Cars - LaughingPlace.com Movie Guide

LIGHTNING MCQUEEN - Poised to become the youngest car ever to win the Piston Cup Championship, this hotshot rookie race car has just two things on his mind - winning and the perks that come with it. But when he gets detoured in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs and has to shift for himself, he gets a crash course on what matters most in life. Owen Wilson ("Bottle Rocket,� "Shanghai Noon,� "Meet the Fockers,� "Wedding Crashers�) is up to speed as the voice of this cocky race car who learns that life is about the journey, not the destination.

DOC HUDSON - A seemingly quiet country doctor (mechanic) with a mysterious past, this 1951 Hudson Hornet is a cornerstone of Radiator Springs, and also serves as town judge. Respected and admired by the townsfolk, Doc is a car of few words, and is unimpressed by the town's newest arrival - Lightning McQueen. The speed-obsessed hotshot race car dismisses Doc as just an old Grandpa car, but comes to discover that the old timer still has a few tricks under his hood. Acting legend, Oscar ®-winner, and Guinness Book World Record Holder (the oldest driver to win a professionally sanctioned race in 1995 in Daytona) Paul Newman gives a winning performance as the voice of this venerable vehicle.

SALLY CARRERA - This sporty 2002 Porsche 911 from California grew tired of life in the fast lane, and made a new start for herself in Radiator Springs. As the proprietor of the Cozy Cone Motel, and one of the town's most optimistic boosters, she has high hopes that it will one day return to its former glory, and wind up "back on the map.� She takes an instant shine to Lightning McQueen, and helps to steer him in the right direction. Multi-talented actress/filmmaker Bonnie Hunt ("A Bug's Life,� "Monsters, Inc.,� "Cheaper By the Dozen�) gives a premium performance as Sally, with just the right blend of charm, intelligence and wit.

MATER - This good ol' boy tow truck may be a bit rusty on the outside, but he has the quickest towrope in Carburetor County and is always the first to lend a helping hand. Sweet and loyal to a fault, Mater befriends McQueen and sees his potential as his new best friend, despite his many flaws. The self-proclaimed "world's best backwards driver,� Mater dreams of someday flying in a helicopter, but stays grounded with his day job running "Tow-Mater Towing and Salvage.� Comedy sensation Larry the Cable Guy gives a "tow-de-force� vocal performance that is both hilariously funny and touching.

FILLMORE - Radiator Springs' resident hippie is a 1960 VW bus who brews his own organic fuel and preaches its many benefits. Visitors can check it out for themselves in the tasting room behind his love-bead and tie dye covered geodesic dome. His conspiracy theories and unkempt yard don't sit well with his neighbor, Sarge, but despite their frequent disagreements, they can't live without one another. Comedy legend George Carlin gives a far-out performance as the voice of this peace-loving bus.

SARGE - This patriotic 1942 WWII Willy's Army jeep runs Radiator Springs' army surplus store, Sarge's Surplus Hut, and is often found manicuring the lawn in front of his Quonset hut into a precise flat-top. Although he likes to complain about his VW bus neighbor, he knows that life is more interesting with Fillmore around. Actor Paul Dooley ("Breaking Away,� "Desperate Housewives�) sounds off as this regimented vehicle whose bark is worse than his bite.

RAMONE - The proprietor of Ramone's House of Body Art, this 1959 Impala low-rider is a true magician with paint and metal, but he hasn't had anyone to customize in years. While waiting for a paying customer to come along, he re-paints himself daily and hopes that McQueen will consent to letting him add a few new flourishes. Comedian/actor Cheech Marin turns in a colorful performance as the voice of this feisty fellow.

FLO - Married to Ramone, and the owner of Flo's V-8 Cafe, is this sassy, no-nonsense 1950s show car. Offering the "finest fuel in fifty states,� Flo's is a popular gathering spot for the locals to sip some oil, share some gossip, and listen to a little motherly advice from Flo herself. It was love at first sight for Flo and Ramone, ever since they met when she was traveling across country as a glamorous Motorama girl. Jenifer Lewis goes with the "flo� as the voice of this spirited character.

