People who don't understand/like Cars are typically seeing it from the wrong POV. It's not a sports movie with cars as the characters, it's a car enthusiast's movie about sports. So many aspects of the movie only really resonate with car enthusiasts. The way the cast was chock-full of actual race drivers and commentators, how McQueen's agent (in the better UK version) is Jeremy Clarkson, how the most emotionally intense scene and the turning point for McQueen in the film is a high speed cruise followed by reminiscing over the little road trip towns that disappeared after major thoroughfares were built... These are all things that really appeal to the heart and soul of car enthusiasm, the sadness at seeing social car culture evaporate for faster travel. It's such a good film, definitely one of my top 10 favorites.
This. I enjoyed Cars as a kid but watching it now, as an adult car enthusiast, it just takes on a whole new identity. There are so many little details here and there throughout all the movies which would completely fly over one's head if they aren't a car enthusiast. Stuff like Michael Schumacher voicing the Ferrari at the end of the first movie, the V8 cafe being arranged like an actual V8 with the pistons and manifold cover on top, or the punny car names like the Miata twins being Mia and Tia. It feels like these movies were made by car enthusiasts for car enthusiasts as a sort of love letter to car culture. It's great.
@@LoganSLRLockwood if you haven't seen it yet, Cars 3 is a genuinely heartfelt film and a fantastic send-off for Lightning. They did it right, and I love that movie too.
@@LoganSLRLockwoodas someone who doesn’t care about cars I still always loved this movie as a child. I think it’s still very relatable even if cars and sports aren’t your thing. The movie was mostly about appreciating community, friendships and love over material wealth which is a great message. I didn’t even know so many didn’t like it!
i just love how the animation looks in the opening scene with that overwhelming industrial lighting that you don't really see anywhere else in the movie
I absolutely agree. Some of it is nostalgia (Cars was the first movie I ever saw), but it genuinely ages well and has a lot of great themes and messages for the adults in the audience to think about and appreciate. I also really like the rock music and racing vibe they went for
Oh totally the only better movie is cocoa and that's just purely based on the fact that it's such a great movie. Cars is easily the second best movie maybe followed by Ratatouille for pixar
I could say the same about Cars 2. Even if it’s different from the other Cars films and isn’t as emotionally driven, it’s still a great but overhated film.
Fr. Little boys who've played with toy cars and likely imagined backstories and conversations around their toy cars probably relate better to a talking car than some adult racecar driver. IM betting thats why they chose to go with car characters.
Honestly! If people stopped overthinking it and were like “Okay, the world is Cars. I have a dozen questions about this pseudo-nonsensical world and the exact worldbuilding, but I’m willing to put that aside and enjoy the movie for what it is,” it would be considered one of the Pixar greats, and not the first not-incredible Pixar movie it’s remembered as today. And they can still speculate about the bizarre world, as I will happily do with Toy Story, Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc., and more. People seem to distinguish Cars from that by saying that the others you can grasp the basic concept of-Toy Story has living toys, Bug’s Life has talking bugs, Monsters Inc. has monsters living in a parallel society that come out of the closet-but so does Cars. It’s talking cars in a world populated by cars. And ALL of them have questions that make the world feel weirder the more you think about it, not just Cars. Toy Story, for example: How do the toys get brought to life? Why does a porcelain lamp get brought to life as a toy? What qualifies as a toy? If they just turn off every time a person comes in the room, do they lose their minds of boredom if a kid is doing his homework and they have to just lay there motionless? (I have ADHD, so that would be hell) All these movies have questions to ask like that, so why do people draw the line at Cars?
I've been saying this for years. The first 15 minutes of Cars is a masterpiece. Exciting, never a dull moment, great sound design, great interactions and performance from everyone
Honestly watching it as a kid it all felt amazing. Even now as a carguy i still love seeing all the car models and their associated stereotypes. And the way they made the cars look expressive while still remaining cars, beautiful work. And the graphics still look good even nearly 2 decades later. Amazing movie. It ties in car culture, history fun characters and a beautiful story so well.
Something I'll never get about Cars is people's complaint of "why are they cars, what's the point? They could've been humans, they don't do anything car specific." 1. It's a racing movie/franchise. That's the natural fantastical conclusion. 2. Nobody complains about this when it comes to other movies, especially relating to movies about animals. Sure, some are necessary to the story, like Zootopia. But I'd argue something like Kung Fu Panda, as good as that franchise is, has way, WAY less reason to be about animals than a racing franchise has to be about cars. It always screams hypocrisy.
Also, the scene where Lightning accidentally gets out of his trailer in the middle of the motorway would have been less plausible because, realistically, it would’ve been infinitely more difficult for him to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Then again, him accidentally getting out in the first place is what would’ve been *really* implausible and if that doesn’t happen... the movie doesn’t exist.
Another reason is it’s mostly aimed at kids and merchandising. The world of CARS is totally absurd if we are going to look at it through the eyes of an adult, on the other hand, a 5-6 year old kid wouldn’t careless and would probably be screaming “WOW! A WORLD FULL OF TALKING CARS. THAT’S SO COOL!!!”. Ah yes… simple times… Don’t you just miss it?
Cars is criminally underrated. Cars 2 is criminally overhated. Cars 3 is the real sequel, but its missing a lot between 1 and 3 that kept it from being great.
@@Cipher422 I couldn't agree more. I was around this age when I first saw the movie and that is a big reason why it's one of my favorites even after all this years
A huge part of sports was lost when smartphones took over and shutterflash wasnt near as common This movie captured such a specific and gorgeous phenomenon in a way that makes it iconic
Ohhhhh so that’s why the stadiums have those flashing lights from the stands at night from the 2000s. I was watching football from then and always wondered why there wasn’t those flashing lights in the stands anymore
@@cardboardcapeii4286 One of the things that just got lost in time. Another one I find interresting: If you look at the first colour photos of basketball, 70's or 80's, you'll see a strange haze in the background, like a thin layer of fog or blur. It's actually accumulated cigarette smoke from an era when smoking was still allowed in the arenas.
Notice how it was released at the time when NASCAR was at it's peak, the same year Talladega Knights also released Though modern NASCAR is different, it's much better than the last 5 years in terms of racing and it's slowly gaining popularity according to the ratings.
The King is actually Based on the 1970 Plymouth Superbird which is the reason why the wing on the back is so high and is voice by the King of nascar himself Richard Petty or in the german version 3 time f1 champion Niki Lauda
I did notice during research that The King was based on a real car so yeah, the high spoiler would have been there regardless. Still, the fact that the film draws so much attention to it when introducing him suggests to me that there is some symbolism behind it.
@@stuartbarron7117 True, but also. As with most of the world itseslf, it's a nod to car people first and foremost. Someone who knows of the Superbirds infamy would instantanously recognize it. Kind like Chick's car, stash and dirty tactics... they scream Dale Earnhardt.
