Now THIS is the type of "Cars" story I like seeing- something about the film itself, not about the box office returns.

(Or, if we *must* bring box-office Jim politics into it:)
We'll still be watching it in August.  THIS is why.  :)

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While i do plan on seeing the movie while its still in the theatres, this makes me want to see DVD bonus features even more.

This article renewed the warm fuzzy feeling that the movie brought me.  

I agree, moose. I felt the same way.

In fact, I was toying with the idea of going to see the movie again this weekend. Now I know I'm going to!

I haven't seen the movie, but based on the preview, I always thought the inspiration was making the movie, Doc Hollywood, with cars.

I take exception to those who call "CARS" a total rip-off of "Doc Hollywood." They're very different films and the racing sequences, the tractor-tipping scene and the two driving sequences in "Cars" are better than anything in "Doc Hollywood."

I remember a classic "Andy Griffith" episode with many of the same story points. "Cars," like Steven Spielberg's "E.T." and other films, is a basic fish out of water story, excellently executed.

In "Cars," all the residents of "Radiator Springs" are changed by Lightning McQueen's appearance even as Mater, Sally, Doc Hudson and The King tinker with the engine (the emotional heart) of the hotshot rookie racer.

"Cars" has a beautiful look, a sweet, charming story and the best soundtrack of any Pixar film. It's a film, like most of the others made by Pixar, that will age well and entertain children and adults for many years to come.

mnmears said:
"I take exception to those who call 'CARS' a total rip-off of 'Doc Hollywood.' They're very different films and the racing sequences, the tractor-tipping scene and the two driving sequences in 'Cars' are better than anything in 'Doc Hollywood.'"
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I agree, Paul Newman is a *much* better "Canny old judge who sentences our selfish hero to community service" than David Ogden Stiers ever was...  :)

(Although, would Woody Harrelson have made a better Mater than LtCG?--Hard to say, but on voice quality, think this one still wins out....And Bonnie Hunt over Julie Warner on the "Falling for the girl who cares about the town" front, any day.)

Well, first off, I never said "total rip-off", and second of all, I prefaced it by saying I only saw the preview, not the movie... Based on the preview, they have a bit in common. Then again, I am sure Doc Hollywood had a bit in common with some older movie (the whole Pyramus & Thisbe/Romeo & Juliette/West Side Story thing).

Did I say you said "total rip-off," but an Associated Press critic did. All I was saying is that "Cars" shares thematic elements with several movies, including "E.T,," "Doc Hollywood," old episodes of the Andy Griffith show and The Twilight Zone, as well as the musical "State Fair," which also involves a big race.

I read something once a long time ago (maybe in a high school English Lit. class) that said there are really only four basic stories that have ever been told.

Every single story, movie, T.V. show, etc. is just some level of derivation from one of these four basic themes.

Wish I could remember what they were ...

"Every single story, movie, T.V. show, etc. is just some level of derivation from one of these four basic themes."

Do you mean the whole man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. machine, man vs. supernatural/God story themes?  Because I've heard of those (and seen them broken down further to more than 4 themes)...

As to "Selfish man vs. community-service and frustrating-but-ultimately-benign small-town hicks", however, it's not usually broken down to *those* specifics...  ;)

"Do you mean the whole man vs. nature, man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. machine, man vs. supernatural/God story themes?"

Yeah, those are the ones I was thinking of.

HAS EVERYONE READ THE NEWS?? LASSETER HAS APPARENTLY APPROVED OF DISNEY DOING TRADITIONAL FEATURES AGAIN!! WHOOOO HOOOOOOOO!! The story is over at LaughingPlace.com.

If you can't wait for DVD extras, check out iTunes. There are some video podcasts freely available that explore different aspects of creating Cars. Great stuff on there. It will all probably end up on the DVD.

Yes, the iTunes "CARS" podcasts are great! Lots of fun and informative stuff -- and you'll see Joe Ranft in a lot of the clips ... he's the guy in the huge rocking chair at the restaurant when Jonas Rivera tries to eat a hunk of steak "the size of a small boy!" Ranft is also seen alongside John Lasseter during some of the recording sessions with Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and others. I'd certainly like to see one done specifically as a tribute to Joe with clips of him pitching story ideas, doing the scratch recording for Mater and earlier footage of him doing his magic.
Still, I think the video podcasts are a great promotional tool. I hope that Disney uses more of them the not-to-distant future.

I dont know when it happened that I stopped wanting to go to the theatres to see Disney flicks..

but now I really want to see Cars and its probably still not even in theatres.

Maybe I stopped when I realized my mom was going to buy me them as soon as they hit the stores anyways.. who knows.

COOL STORY MAN THANKS

oxoxox Adele