseed personality looked likely to ruin the movie. But fortunately, I found Mater to be surprisingly likeable and endearing. Other charming townsfolk included the classic Doc Hudson voiced by Paul Newman of salad dressing fame, a pair of Italian tire peddlers, and Ramone the body-painter voiced by Cheech Marin. Like Nemo's "mine" chanting gulls, Cars boasts an amusing herd of cowlike tractors ripe for tipping.

Cars follows the Pixar formula, plenty of heart, fantastically rendered animation, some music by Randy Newman, and some jokes. Cars is probably a bit lighter on humor than other Pixar entries, not to say it is unfunny, but it is more of a drama in a way than a comedy (at least until the credits roll). I won't say the formula is stale, but it does seem that Cars is riding in familiar territory. The film also integrates classic songs like Life is a Highway and Route 66, though AC/DC's Highway to Hell was noticeably absent.

Pixar has been on a roll ever since releasing the original Toy Story in 1995. Cars is the studio's 7th feature film, and their 7th hit. While A Bug's Life and Cars may not be the megahits that the other 5 films were, their reception and acclaim surely justify these 2 films inclusion in the hit list. So, where exactly does Cars fall in comparison to the other Pixar films? I prefer it to Pixar's "Fish" and "Bugs" films, but The Incredibles remains the studio's crowning achievement. Nonetheless Cars rolls in with an impressive A-.

[magicalwands]

Was Cars a THX feature?

[Mayor Chapstick]

I've seen this movie twice once with my family and another time with my friend Maxwell(I bribed him). And I have to say it was one of my favorite pixar movies.I hope pixar and disney stayed together.


Pixar + Disney = Mayor Chapstick

[PixarFan2006]

I HATE it when people get so upset about a scene that they want it removed. Why don't they just SKIP the scene id it upsets them so much. You don't see many people complaining about other scenes in disney films such as the Pink Elephants in Dumbo, so why delete the scene?

[MadonnasManOne]

According to estimates posted at BoxOfficeMojo.com, Cars brought in $10,330,000.00 during the Friday-Sunday period. This represents a 29.1% drop from the previous weekend. If estimates hold, Cars will have brought in a domestic gross of $205,504,000.00. Current foreign grosses show Cars has brought in a total of $24,404,000.00 in international release, where the film has yet to open in several markets.
The current worldwide total gross stands at $229,908,000.00 with 31 days in release.

It should also be noted that Cars is the third film of the year to pass the $200 million dollar mark, behind The Da Vinci Code and X-Men 3: The Last Stand. So, to all the critcs and analysts, who said that Cars would be a failure, think again!

[Luke]

It should also be noted the Cars is the third film of the year to pass the $200 million dollar mark, behind The Da Vinci Code and X-Men 3: The Last Stand. So, to all the critcs and analysts, who said that Cars would be a failure, think again!

Plus it seems destined to pass both <i>X-Men 3</i> and <i>Da Vinci Code</i> within a matter of weeks! Looks like summer 2003 all over again with Pirates and a Pixar film becoming the biggest draws of the summer, though this time their positions will be swapped.

[NarniaDis]

Yeh for CARS!!!!!

[Hogi Bear]

I just saw it today and thought it was really good, another top movie from Pixar. But no Ratatouille Trailer, never mind though I've already seen it.

[MadonnasManOne]

Just for the record, this weekend, Cars has now suprassed X-Men: The Last Stand, to become the second highest grossing film, domestically, of 2006.

The top 10, with their current grosses, are as follows:

1 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest -BV- $358,372,000
2 Cars -BV- $234,649,000
3 X-Men: The Last Stand -Fox- $233,115,252
4 The Da Vinci Code -Sony- $215,874,848
5 Ice Age: The Meltdown -Fox- $194,995,682
6 Superman Returns -WB- $185,806,000
7 Over the Hedge -DW- $151,943,342
8 Mission: Impossible III -Par- $133,501,348
9 Click -SonR- $132,508,000
10 The Break-Up -Uni- $117,320,620
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Congratulations to Disney and Pixar!

[Timon/Pumbaa fan]

While I do like Cars(I really do, in terms of "heart" and "coolness" I thought it put Finding Nemo and The Incredibles to shame(well "to shame" is probably a bit too harsh for TI, but it CLEARLY a better movie than Nemo on every imaginable level for a film)it was still not on par with the Toy Story films or MI, theonly 3 Pixar films I can say I love!(well maybe, I have to see Cars again to give it a completely fair shot, so I might love it as the other 3)) but it's a shame to see it do better than X-3 as X-3 was clearly a better movie(imho it was the best of the franchise). But I guess box office scores don't always determine quality.

But at least Pirates is king of 06!