When it comes to Pixar, there are no bad movies - only good movies, and great movies. Cars, set in a world of anthropomorphic motor vehicles, is not one of the great movies.

Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a cocky young racecar, the hot new rookie on the circuit. This promising future champion is fast, clever, and popular, but he's also shallow, egotistical, and friendless. But on the way to the critical race of a lifetime, he becomes stranded in a dying small town, and his life takes a turn for the unexpected. At first he can't wait to be rid of the place, scornful of the town and its people. But the longer he spends there, the more he is drawn inexorably into their lives.

Some stories are as old as the hills, and Cars tells one of them. There is nothing wrong with that; certain stories have worn grooves in our souls because they are innately satisfying. But because these stories are so familiar, any flaws in their execution are immediately noticeable.

Cars tells a good story, but it tells it somewhat awkwardly. The first part of the movie, showing McQueen's old life and attitudes, takes too long, while the second part, showing his growth and transformation, happens very quickly. If the pacing had been only a little different, the movie would be much improved. As it is, Cars is enjoyable enough, but it will never be one of the Pixar classics. Nonetheless, it seems to have been successful enough to warrant a sequel, Cars 2, due for release in 2011.

Read Alaris' review of Cars (2006).