LUIGI - Big-hearted, gregarious, and excitable, this 1959 Fiat 500 runs the local tire shop, Luigi's Casa Della Tires, which is the "Home of the Leaning Tower of Tires.� With his forklift pal, Guido, by his side, Luigi is an avid race car fan (with a bias towards Ferraris) who is always eager to please. Business hasn't been good in years, so you can always count on a bargain on a new set of wheels from this merry merchant. Tony Shalhoub ("Big Night,� "Monk�) puts the accent on comedy in this tireless performance.

SHERIFF - Route 66 expert/author Michael Wallis provides the voice of this 1949 Mercury Police Cruiser, sworn with upholding the peace in Radiator Springs. Always on the prowl for would-be speeders who might want to barrel through his town, Sheriff enjoys telling stories about his beloved Mother Road, and taking the occasional nap behind the town's billboard.

THE KING (aka STRIP WEATHERS) - This 1970 Plymouth Superbird is a racing legend who has won more Piston Cups races than any other car in history. Despite his fame, he's a down home guy, who knows it takes more than trophies to make a true champion. He believes in hard work, team playing, and making time for his wife, Mrs. The King. Set to retire at the end of the season and relinquish his coveted Dinoco sponsorship, the King is the envy of all the up-and-coming racers. Racing legend Richard Petty, a seven-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship winner, lends his voice to this classy champ. His wife, Lynda, provides a cameo voice as The King's car-mate.

CHICK HICKS - This racing veteran is a ruthless competitor, who has bumped and cheated his way into more second place finishes than any other car. Forever living in the King's shadow, he's the consummate runner-up and will stop at nothing to win the Dinoco sponsorship. Convinced that "the Chick era� is about to begin, he isn't about to let Lightning McQueen get between him and his dream of winning the Piston Cup. Versatile actor Michael Keaton ("Mr. Mom,� "Batman,� "Herbie: Fully Loaded�) gets down and dirty as the voice of this hard-driving road warrior.

MACK - No Pixar film is complete without a vocal performance by John Ratzenberger, and in "CARS,� the popular actor weighs in as the voice of a 1985 Mack Super-Liner who has a thorough knowledge of Federal regulations. As McQueen's trusted driver, he is willing to push the limits of his own sanity and sleep requirements to accommodate his celebrity employer. McQueen's luxurious bachelor pad is fully loaded with the best in fiber optics, TVs, a massage chair, and more.

"CARS� was a very personal story for John Lasseter. As a boy growing up in Whittier, California, he loved to visit the Chevrolet dealership where his father was a parts department manager, and got a part-time job there as a stock boy as soon as he turned 16.

According to Lasseter, "I have always loved cars. In one vein, I have Disney blood, and in the other, there's motor oil. The notion of combining these two great passions in my life - cars and animation - was irresistible. When Joe (Ranft) and I first started talking about this film in 1998, we knew we wanted to do something with cars as characters. Around that same time, we watched a documentary called ‘Divided Highways,' which dealt with the interstate highway and how it affected the small towns along the way. We were so moved by it and began thinking about what it must have been like in these small towns that got bypassed. That's when we started really researching Route 66, but we still hadn't quite figured out what the story for the film was going to be. I used to travel that highway with my family as a child when we visited our family in St. Louis.�

It was at this point that Lasseter's wife, Nancy, persuaded him to take a much-needed vacation, during the summer of 2001. Lasseter recalls, "Nancy said to me that if I didn't slow down and start paying attention to the family, the kids would be going off to college before I knew it and I would be missing a huge part of our family life. And she was right!�

The entire family packed up a motor home, and set out on a two-month trip with the goal of staying off the interstate highways, and dipping their toes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. "Everybody thought we would be at each others throats the whole time,� adds Lasseter, "but it was the exact opposite. When I came back from the trip, I was closer to my family than ever and I reattached to what was important in life. And I suddenly realized that I knew what the film needed to be about. I discovered that the journey in life is the reward. It's great to achieve things, but when you do you want to have your family and friends around to help celebrate. Joe loved the idea and our story really took off from there. Our lead car, Lightning McQueen, is focused on being the fastest. He doesn't care about anything except winning the championship. He was the perfect character to be forced to slow down, the way I had on my motor home trip. For the first time in my professional career I had slowed down, and it was amazing. The unique thing about Pixar films is that the stories come from our hearts. They come from things that are personal to us, and that move us. This gives special emotion and meaning to the films.�

In 2001, Lasseter, Ranft, producer Darla Anderson, production designers Bob Pauley and Bill Cone, along with other key members of the production team flew to Oklahoma City and headed out from there in a caravan of four white Cadillacs on a nine-day trip along Route 66. Historian/author Michael Wallis led the expedition, and introduced them to the people and places that make that road so very special.

At each stop along the way, the team observed firsthand the "patina� of the towns, and tried to capture the richness of textures and colors. Painted advertisements on the sides of buildings, weathered and overlaid, were of particular interest. Careful studies were made of rock and cloud formations, and the variety of vegetation along the way.

Wallis notes, "Every road has a look based on where the road goes. It reflects the territory on both shoulders. The look of Route 66 is everything from the licorice colored soil of Illinois in the land of Lincoln, to the desert sands of the Mojave. It's the all-American look.�

"On our research trip, we went to the cafes and mom-and-pop shops, and motels along the way. We talked to hitchhikers, cowboys, waitresses and mechanics. We met a lot of interesting characters along the way. If you're a real road warrior and you know the old highway, you will be pleased, because the film is going to remind you of places and people you might know on the Mother Road.�

Out on the Texas Panhandle, just west of Amarillo, is an unusual site named Cadillac Ranch, where an eccentric Texan commissioned three artists collectively known as "Ant Farm� to create site-specific art work on his ranch. They buried a row of Cadillacs as a monument to the rise and fall of the tailfin, and Pixar has paid homage to that landmark in ‘CARS.'�

CAR-isma: Pixar's Animators and a Top Vocal Cast Bring Car Characters to Life

The blending of first-rate vocal performances with exceptional animation has been a Pixar hallmark since their debut film, "Toy Story,� eleven years ago. This tradition continues with "CARS� and brings a whole new level of sophistication and fun to the characters. For this film, more than 100 unique car characters were created.

Lasseter observes, "We really worked hard to make this world believable. It took many months of trial and error, and practicing test animation, to figure out how each car moves and how their world works. Our supervising animators, Doug Sweetland and Scott Clark, and the directing animators, Bobby Podesta and James Ford Murphy, did an amazing job working with the animation team to determine the unique movements for each character based on its age and the type of car it was. Some cars are like sports cars and they're much tighter in their suspension. Others are older 50s cars that are a lot looser and have more bounce to them. We wanted to get that authenticity in there but also to make sure each car had a unique personality. We also wanted each animator to be able to put some of themself in the character and give it their own spin. Every day in dailies, it was so much fun because we would see things that we had never seen in our lives. The world of cars came alive in a believable and unexpected way.�

One of the biggest decisions affecting the design and animation of the car characters was the placement of the eyes.

Production designer Bob Pauley, who oversaw the design of the car characters, explains, "From the very beginning of this project, John had it in his mind to have the eyes be in the windshield. For one thing, it separates our characters from the more common approach where you have little cartoon eyes in the headlights. For another, he thought that having the eyes down near the mouth at the front end of the car made the character feel more like a snake. With the eyes set in the windshield, the point of view is more human-like, and made it feel like the whole car could be involved in the animation of the character.�

Among the biggest design inspirations for Lasseter and his team was the classic 1952 Disney short, "Susie the Little Blue Coupe.� One of the key animators on that film was the legendary Ollie Johnston, who at age 92 is the last surviving member of Walt Disney's original team affectionately known as "the nine old men.� Lasseter maintains a special relationship (in addition to a love of trains) with Johnston, and he had numerous occasions to discuss the "CARS� approach with his friend and mentor.