Me too. I was 4 when the movie came Out. It also was the First movie i ever saw in the Cinema. Now, I'm 22 and still Love the movie. Has been a while since the last time i saw it though.
Those who say “the rest of the movie isn’t as entertaining as the opening” are missing the entire point of the movie. The message it’s trying to convey to the audience is that people should slow down and enjoy the more sentimental aspects of life, not always living life in the fast lane. That’s why the movie takes a much slower turn after the opening race. That may also be why it’s longer than the standard 90 minutes. Heck, just compare the opening song to the end credits song and you’ll see the dichotomy.
This, I so agree with this. And this is also why I hate the "Up" fanbase because they get so damn focused on those first few minutes of the movie (Which are good, don't get me wrong) that they just make the rest of the movie look worse by comparison
@@firehedgehog1446 I agree. A similar situation happens with the BumbleBee movie. The first few minutes are legendary, but that’s the *only* part people talk about because the rest of the movie is mediocre at best. At least with Up and Cars, the rest of those movies are genuinely good.
The cars intro to this day makes me emotional. Growing up I’ve watched that movie so many times and every time I hear “Speed. I am speed” I get just as excited as I did the first time. Truly a masterclass in opening a film in a way that will be memorable forever. Not to mention nearly 20 years later the animation still looks amazing.
Something I love about Cars is how the jumbotron screens look accurate with the colors and how some shots looks super realistic, like the shot where they're going over the 3 in the lead and the shot of mcqueen before he blows a tire. I feel like they did a decent job of knowing when to hone into the realistic aspects of the race and when to focus on the more dynamic shots where they're more expressive
There is no functional purpose for them being cars. This should not stop someone from enjoying the movie. If you cannot enjoy the movie because you can't find a reason for them to be cars, you are missing the point. The point is it's fun. If you don't enjoy the movie for any reason other than that, then I have no quarrel with you. If you don't enjoy the movie, that is still valid, regardless of reason. I am merely trying to suggest that if you cannot grasp why they are cars, then you might be reading into it too much. I understand that other Pixar films have tackled ideas that pertained to who or what the characters are and which would not have worked with any other type of character, but that should not interfere with one's ability to enjoy watching Cars.
I saw a video that mentioned in the third movie it does give one reason why they’re Cars and it’s because Lighting has built in limits that he can’t go past unlike humans that can push their limits
Doesn't a big part of the value of fiction come from things like relatability and familiarity, though? Don't we seek out stories of make-believe because they're an escape from the pressures of real life that none the less give us things to think about? Media literacy has been in a serious downward spiral these last few years. Call me 'terminally online' but I actually *don't* think it's a good thing to sit down to watch a movie and not take anything away from it, actually.
how do people not miss the good old days when they made cars? cars is such a classic and incredibly well written. The world is a little weird, but I didn’t feel too off while watching it. It’s a cartoon.
I enjoy the first part of this scene especially for this specific reason: If you go into watching this movie without knowing anything about it prior, you don’t realize that all the cars are sentient a good 30-40 seconds into it. It’s a good set up that throws you off your perceptions just enough to keep you watching.
Yeah, the point where it's revealed the cars are sentient is when Mcqueen rolls out of the trailer and into the light and his mouth is the first "human" part that becomes visible. Pretty decent reveal if you haven't watched it before.
Anti-nascar? What does that mean? What's wrong about it? If motorsports were banned in my family id probably be a much bigger motorsports enthusiast by now
They even had a scene where we could see the officials trying to decide the winner but it was from a camera man (or a camera car I guess) and it actually feels like you watch a real life race and trying to understand what is going on
4:59 it’s not because of his status, it’s because he’s modeled after the most famous car the king (Richard petty, also his voice actor) drove the Plymouth super bird 6:11 Darrel Waltrip former nascar champion and broadcaster This movie got me into nascar and I always saw Jimmie johnson as the closest real life comparison to McQueen. Including suffering a nasty wreck which affected the end of his career
2:46 can we appericiate how that light blue car went sideways with his wheel bent? That is actually really real and this is perfectly made to show a car's behaivour after a crash and bending the axle...
My son, 3 years old at this point has watched cars 1 almost everyday for the past year. I can definitely say that the opening never gets old, the first shots and sounds of “speed” followed by the shots of the cars on track and the side quarter panel shot with that engine sound give me chills everytime. Also cant help but do the the Elvis “uhhh” grunt when it happens during the song.
Cars was a type of movie that’d gotten me to love - not only NASCAR but classic cars, such as the Hudson Hornet. Many have mixed opinions on this movie and while I think some questioned the world, I think it was Cars 2 that made A LOT more people question it. Cars 2 broke the rules of its universe in that it had too many real world qualities. Wasabi, ice cream, side walks, phone booths, etc. While I honestly place Cars 2 last in my ranking of favorite Cars movies. (1, 3, and 2) Cars 2 isn’t a lazy movie. It had some good qualities but it also had some not-so-good ones. Cars will honestly be my personal favorite Pixar movie. While I will admit it’s not Pixar’s best, as I believe that should go to The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. or Ratatouille (or all, as all have some unique characteristics and messages) it’s a movie that holds a special place in my heart.
“The King” Strip Weathers, is an exact replica of his voice actors car. NASCAR Legend, “The King” Richard Petty. His Plymouth Superbird just kinda looked like that. The spoiler wasn’t a symbol of anything lol.
A really great analysis you made there lad! And I gotta say, taking a deeper look at this scene and the way the car characters move and act, whether they're racing or narrating the race... I think it wouldn't have been the same with humans driving the cars at all. Especially with scenes like Lightning maneuvering through the crash, with him making poses and expressions that just wouldn't work so well with him not being literally the car. The Cars themselves being the characters makes the film soooo much more charming and memorable, especially with Cars being an animated film.
this movie single handedly spawned a behemoth of not only car enthusiasts, but also full on racing fans and racing drivers. It is, imo, the best movie ever made.
One thing I also thing wasnt taled abiut in this video is Chick pushing him into the grass/ dirt, forcing him to brake and slow down. It sets up to Doc teaching him advice, setting up his character development at the end The best part about the announcers talking about the races is it gives us all we need to know about them, but it doesn't feel forced. It feels natural for announcers in the (presumably) last race to explain what had led up to this
@@jesustovar2549 I can't tell which was funnier about his last scene. The fact that it would have been one of the worst award ceremonies ever, or his (expertly done by Keaton) portrayal of not even being able to comprehend that what he did was wrong
As a toddler, Cars was one of my biggest hyperfixations. I would watch the movie religiously (particularly the intro, with its beautiful colors and incredible soundtrack), and I owned dozens of the die cast toys.
them being living cars also allows for a lot more expression. Sure they can be driven by a human, but then on outside shots you can't see their faces, and if its an inside shot, you can't see the car. This way it gives the viewers (targetted and younger people) the opportunity to look at a vibrant and expressive story with cars, without having to give up actually seeing those cars for the story.
