Cars
Maybe it was the setting, a car race in which to the victor goes the spoils of endorsement deals, a movie career and of course, female cars. Maybe it was the well-worn story that lacked Pixar’s customary heart. Maybe it was just inevitable.
The fact remained that Cars didn’t quite live up to expectations. Sure, those were high expectations but Pixar had been successively knocking them out of the park since Toy Story. The animation was great but Pixar have forgotten their own mantra that “the story is king.” Cars’ plot, a minor retread of the mentor-protégé relationship, misses the royal mark this time. Suddenly, every character seemed like a stereotype from the goofy sidekick to the spunky gal.
Still, it wasn’t all bad and the last act mustered up some excitement and heart, but it was not nearly enough. The taint of commercialism lingered still. Here’s hoping for a return to form with Ratatouille.