Animating car characters had its share of challenges for the team. Supervising animator Scott Clark explains, "Getting a full range of performance and emotion from these characters and making them still seem like cars was a tough assignment, but that's what animation does best. You use your imagination, and you make the movements and gestures fit with the design. Our car characters may not have arms and legs, but we can lean the tires in or out to suggest hands opening up or closing in. We can use steering to point a certain direction. We also designed a special eyelid and an eyebrow for the windshield that lets us communicate an expressiveness that cars don't have.�

Doug Sweetland, who also served as supervising animator, adds, "It took a different kind of animator to really be able to interpret the ‘CARS' models, than it did to interpret something like ‘The Incredibles' models. With ‘The Incredibles' the animator could get reference for the characters by shooting himself and watching the footage. But with ‘CARS' it departs completely from any reference. Yes they're cars, but no car can do what our characters do. It's pure fantasy. It took a lot of trial and error to get them to look right.�

With his background in animation, and his love of the art form, Lasseter inspired his team to do some of their finest work.

Murphy observes, "John is the greatest collaborator of all time. And I think that's what makes him so successful. He is tirelessly collaborative.�

Clark adds, "John is incredibly supportive of the animators. He understands the medium so well, and he knows the designs. He knows that if you can imagine something, you can animate it. And that's what animation should be. It should be something you can't do in live-action. He is an expert at creating a whole world that exists in and of itself. He gets excited about the littlest observations and he focuses in on things. He loves cars so much that he can make you excited about animating them. His way of directing is very encouraging. He really knows how to bring out the best in artists. He has a vision, he has ideas, but he also knows how to encourage us to do our very best work.�

LIGHTNING McQUEEN/ OWEN WILSON: The character of Lightning McQueen is an original design that features the voice of Owen Wilson. Pauley notes, "We used a standard stock car as our starting point. John and I began thinking about our favorite cars and what made them so cool. We pared down all the ideas and did a bunch of drawings that we felt were good. From there, a clay sculpt was made just like they would do in Detroit, and our star modeler Andrew Schmidt took it from there. McQueen was a blast to do. It was also a major challenge to make a car that reads as a character and has a strong face on screen, yet doesn't look derivative.�

Wilson observes, "John would walk me through the storyboards and sometimes show me some rough animation to get me up to speed. You get a good idea of what's going on from the script, but a lot of times it involves going inside your head and using your imagination. It kind of felt like when you were a kid, and you would do funny animated voices. You're dreaming the stuff up and creating a character. Working with the Pixar people was fun. I loved going up to their Studio because it was such a great place to hang out. It's a creative fun atmosphere with people skateboarding around, and playing ping pong and foosball.

"My character is kind of obsessed with winning,� adds Wilson. "He isn't a cheat or anything like that, but he doesn't really care about much else beyond winning and the glory that comes with that. I think that's how he measures himself. Over the course of the movie he gets stuck in this small town and begins to appreciate some of the values and things this small town has to offer. He also falls in love with this really hot car named Sally. He tries his usual game on her and it doesn't work, so he has to come up with a new approach.�

Bobby Podesta, a directing animator on the film, notes, "Owen has a really great and unique voice, in the sound, in his delivery, and with the comic timing. From the moment he came on board, I suddenly felt that this character had a lot of interest to me. He starts off very cocky, but in this way that you still love him. And that's hard to do. Owen pulls it off and gave us a great range.�

Directing animator James Ford Murphy adds, "To get some insights into McQueen, we studied famous cocky characters who are also charming. We looked at guys like Joe Namath, Muhammed Ali, and even Kid Rock. All these guys are super cocky but you still like them. Owen was really able to get that across where he says something cocky, but he says it in such a charming way that you almost don't hear what he's saying. John also told us to think of this character as being like Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan in their rookie years. A character who is exceptionally talented and has seemingly come out of nowhere.�

DOC HUDSON/ PAUL NEWMAN: For the role of Doc Hudson, Lasseter and company had the good fortune of enlisting the talents of screen legend and race car enthusiast Paul Newman.