I remember being 6 years old and I saw Cars the first time in a home cinema and those engine sounds were so loud and terrifying, that I didn‘t want to watch the movie for atleast a year xD
Most people may not think much of this movie. But this was my first favorite movie as a child raised in a southern racing town. Really just doubled down on my obsession with cars that still lasts today
My favourite part of the cars movie and early Pixar is how lit up everything is, you're never struggling to see something, makes the movie easy on the eyes when watching
2:20 well I’m assuming that they’ve probably seen the trailer or at least a movie poster or 2 before watching it so this wouldn’t really come as a shock
I do find it a little weird that with all the great Pixar openings over the years, (Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3, Up obviously) nobody ever gives Cars any props for this.
Something that Cars nailed that Cars 2 completely messed up was how the first movie is so inherently tied to Americana and the 50s-60s car culture of the USA, especially in the West. I’m glad the third rectified 2’s mistake in departing from it
You're so right, I was still glad of seeing another countries in Cars 2, and the animation, I think it could have worked if they focused on Lightning interacting with other racers, especially Francesco Bernoulli. Btw, every character from Radiator Springs is car that represents a period from american culture, starting with Lizzie being a Ford T.
I really like cars I like when mater says I knew I made a good choice Mcqueen says what and then he says my best friend and then there's a kind of nice moment I like that.
The opening scene is very iconic to me, the way the movie starts of with a black screen and lightning prepping up sets off the movie very well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys it
Agreed, it is one of the most amazing intros of all movies, it depicts everything that will follow, a lot of exposure that goes unnoticed while the perfect soundtrack is playing on.
I find it so funny how you bring up how the film never lives up to its opening scene because, as a kid, I used to watch this movie a lot BECAUSE of the opening, before getting disinterested when Radiator Springs became a more primary focus -- meanwhile, I watched films like Toy Story 2, Up, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo multiple times IN FULL because of how much more engaging they are from start to finish.
I like the Radiator Springs portion of the film fine enough. I think it's a good contrast to how fast paced and glitzy the opening is. But it is a lot less interesting. I think if the characters were better developed and more three dimensional, it would have helped a lot. McQueen is mostly just a one dimensional jerk for the first half of the Radiator Springs section which gets old after a while.
Thank you for mentioning “Real Gone”! My daycare boys, 3 and 4 years old, were racing toy cars around a table. I played that song and in the first guitar riff they exclaim “Lightning McQueen music!!” That song is iconic as heck
This intro always gave me chills. I needed to get my dose of adrenaline. This thing is so motorsport coded you just know straight from the beginning it has been made by real motor racing emjoyers!
That's why I always say that the first part of everything is the most important part: you capture the viewer's attention. The ending to me was a classic anding and it works perfectly. It doesn't need to be THAT good. One thing we've studied is that our brain doesn't consider every number in a sequence, but the difference with the previous number. So, to have a beautiful scene, you have to make a normal scene before and after that scene.
Cars definitely isn't my favorite Pixar movie; I really like it. It was worthy of Pixar's Golden Age. I think the most interesting part is how well it tackles the consequences of fame. And I like Cars 3 even more. And I don't think Cars 2 is that bad. It was entertaining.
The height of the spoiler on the "King" has nothing to do with his status. The King is supposed to be based on Richard Petty, who was also nicknamed the King, who drove a Plymouth Superbird that looked like "The King" in the movie
At 4:54 the high spoiler is not because of the kings status as the best racer, it's because he's the old dog who's been dominating for a while and his entire car design is around the Plymouth SuperBird, which was a very dominant car in NASCAR back in the day.
4:56 his spoiler isn't a metaphor rather the car is. It is the first nascar to hit 200mph and that spoiler is rather not why he has a high status but rather the model. (It was not a production car.)
I used to watch this movie a ton as a kid, and while I still liked it overall, this definitely is one of my favorite scenes in it. The sheer amount of energy and excitement you get from seeing a stadium of people cheering on and how some of the shots would mimic cameras zooming in on the racers made it feel like an actual NASCAR race.
Honestly cars for me is in a way a part of my life. I grew up watching cars so many times I can remember almost all lines. And I still give it a watch today once in a while. This is back when Pixar was at its peak. So many great films that would form many people’s childhoods and stay as some of their favorite memories…. This film will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Back when John Lasseter was in it, he was one of my first movie director ídols, I mean, why not? The man made Toy Story and Cars, he was even involved in many Disney animated productions at the time.
Finally someone made this video!!! I’ve been thinking this exact thing for a few years now after rewatching the movie and just loving the opening and thinking it would make a great video essay! Thank you for finally making this
Cars, from its incredibly thrilling opening sequence to its bittersweet, yet heart-warming closing sequence, is an absolute masterpiece, and I'm not even a massive car guy (I was when I was a kid, but not anymore). Somehow, the team at Pixar was able to create a compelling story with characters (who are sentient cars within a carified version of our world) that we can both relate to and care for as the film goes on. It's my third favourite Pixar film behind Toy Story 2 and Wall-E, and my sixth favourite animated film of all time.
I also went through a car phase, but I was huge on Cars as a kid, Toy Story 2 and Wall-E are also some of my favourites, in fact, Pixar reached a level of realistic animation that didn't reach again until Wall-E.
This is my favorite animated movie ever and the opening for this movie blew my mind growing up and even nowadays it’s still sooooo good like actually, as someone who makes videos i dream to one day be able to make such a cool opening to anything. Especially the way the tv coverage is made with all the shots and graphics as the movie introduces the main characters is just so incredibly perfect. I love it! 5:24 is one of my favorite parts from this movie from a visual standpoint. (Side note i kinda love how the arrow doesn’t actually line up with chick at 10:38 kinda feels more realistic as tv coverage can mess up at times imo.)
I remember when this movie was available at Blockbuster only could have it for one day due to its high demand to watch at home. That is proof this movie was very well done.
Cars has a hell of an opening, a hell of an ending, a hell of a backstory scene and a hell of a re-building a broken city (for lack of a better word) arc.
To add to how the song assists in exposition, the lyrics after the ones he mentioned are "You think you know him so well, yeah, you think he's so swell, but he's just perpetuating prophecy." This is foreshadowing to McQueen's really character and how he is directly after the race, giving us a hint that he's not who we initially think he is.
The opening of this movie has always been a highlight for me and probably one of, if not my favorite opening of any movie ever. The energy and confidence it exudes through visuals and the incredible sound design feels like a punch in the face, a good one mind you. It doesn't feel ashamed or cynical of what it's trying to be or of the absurd concept of autonomous sentient cars. This might just be a me thing, but I think Cars' opening presents an effective glimpse to people not interested in Nascar as to what racing feels like to those who are invested and enjoy it. Brilliant colors, fast-paced energy, long-standing rivalries and drama, and sometimes even crazy events or plays caused by poor decisions mid-race. It's the spectacle of it all turned up to 11.
