Cars

The world of Cars is a little strange to say the least. Populated by adorable anthropomorphic automobiles alone, even as far as insects being tiny trucks, this endearingly animated place certainly makes for an idyllic setting: no drivers, no pollution, just cars. At the heart of this paradise we have Radiator Springs, the home of a wacky community of red-neck automobiles with madcap voices and cute small town values. This is where our hero Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, finds himself marooned whilst trying to get to race in the all-important Piston Cup. In true boy-racer style this arrogant yet super snazzy racing car thinks he knows it all, and it’s up to the residents of Radiator Springs to teach him valuable lessons, such as the importance of working in a team and being part of a community. Awwwwww. Ok, ok, so this may all sound a little corny and yes it is another Pixar film and you think you’ve heard it all before, but this new digi-spectacular is honestly a real gem. There are some amazing characters to attach yourselves to, including the hippy camper van and a rusty-brained tow-truck. Particularly striking is the retired Doc Hudson, voiced by the legendary and real-life racer Paul Newman. This grumpy 1950s car, who turns out to have been a famous racer from the past, eventually takes to Lightning and teaches him exactly how to go about being a speed superstar. With other sweet touches, such as tractors in the background behaving like cows, you cannot help but be endeared to the world before you in this film. And of course the animation is absolutely incredible. Cars is such a luxurious and professionally engineered piece of entertainment, living up to Pixar’s immense reputation undoubtedly. Laura Sparshot