Cars Is the saga of Lightning McQueen, a hot-shot animated stock-car voiced by actor Owen Wilson. En route to a big race, the cocky McQueen gets waylaid in Radiator Springs, where he finds the true meaning of friendship and family.
Details of the movie are closely guarded by Pixar, but its cast of characters includes a variety of classic cars and trucks with voices provided by Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and other Hollywood stars.
“The cars are alive,” Lasseter said. “There’re no humans in this world. We took a dive into the culture of the ’50s, when you could do anything you wanted in a car.”
His characters see the world through their “eyes” in the windshield — rock formations resemble hood ornaments, clouds look like auto parts, a butte jutting up in the desert is shaped like a giant radiator.
“A gas station to a car is like a restaurant to us,” Lasseter said. “The mechanic is the doctor, and the tire store is like a shoe store.”
“Cars” includes breathtaking sequences of NASCAR races and poignant moments set at dusk in the desert. There’s action, adventure and plenty of laughs in McQueen’s encounters with the colorful residents of Radiator Springs.
And whether it’s the roar of the engines at the track or the texture of the rust on an old tow truck, the Pixar animators strove for absolute authenticity.
“Even though they are cartoon characters come to life, the car aficionados will know that we did our homework,” Lasseter said.
The sound of every car in the film was recorded and replicated. The color of the peeling paint on old buildings on Route 66 was matched. Even the reflections on the animated cars will be the same as if they actually existed.
“I tell people that the eye just isn’t going to notice it, but they’re going to feel it,” he said. “They’re going to notice it if it wasn’t there. It won’t feel real.”
If there’s a message in “Cars,” it’s a simple one.
“I just want everybody to know,” Lasseter said, “that it’s our love letter to the car.”
Last modified: January 27, 2005