Cars is one of my most nostalgic movies I just love the vibe of the movie and ESPECIALLY the opening scenes. they always hit different and personally I think this movie is slightly overhated also which I don’t agree with, it’s a Pixar classic
Cars is my favorite Disney movie overall, including from all the companies they own. And this is why opinions are such an amazing thing. Stuart, here seems to consistently classify the movie as “mid” overall. And while I agree with that for 2 and 3, the entirety of the first movie has me hooked and engaged. And this isn’t nostalgia talking, I’ve seen this movie for the first time after Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame came out, and had also watched dozens of Pixar and Star Wars and Marvel media. Something about Cars clicked with me. Close second is Wall-E. In fact, some times Wall-E is the better movie to me.
This was my favorite pixar movie as a kid because of the opening. I am glad i found a video on a topic that has stayed at the back of my head for 10+ years. This is what youtube was made for
Honestly the ending of the movie deserves it's own look at because it took everything the movie set up by that point and pays it off very nicely. I can understand why some wouldn't like the movie but the more I watch about it I don't understand why people wouldn't like it. It's certainly not Pixar magnum opus but it's an amazing movie in it's own right
The look of enticement on my nephews face when it goes from pitch black to zipping cars back to black again is all the reason I need to know this intro is the best 👌
That opening is freaking legendary, and probably the best scene in the whole dang movie. No crud it's perfect, but I can't put that feeling into words, so here I am, watching this video.
4:58 The King's high spoiler is probably more of an accident than an intentional show of his status. The King is modeled after a 1969 Daytona Charger, which was considered "the king" of stock racing during it's day, in part due to it's aerodynamic (for the time) shape and large wing. Also both The King and Doc Hudson's liveries (paint jobs) are based on real-life racing champion cars, even using the same numbers
comparing lightning to sonic was unexpected but so fuckin real tbh thank you for that I cant wait to be in the middle of a rush at work and force someone to hear about this.
oh and the whole couldve done it with huans that drive cars, you could but the style of cars is a really good way to give them a personality quick and easy. the old car? shes old the hippy mobile and the war truck are quite transparent which would be simply harder to do with people, sure you could have some old war vet still wearing his uniform or whatever you could have a dude with long hair whos clearly a hippy. but thats been done. the small stuff like the campers on the racetrack field would have been so much less noticeable with people standing outside theyre small an unimportant but idk. I think using cars was a good choice and you just shouldnt think about it too deeply
People who don't understand/like Cars are typically seeing it from the wrong POV. It's not a sports movie with cars as the characters, it's a car enthusiast's movie about sports.
So many aspects of the movie only really resonate with car enthusiasts. The way the cast was chock-full of actual race drivers and commentators, how McQueen's agent (in the better UK version) is Jeremy Clarkson, how the most emotionally intense scene and the turning point for McQueen in the film is a high speed cruise followed by reminiscing over the little road trip towns that disappeared after major thoroughfares were built...
These are all things that really appeal to the heart and soul of car enthusiasm, the sadness at seeing social car culture evaporate for faster travel. It's such a good film, definitely one of my top 10 favorites.
This. I enjoyed Cars as a kid but watching it now, as an adult car enthusiast, it just takes on a whole new identity. There are so many little details here and there throughout all the movies which would completely fly over one's head if they aren't a car enthusiast. Stuff like Michael Schumacher voicing the Ferrari at the end of the first movie, the V8 cafe being arranged like an actual V8 with the pistons and manifold cover on top, or the punny car names like the Miata twins being Mia and Tia.
It feels like these movies were made by car enthusiasts for car enthusiasts as a sort of love letter to car culture. It's great.
@@LoganSLRLockwood if you haven't seen it yet, Cars 3 is a genuinely heartfelt film and a fantastic send-off for Lightning. They did it right, and I love that movie too.
@@FearlessLeader2001 I loved Cars 3, it definitely was a good way to end the trilogy
This is the kind of description I would give this film if I had a more widespread vocabulary
@@LoganSLRLockwoodas someone who doesn’t care about cars I still always loved this movie as a child. I think it’s still very relatable even if cars and sports aren’t your thing. The movie was mostly about appreciating community, friendships and love over material wealth which is a great message. I didn’t even know so many didn’t like it!
i just love how the animation looks in the opening scene with that overwhelming industrial lighting that you don't really see anywhere else in the movie
Thats 2006 for yah
Nighttime
@@EmoMinecraftBuilder Aesthetic.
I do believe that race was at night and you need a lot of light to race at night@monsieurtukini
@@Finn_the_Cat Yep, it's an appealing setting as well.
At 3:02, those aren't pebbles. They're marbles: bits of rubber that shed off the racers' tyres in corners
@BVW16 and that shows how much attention to detail was put into this movie... no this masterpiece
I prefer this spelling of “tires,” and Y would truly love to replace most ynstances of “i” wyth “y.” Unironically.
@@fanamatakecick97 but.. whi?
@@Moss_Dude
Because “y” ys a much prettier letter than “i”
@@fanamatakecick97 *Unyronycally
Cars is a misunderstood masterpiece
I absolutely agree. Some of it is nostalgia (Cars was the first movie I ever saw), but it genuinely ages well and has a lot of great themes and messages for the adults in the audience to think about and appreciate. I also really like the rock music and racing vibe they went for
And cars 2
I agree. Cars is my all time favorite movie. 😁
Oh totally the only better movie is cocoa and that's just purely based on the fact that it's such a great movie.
Cars is easily the second best movie maybe followed by Ratatouille for pixar
I could say the same about Cars 2. Even if it’s different from the other Cars films and isn’t as emotionally driven, it’s still a great but overhated film.
The biggest issue is that people take the characters in the world being Cars wayyy too seriously.
Fr. Little boys who've played with toy cars and likely imagined backstories and conversations around their toy cars probably relate better to a talking car than some adult racecar driver. IM betting thats why they chose to go with car characters.
Fair
Honestly! If people stopped overthinking it and were like “Okay, the world is Cars. I have a dozen questions about this pseudo-nonsensical world and the exact worldbuilding, but I’m willing to put that aside and enjoy the movie for what it is,” it would be considered one of the Pixar greats, and not the first not-incredible Pixar movie it’s remembered as today.
And they can still speculate about the bizarre world, as I will happily do with Toy Story, Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc., and more. People seem to distinguish Cars from that by saying that the others you can grasp the basic concept of-Toy Story has living toys, Bug’s Life has talking bugs, Monsters Inc. has monsters living in a parallel society that come out of the closet-but so does Cars. It’s talking cars in a world populated by cars. And ALL of them have questions that make the world feel weirder the more you think about it, not just Cars. Toy Story, for example:
How do the toys get brought to life?
