Pixar Era Analysis – Cars
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ll be writing analysis content on all 27 of Pixar’s animated feature films and their film making eras.
The second era is the Merger Era, which ran from 2006 to 2010 and started with Cars. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Merger Era is known as the first Era after Disney purchased Pixar in early-to-mid 2006. The Merger Era is known for films that continued to tell imaginative and original stories (with the exception of Toy Story 3), showing further development of computer generated animation, and focusing on more mature and darker themes, as well as realism.
So how did Cars measure up to the above features of the Merger Era and was it the right film to kick off this Era?
Continuing to tell imaginative and original stories (with the exception of Toy Story 3):
Cars is set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic vehicles, there are no humans present and the only animals seen are birds early in the movie. This is on par for Pixar as their previous films have featured anthropomorphic toys, bugs, monsters and fish.
Cars is a story about Lightning McQueen transforming from arrogant and self-centred to caring, empathetic, and collaborative by the end of the film. This transformation was, of course, caused by the inciting incident – his transport truck, Mack, falling asleep, which led to McQueen accidentally being released from the truck and getting stranded in Radiator Springs. Cars also has an ensemble cast of unique characters, both in physical structure and personality, whom McQueen ends up befriending, including a character who has a secret past that McQueen ultimately admires.
The characters aren’t the only ones who transform over the course of the film, Radiator Springs also undergoes a transformation. McQueen’s repairs to the road inspires the other characters to refresh and repair their respective businesses’ buildings, from painting them to fixing their outdoor neon lights, and McQueen’s decision to make Radiator Springs his racing headquarters at the end of the film, ultimately revives the town. The reveal that Radiator Springs was once a bustling town and attraction along Route 66 that ultimately fell off the map with the construction of the interstate, broke my heart a little and reminded me of the reveal of Jessie’s past in Toy Story 2.
Showing further development of computer generated animation:
According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the computers used in its development were four times faster than those used in The Incredibles and 1,000 times faster than those used in Toy Story, and to build the cars, the animators used computer programs similar to those used in the design of real-world automobiles.
The film’s Wikipedia page also states that the animators worked hard to make the animation believable and it took months of trial and error to get it right, which included animating each car differently, based on their age and model. The animators’ choice to put the characters’ eyes on the windscreen instead of the headlights was deliberate, to be both unique and have the cars appear more human-like.
The film’s Wikipedia page also states that the filmmakers created a department responsible for matte paintings and sky flats, specifically to capture the richness and beauty of the desert landscapes surrounding Radiator Springs.
According to the film’s IMDb page, Cars is the first Pixar film to use a technique called “ray tracing”, which imitates the characteristics of rays of light as they interact with objects, materials, and colours. It provides more realistic reflections and lustre to transparent materials, such as car finishes.
Focusing on more mature and darker themes, as well as realism:
According to the film’s IMDb page, Doc Hudson’s dismissal by the racing community in 1955 has some basis in history. Hudson Hornets were no longer considered competitive by this time as major car manufacturers had developed more powerful overhead valve V8 engines. This historical basis almost goes hand-in-hand with Radiator Springs falling off the map due to the construction of the interstate to ostensibly improve travel time.
One of the biggest themes in this film is self-improvement. According to the film’s IMDb page, McQueen is arrogant and believes winning is the only thing, by the end of the film, he realises it’s not, and even helps a veteran racing car in the Piston Cup cross the finish line before him, instead of winning the race for himself.
In terms of realism, the fictional town of Radiator Springs was inspired by several real-life locations along the historic Route 66. According to the film’s IMDb page, a creative team with Pixar toured parts of Route 66, with their guide, Route 66 historian, Michael Wallis, providing the voice of the Sheriff in the film.
My overall thoughts:
Overall, I enjoyed Cars more than I thought I would, I think in-part because I remember it being over-hyped and over-sold when it was originally released, and admittedly, a world full of anthropomorphic vehicles was a little hard to get used to at first.
I found myself really rooting for the Radiator Springs characters, and I enjoyed and appreciated McQueen’s character arc. This film also felt more realistic and less fantastical than Pixar’s previous films, even if it was all about a world filled with anthropomorphic vehicles. Both McQueen and the characters of Radiator Springs changing each other for the better is ultimately more relatable than say, the ups-and-downs of anthropomorphic toys, bugs, monsters, and superheroes showcased in Pixar’s previous films.
The next part of the Pixar Era Analysis series to be released will focus on Ratatouille.
Fun Facts and Trivia:
- The final Pixar film to be released on VHS, and the first to be released on Blu-Ray.
- Cars is the last movie produced by Pixar before Disney officially bought the company.
- The end credits scene has car versions of the characters in Pixar’s previous films.
- Michael Schumacher recorded his lines in four different languages: English, German, French, and Italian.
- According to the film’s IMDb page, every time Bessie, the road pavement machine, spits on the cars pulling it, she makes laughing sounds, indicating that she may possess some limited intelligence, despite having no visible eyes.
- Cars is the first movie to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Film.
- According to the film’s IMDb page, the inside of the vehicles are never clearly seen: the windows are always opaque and their doors never open, and there are no convertibles with an open roof, this fits well with the concept of a world without humans, since living cars don’t need passenger compartments.
- Radiator Springs is based on Seligman, Arizona.
- Michael Jordan was the human inspiration for Lightning McQueen.
- Doc was the first rookie to win a Piston Cup, which isn’t addressed within the film.
References:
Loveday Writing 