Why does a porcelain lamp get brought to life as a toy?
What qualifies as a toy?
If they just turn off every time a person comes in the room, do they lose their minds of boredom if a kid is doing his homework and they have to just lay there motionless? (I have ADHD, so that would be hell)
All these movies have questions to ask like that, so why do people draw the line at Cars?
@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ I never thought about what makes a Toy Story universe toy a toy until Toy Story 4 drew attention to it.
The world absolutely makes no sense, but if you ignore that it’s an amazing movie with a great story
I've been saying this for years. The first 15 minutes of Cars is a masterpiece. Exciting, never a dull moment, great sound design, great interactions and performance from everyone
Scratch “The first 15 minutes of” part
and then an executive walked in and the rest of the franchise kind of just existed
Honestly watching it as a kid it all felt amazing. Even now as a carguy i still love seeing all the car models and their associated stereotypes. And the way they made the cars look expressive while still remaining cars, beautiful work. And the graphics still look good even nearly 2 decades later. Amazing movie. It ties in car culture, history fun characters and a beautiful story so well.
@@ceeherbo3477it’s seriously underrated.
Something I'll never get about Cars is people's complaint of "why are they cars, what's the point? They could've been humans, they don't do anything car specific."
1. It's a racing movie/franchise. That's the natural fantastical conclusion.
2. Nobody complains about this when it comes to other movies, especially relating to movies about animals. Sure, some are necessary to the story, like Zootopia. But I'd argue something like Kung Fu Panda, as good as that franchise is, has way, WAY less reason to be about animals than a racing franchise has to be about cars. It always screams hypocrisy.
Also, the scene where Lightning accidentally gets out of his trailer in the middle of the motorway would have been less plausible because, realistically, it would’ve been infinitely more difficult for him to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. Then again, him accidentally getting out in the first place is what would’ve been *really* implausible and if that doesn’t happen... the movie doesn’t exist.
Another reason is it’s mostly aimed at kids and merchandising.
The world of CARS is totally absurd if we are going to look at it through the eyes of an adult, on the other hand, a 5-6 year old kid wouldn’t careless and would probably be screaming “WOW! A WORLD FULL OF TALKING CARS. THAT’S SO COOL!!!”.
Ah yes… simple times… Don’t you just miss it?
Agree, it would be like complaining about Toy Story being about toys who are alive, the story couldn't be other way around it.
Cars is criminally underrated.
Cars 2 is criminally overhated.
Cars 3 is the real sequel, but its missing a lot between 1 and 3 that kept it from being great.
@@Cipher422 I couldn't agree more. I was around this age when I first saw the movie and that is a big reason why it's one of my favorites even after all this years
A huge part of sports was lost when smartphones took over and shutterflash wasnt near as common
This movie captured such a specific and gorgeous phenomenon in a way that makes it iconic
It looks so good here
Ohhhhh so that’s why the stadiums have those flashing lights from the stands at night from the 2000s. I was watching football from then and always wondered why there wasn’t those flashing lights in the stands anymore
@@cardboardcapeii4286 One of the things that just got lost in time. Another one I find interresting: If you look at the first colour photos of basketball, 70's or 80's, you'll see a strange haze in the background, like a thin layer of fog or blur. It's actually accumulated cigarette smoke from an era when smoking was still allowed in the arenas.
I honestly just love how it captures that era of NASCAR. I just kinda yearn that aesthetic that modern NASCAR understandably lacks.
Notice how it was released at the time when NASCAR was at it's peak, the same year Talladega Knights also released
Though modern NASCAR is different, it's much better than the last 5 years in terms of racing and it's slowly gaining popularity according to the ratings.
Well we don’t have Dale anymore
Good ol' 2006
The King is actually Based on the 1970 Plymouth Superbird which is the reason why the wing on the back is so high and is voice by the King of nascar himself Richard Petty or in the german version 3 time f1 champion Niki Lauda
I did notice during research that The King was based on a real car so yeah, the high spoiler would have been there regardless. Still, the fact that the film draws so much attention to it when introducing him suggests to me that there is some symbolism behind it.
@@stuartbarron7117 True, but also. As with most of the world itseslf, it's a nod to car people first and foremost. Someone who knows of the Superbirds infamy would instantanously recognize it. Kind like Chick's car, stash and dirty tactics... they scream Dale Earnhardt.
@@scottjs5207except off the track Dale Earnhardt was actually a cool guy. Can’t say the same for Chick
@@randomcub922 of course. But if you're going to pitch anyone as the villain from the hay day of NASCAR... He's got the right presence.
@@scottjs5207 Chick happens to be a Buick GN model (like the Buick GNX)
I love this movie, I have loved this movie ever since I was a kid and I still love it at 24.
I’m 24 Years Old and I still love the film.
@@billycurr Yeah buddy!
Me too. I was 4 when the movie came Out. It also was the First movie i ever saw in the Cinema. Now, I'm 22 and still Love the movie. Has been a while since the last time i saw it though.
@@dominik-man3156I was 4 when I first saw it, I'm 20 now, still love it.
I have loved this movie since I was 4, I'm 20, it grew up with me, still love it.
Those who say “the rest of the movie isn’t as entertaining as the opening” are missing the entire point of the movie. The message it’s trying to convey to the audience is that people should slow down and enjoy the more sentimental aspects of life, not always living life in the fast lane. That’s why the movie takes a much slower turn after the opening race. That may also be why it’s longer than the standard 90 minutes. Heck, just compare the opening song to the end credits song and you’ll see the dichotomy.
This, I so agree with this. And this is also why I hate the "Up" fanbase because they get so damn focused on those first few minutes of the movie (Which are good, don't get me wrong) that they just make the rest of the movie look worse by comparison
@@firehedgehog1446 I agree. A similar situation happens with the BumbleBee movie. The first few minutes are legendary, but that’s the *only* part people talk about because the rest of the movie is mediocre at best. At least with Up and Cars, the rest of those movies are genuinely good.
I really like this part of the movie, And it perfectly captures NASCAR around that time.
I've never seen a NASCAR race (Like I said, sports aren't my thing.) I'll have to take your word for it.
@@stuartbarron7117Go to Talladega, or go to the Daytona 500 next year. You will love it.
It’s very close, all we need is a Kurt Busch car screaming obscenities
@@emperorofthecosmos4640 lol
@@emperorofthecosmos4640 and Robby Gordon doing his usual antics.
The cars intro to this day makes me emotional. Growing up I’ve watched that movie so many times and every time I hear “Speed. I am speed” I get just as excited as I did the first time. Truly a masterclass in opening a film in a way that will be memorable forever. Not to mention nearly 20 years later the animation still looks amazing.
Something I love about Cars is how the jumbotron screens look accurate with the colors and how some shots looks super realistic, like the shot where they're going over the 3 in the lead and the shot of mcqueen before he blows a tire. I feel like they did a decent job of knowing when to hone into the realistic aspects of the race and when to focus on the more dynamic shots where they're more expressive
Cars 1 is still to this day my favourite Pixar movie
Same Here
It's in my top 5
There is no functional purpose for them being cars.
This should not stop someone from enjoying the movie.
If you cannot enjoy the movie because you can't find a reason for them to be cars, you are missing the point.
The point is it's fun.
If you don't enjoy the movie for any reason other than that, then I have no quarrel with you.
If you don't enjoy the movie, that is still valid, regardless of reason. I am merely trying to suggest that if you cannot grasp why they are cars, then you might be reading into it too much.
I understand that other Pixar films have tackled ideas that pertained to who or what the characters are and which would not have worked with any other type of character, but that should not interfere with one's ability to enjoy watching Cars.
For real, enjoy the dang movie. Sapping the fun out of children's movie from over analyzing.
I saw a video that mentioned in the third movie it does give one reason why they’re Cars and it’s because Lighting has built in limits that he can’t go past unlike humans that can push their limits
they the same ones who are obsessed with toy story
“ohhhhh yeah lightnings ready” as real gone starts playing.
absolute cinema
What of, idk, we STOP FUCKING RELATING A FICTION MOVIE to irl and just enjoy the pure badassery that it is
Damn what pissed you off?
Doesn't a big part of the value of fiction come from things like relatability and familiarity, though? Don't we seek out stories of make-believe because they're an escape from the pressures of real life that none the less give us things to think about?
Media literacy has been in a serious downward spiral these last few years. Call me 'terminally online' but I actually *don't* think it's a good thing to sit down to watch a movie and not take anything away from it, actually.
how do people not miss the good old days when they made cars? cars is such a classic and incredibly well written. The world is a little weird, but I didn’t feel too off while watching it. It’s a cartoon.
I enjoy the first part of this scene especially for this specific reason:
If you go into watching this movie without knowing anything about it prior, you don’t realize that all the cars are sentient a good 30-40 seconds into it. It’s a good set up that throws you off your perceptions just enough to keep you watching.
Yeah, the point where it's revealed the cars are sentient is when Mcqueen rolls out of the trailer and into the light and his mouth is the first "human" part that becomes visible. Pretty decent reveal if you haven't watched it before.
18 years later and Cars is still the best Pixar movie imo.
I watched cars so much as a kid, I don't ever remember not knowing what's going to happen next
I can relate with that for Toy Story 2. I feel like an emotionless zombie when I watch it now for testing out home theaters.
@@S-Video yea alot of the elements in this video never crossed my mind cause I never needed to take them in
@@S-VideoToy Story 2 is actually my favorite of the franchise.
A grew up in an anti-NASCAR household. When I was little I would watch the first and last scene of cars every night just to see some racing.
Anti-nascar? What does that mean? What's wrong about it? If motorsports were banned in my family id probably be a much bigger motorsports enthusiast by now
Liberal parents?
@@AngelGuzman-f9c 🙄
@@MonoKyriosSame! As an F1 fan myself, I've been there!
Dang what did nascar do to your family lol?
They even had a scene where we could see the officials trying to decide the winner but it was from a camera man (or a camera car I guess) and it actually feels like you watch a real life race and trying to understand what is going on
4:59 it’s not because of his status, it’s because he’s modeled after the most famous car the king (Richard petty, also his voice actor) drove the Plymouth super bird
6:11 Darrel Waltrip former nascar champion and broadcaster
This movie got me into nascar and I always saw Jimmie johnson as the closest real life comparison to McQueen. Including suffering a nasty wreck which affected the end of his career
Which crash of jimmie johnson? I havent seen it
@@TheoTheCrasher25 pocono 2018
@@josephharrison5639what about the time Jimmy pushed another car to victory lane like how McQueen pushed the King
@@GravePrower_VT i say the 2018 glen has something to do with Jimmie pushing Chase Elliott considering he ran out of gas
@@NWCi24.mp4 yep
No one talking about how the song in the opening race absolutely bangs
2:46 can we appericiate how that light blue car went sideways with his wheel bent? That is actually really real and this is perfectly made to show a car's behaivour after a crash and bending the axle...
My son, 3 years old at this point has watched cars 1 almost everyday for the past year. I can definitely say that the opening never gets old, the first shots and sounds of “speed” followed by the shots of the cars on track and the side quarter panel shot with that engine sound give me chills everytime. Also cant help but do the the Elvis “uhhh” grunt when it happens during the song.
Ohhh yeah I love the Elvis reference, glad to see Cars is still alive among a new generation of kids.
Haha, there was also a time when i watched this everyday. Make me love cars forecer
I used to watch it every night as a kid as well lol
NASCAR fans will flock to a Cars review fast as hell
Checking in
Cars is simply the greatest masterpiece of film ever created
At 3:03 it's not just pebbles getting tossed around but clumps of rubber from the tires as well.
Marbles is the right word
As a lifelong NASCAR fan (with Cars helping to start my love of it) Cars is the best Pixar movie in my opinion
Facts. Best movie ever, too. I'm also a Nascar fan because of this movie.
As an european i dont give a f about NASCAR,but still i think this Is the best movie ever
@@MARCO-rq2phHaha, remember that scene where Luigi asks McQueen if he knows any Ferraris? Luigi ends up dissapointed cause he is an F1 fan.
Cars was a type of movie that’d gotten me to love - not only NASCAR but classic cars, such as the Hudson Hornet. Many have mixed opinions on this movie and while I think some questioned the world, I think it was Cars 2 that made A LOT more people question it. Cars 2 broke the rules of its universe in that it had too many real world qualities. Wasabi, ice cream, side walks, phone booths, etc. While I honestly place Cars 2 last in my ranking of favorite Cars movies. (1, 3, and 2) Cars 2 isn’t a lazy movie. It had some good qualities but it also had some not-so-good ones.
Cars will honestly be my personal favorite Pixar movie. While I will admit it’s not Pixar’s best, as I believe that should go to The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. or Ratatouille (or all, as all have some unique characteristics and messages) it’s a movie that holds a special place in my heart.
“The King” Strip Weathers, is an exact replica of his voice actors car. NASCAR Legend, “The King” Richard Petty. His Plymouth Superbird just kinda looked like that. The spoiler wasn’t a symbol of anything lol.
A really great analysis you made there lad! And I gotta say, taking a deeper look at this scene and the way the car characters move and act, whether they're racing or narrating the race... I think it wouldn't have been the same with humans driving the cars at all. Especially with scenes like Lightning maneuvering through the crash, with him making poses and expressions that just wouldn't work so well with him not being literally the car. The Cars themselves being the characters makes the film soooo much more charming and memorable, especially with Cars being an animated film.
this movie single handedly spawned a behemoth of not only car enthusiasts, but also full on racing fans and racing drivers. It is, imo, the best movie ever made.
One thing I also thing wasnt taled abiut in this video is Chick pushing him into the grass/ dirt, forcing him to brake and slow down. It sets up to Doc teaching him advice, setting up his character development at the end
The best part about the announcers talking about the races is it gives us all we need to know about them, but it doesn't feel forced. It feels natural for announcers in the (presumably) last race to explain what had led up to this
People don't give enough credit to Michael Keaton for how he played Chick Hicks.
Why there was no cations all race
@@jesustovar2549 I can't tell which was funnier about his last scene. The fact that it would have been one of the worst award ceremonies ever, or his (expertly done by Keaton) portrayal of not even being able to comprehend that what he did was wrong
1:28 I was scared of this shot when I was younger.
McQueen jumpscare
As a toddler, Cars was one of my biggest hyperfixations. I would watch the movie religiously (particularly the intro, with its beautiful colors and incredible soundtrack), and I owned dozens of the die cast toys.
I can totally relate to that.
them being living cars also allows for a lot more expression. Sure they can be driven by a human, but then on outside shots you can't see their faces, and if its an inside shot, you can't see the car. This way it gives the viewers (targetted and younger people) the opportunity to look at a vibrant and expressive story with cars, without having to give up actually seeing those cars for the story.
Cars may not be the best Pixar movie, but always has a special place man. Just a great feel good movie!
I remember being 6 years old and I saw Cars the first time in a home cinema and those engine sounds were so loud and terrifying, that I didn‘t want to watch the movie for atleast a year xD
And the rest of the movie is a masterpiece too, not to mention the massively underrated second one
Most people may not think much of this movie. But this was my first favorite movie as a child raised in a southern racing town. Really just doubled down on my obsession with cars that still lasts today
My favourite part of the cars movie and early Pixar is how lit up everything is, you're never struggling to see something, makes the movie easy on the eyes when watching
7:19 He does the Michael Jordan pose with the tongue out and everything to show how iconic he is in this universe
2:20 well I’m assuming that they’ve probably seen the trailer or at least a movie poster or 2 before watching it so this wouldn’t really come as a shock
Finally someone giving this scene some love!
I do find it a little weird that with all the great Pixar openings over the years, (Finding Nemo, Toy Story 3, Up obviously) nobody ever gives Cars any props for this.
@@stuartbarron7117 certainly some of the best pacing and exposition delivery of any scene. Great work!
@@stuartbarron7117when Wall-E
Something that Cars nailed that Cars 2 completely messed up was how the first movie is so inherently tied to Americana and the 50s-60s car culture of the USA, especially in the West. I’m glad the third rectified 2’s mistake in departing from it
You're so right, I was still glad of seeing another countries in Cars 2, and the animation, I think it could have worked if they focused on Lightning interacting with other racers, especially Francesco Bernoulli.
Btw, every character from Radiator Springs is car that represents a period from american culture, starting with Lizzie being a Ford T.
Cars 2 feels like it's from a completely different franchise but slapped into cars.
I really like cars I like when mater says I knew I made a good choice Mcqueen says what and then he says my best friend and then there's a kind of nice moment I like that.
I don’t care what anyone else says this is my favorite Pixar movie
This franchaise is one of my favorites! I used to watch cars so much! I love it!
The opening scene is very iconic to me, the way the movie starts of with a black screen and lightning prepping up sets off the movie very well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoys it
Agreed, it is one of the most amazing intros of all movies, it depicts everything that will follow, a lot of exposure that goes unnoticed while the perfect soundtrack is playing on.
The opening of cars are really realistic. Pertaining to the "camera" view of the race. It feels like a real race
I find it so funny how you bring up how the film never lives up to its opening scene because, as a kid, I used to watch this movie a lot BECAUSE of the opening, before getting disinterested when Radiator Springs became a more primary focus -- meanwhile, I watched films like Toy Story 2, Up, Monsters Inc., and Finding Nemo multiple times IN FULL because of how much more engaging they are from start to finish.
I like the Radiator Springs portion of the film fine enough. I think it's a good contrast to how fast paced and glitzy the opening is. But it is a lot less interesting. I think if the characters were better developed and more three dimensional, it would have helped a lot. McQueen is mostly just a one dimensional jerk for the first half of the Radiator Springs section which gets old after a while.
Bro same here, I was always wondering why tf I even bothered watching it until the opening starts up.
Litterally me- I would usually stay engaged for about the first 10 20 minutes of the film but would still play it constantly!
Thank you for mentioning “Real Gone”! My daycare boys, 3 and 4 years old, were racing toy cars around a table. I played that song and in the first guitar riff they exclaim “Lightning McQueen music!!” That song is iconic as heck
This intro always gave me chills. I needed to get my dose of adrenaline. This thing is so motorsport coded you just know straight from the beginning it has been made by real motor racing emjoyers!
That's why I always say that the first part of everything is the most important part: you capture the viewer's attention.
The ending to me was a classic anding and it works perfectly. It doesn't need to be THAT good.
One thing we've studied is that our brain doesn't consider every number in a sequence, but the difference with the previous number.
So, to have a beautiful scene, you have to make a normal scene before and after that scene.
I grew up with this movie and the following two. Literally you *cannot* convince me to hate either of the three movies, including Cars 2
1:49 how on earth would you do it with humans driving cars?
I wish we could still get music like real gone today. I love the energy of it
I watched this movie so many times on a CD in getting so much nostalgia 1:29
Cars definitely isn't my favorite Pixar movie; I really like it. It was worthy of Pixar's Golden Age. I think the most interesting part is how well it tackles the consequences of fame. And I like Cars 3 even more. And I don't think Cars 2 is that bad. It was entertaining.
"The thing doc loved wasnt racing, it was you, son"
@@alptugraakan7490 "Doc loved racing. But that wasn't the best part of his life. You were."
The height of the spoiler on the "King" has nothing to do with his status. The King is supposed to be based on Richard Petty, who was also nicknamed the King, who drove a Plymouth Superbird that looked like "The King" in the movie
The first time you see the king and it pans down from his spoiler to the whole car without him saying a word Best intro to a character by far.
At 4:54 the high spoiler is not because of the kings status as the best racer, it's because he's the old dog who's been dominating for a while and his entire car design is around the Plymouth SuperBird, which was a very dominant car in NASCAR back in the day.
Yeah cars could have been told with humans who drive cars
But i feel like it wouldn’t have been as memorable
That's kinda why that argument fails. As Megamind said, "It's all about Pre-sent-TATION!!!""
4:56 his spoiler isn't a metaphor rather the car is. It is the first nascar to hit 200mph and that spoiler is rather not why he has a high status but rather the model. (It was not a production car.)
I used to watch this movie a ton as a kid, and while I still liked it overall, this definitely is one of my favorite scenes in it. The sheer amount of energy and excitement you get from seeing a stadium of people cheering on and how some of the shots would mimic cameras zooming in on the racers made it feel like an actual NASCAR race.
I swear I've been saying that for years now, cars is an absolute classic
Honesty, the fact that everyone is a car gives cars it’s charm
Honestly cars for me is in a way a part of my life. I grew up watching cars so many times I can remember almost all lines. And I still give it a watch today once in a while.
This is back when Pixar was at its peak. So many great films that would form many people’s childhoods and stay as some of their favorite memories….
This film will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Back when John Lasseter was in it, he was one of my first movie director ídols, I mean, why not? The man made Toy Story and Cars, he was even involved in many Disney animated productions at the time.
Finally someone made this video!!! I’ve been thinking this exact thing for a few years now after rewatching the movie and just loving the opening and thinking it would make a great video essay! Thank you for finally making this
I am 23 and I still love this movie, I watch it every year on June 9 (its “birthday”) cuz I’m weird like that. Easily my favorite Pixar movie by far
Hmmm, never thought of that, I should still watch it on my birthday.
Cars, from its incredibly thrilling opening sequence to its bittersweet, yet heart-warming closing sequence, is an absolute masterpiece, and I'm not even a massive car guy (I was when I was a kid, but not anymore).
Somehow, the team at Pixar was able to create a compelling story with characters (who are sentient cars within a carified version of our world) that we can both relate to and care for as the film goes on.
It's my third favourite Pixar film behind Toy Story 2 and Wall-E, and my sixth favourite animated film of all time.
I also went through a car phase, but I was huge on Cars as a kid, Toy Story 2 and Wall-E are also some of my favourites, in fact, Pixar reached a level of realistic animation that didn't reach again until Wall-E.
I always loved Cars, even grown up now
This is my favorite animated movie ever and the opening for this movie blew my mind growing up and even nowadays it’s still sooooo good like actually, as someone who makes videos i dream to one day be able to make such a cool opening to anything. Especially the way the tv coverage is made with all the shots and graphics as the movie introduces the main characters is just so incredibly perfect. I love it!
5:24 is one of my favorite parts from this movie from a visual standpoint.
(Side note i kinda love how the arrow doesn’t actually line up with chick at 10:38 kinda feels more realistic as tv coverage can mess up at times imo.)
Another opening i absolutely love is from the recently released Deadpool x Wolverine. Man that was also incredible
I remember when this movie was available at Blockbuster only could have it for one day due to its high demand to watch at home. That is proof this movie was very well done.
Cars has a hell of an opening, a hell of an ending, a hell of a backstory scene and a hell of a re-building a broken city (for lack of a better word) arc.
To add to how the song assists in exposition, the lyrics after the ones he mentioned are "You think you know him so well, yeah, you think he's so swell, but he's just perpetuating prophecy." This is foreshadowing to McQueen's really character and how he is directly after the race, giving us a hint that he's not who we initially think he is.
The opening of this movie has always been a highlight for me and probably one of, if not my favorite opening of any movie ever. The energy and confidence it exudes through visuals and the incredible sound design feels like a punch in the face, a good one mind you. It doesn't feel ashamed or cynical of what it's trying to be or of the absurd concept of autonomous sentient cars.
This might just be a me thing, but I think Cars' opening presents an effective glimpse to people not interested in Nascar as to what racing feels like to those who are invested and enjoy it. Brilliant colors, fast-paced energy, long-standing rivalries and drama, and sometimes even crazy events or plays caused by poor decisions mid-race. It's the spectacle of it all turned up to 11.
Cars is one of my most nostalgic movies I just love the vibe of the movie and ESPECIALLY the opening scenes. they always hit different and personally I think this movie is slightly overhated also which I don’t agree with, it’s a Pixar classic
What do you mean "not for the rest of the franchise"? The 3rd one always has me crying at the beginning!
“Figured that out all on your own did ya?” 😂
Cars is my favorite Disney movie overall, including from all the companies they own. And this is why opinions are such an amazing thing. Stuart, here seems to consistently classify the movie as “mid” overall. And while I agree with that for 2 and 3, the entirety of the first movie has me hooked and engaged. And this isn’t nostalgia talking, I’ve seen this movie for the first time after Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame came out, and had also watched dozens of Pixar and Star Wars and Marvel media. Something about Cars clicked with me.
Close second is Wall-E. In fact, some times Wall-E is the better movie to me.
This was my favorite pixar movie as a kid because of the opening. I am glad i found a video on a topic that has stayed at the back of my head for 10+ years. This is what youtube was made for
The Cars trilogy is an underrated gem. It is basically Pixar's Dreamworks' Reverse-Trilogy.
Honestly the ending of the movie deserves it's own look at because it took everything the movie set up by that point and pays it off very nicely. I can understand why some wouldn't like the movie but the more I watch about it I don't understand why people wouldn't like it. It's certainly not Pixar magnum opus but it's an amazing movie in it's own right
The look of enticement on my nephews face when it goes from pitch black to zipping cars back to black again is all the reason I need to know this intro is the best 👌
6:10 Darrel Waltrip aka DW used to be a racer and commentator for the American racing series nascar which this movie is based on
The opening scene is good, but the highway scene if my favourite part of the movie. The "life is a highway" start with Kenny G to top it off. Love it
Thank you for mentioning sound design. Every vehicle in the movie sounds exactly as it should
I wish I could watch Cars for the first time again. It’s an all time favorite of mine. An underrated masterpiece of a film, even with its flaws.
I legit forgot he was voiced by Owen Wilson, so when he started talking I completely lost it 😅 1:02
That opening is freaking legendary, and probably the best scene in the whole dang movie. No crud it's perfect, but I can't put that feeling into words, so here I am, watching this video.
4:58 The King's high spoiler is probably more of an accident than an intentional show of his status. The King is modeled after a 1969 Daytona Charger, which was considered "the king" of stock racing during it's day, in part due to it's aerodynamic (for the time) shape and large wing. Also both The King and Doc Hudson's liveries (paint jobs) are based on real-life racing champion cars, even using the same numbers
The closest we are ever going to get to an animated De Palma/Michael Mann scene.
Ever seen Days of Thunder? It's Tony Scott's, it's about racing.
comparing lightning to sonic was unexpected but so fuckin real tbh thank you for that I cant wait to be in the middle of a rush at work and force someone to hear about this.
oh and the whole couldve done it with huans that drive cars, you could but the style of cars is a really good way to give them a personality quick and easy. the old car? shes old the hippy mobile and the war truck are quite transparent which would be simply harder to do with people, sure you could have some old war vet still wearing his uniform or whatever you could have a dude with long hair whos clearly a hippy. but thats been done. the small stuff like the campers on the racetrack field would have been so much less noticeable with people standing outside theyre small an unimportant but idk. I think using cars was a good choice and you just shouldnt think about it too deeply