Lasseter observes, "I'm so proud of this character and thrilled that Paul Newman agreed to provide the voice. Not only is he one of our greatest actors of all time, but his association with racing made him the perfect choice for this role. We were thrilled when he agreed to voice Doc. Paul was great to work with and was really excited to be providing the voice for a car character.�

"When I first got the call asking if I'd be interested in doing an animated feature for Pixar about race cars in which I played a 1951 Hudson Hornet, I told them I found the combination irresistible,� says Newman. "I hadn't seen a script or anything, I just knew it was Pixar, it was Lasseter, and it was about racing. Those are the three ingredients that I was familiar with.

"The vocal aspect of Doc's character came very quickly,� adds the actor. "He was southern, he was old, he was tired, and he was smart. Doing a voice for an animated film is so different from making a live-action film. You bring nothing physical to the role. You don't bring your appearance or your physical mannerisms; you don't bring anything except your voice. That's the only instrument that you have. Working with John was a pleasure and I think we complemented each other. I took a lot of the stuff he said, and tried to give it to him exactly as he wanted, and then I tried to augment and exaggerate it.

"I'm really delighted with the way the film turned out, and I think it will exceed anything that Pixar or Disney has done,� concludes Newman. "The race sequences are very exciting, and the personalities of the characters really show through and are so well represented by the types of cars they are. The scenes in the stadium, the skies, and everything in the background are so incredibly detailed.�

According to Scott Clark, "Paul is such a great actor. Every line you get from him has character. You can hear the wisdom and experience and richness in his voice.�

SALLY CARRERA/ BONNIE HUNT: The character of Sally was based on the design for the 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera. Bonnie Hunt gives a high performance delivery in her third assignment for Pixar.

Lasseter says, "I always thought that Bonnie would be a fantastic female lead in one of our films, and that she has what it takes to be the perfect voice actor for an animated film. She's a great actor, and she has a wonderful voice quality that jumps off the screen. She also brings to her role the ability to ad lib. She makes the part her own, and makes it sound natural. I always encourage the actors to find that something that is unique to them, and Bonnie would come up with things that you couldn't script. She has the ability to make you weep. Her performance has so much emotion and heart, in addition to all the humor.�

Hunt observes, "Sally was a big hot shot attorney living life in the fast lane in California. You know, Blackberry, instant messaging everybody, very very busy. And she took a drive on Route 66. Her car broke down and she stayed in this small town and found what was really meaningful in her life. I knew that she was somebody who used to be tough, and tried to keep up the pace of her life. She slowed down when she got to Radiator Springs and it made her a little softer, so I thought her voice would be a little softer

"I think it would be really great if parents took their kids in a Winnebago down Route 66 to experience meeting so many different and wonderful characters in real life,� adds Hunt.

MATER/ LARRY THE CABLE GUY: One of the film's standout characters is a backwards-driving tow truck named Mater. The character quickly grew to become a favorite with the filmmakers, and the inspired choice of Larry the Cable Guy as the vocal counterpart helped to really set things in motion.

"Mater was definitely a popular character with the animators, and I think in a way he became the centerpiece of the movie,� says Sweetland. "Animators loved to work on the character because he was so physical and provided a lot of juicy bits for them to sink their teeth into. The model provided a little more freedom because it had a separate cab and bed to the truck. And then you have the tow cable that you can incorporate as a tail, or even twirl like a helicopter. Mater does all sorts of stuff with it. Larry the Cable Guy gave us a lot to work with. He's so funny and yet his performance has so much heart. To me, it's one of those incredibly perfect voices like Sterling Holloway with Winnie the Pooh.�

According to Larry the Cable Guy, "I love all of Pixar's movies and stuff. I was sittin' in the house one day and I got a phone call. And they said, ‘Hey, wanna be in one a those Pixar/Disney movies?' And I'm like, ‘Yeah. I'd love to.' When I got the fax saying it was a done deal, I said, ‘No way. Ya gotta be kiddin' me.' I thought it was going to be some little teeny tiny part. But, man, it ended up bein' one of the big characters in the film. It was pretty cool. I hadn't been that excited since I found a vision of the Virgin Mary in some potato salad at a picnic.

"John and I are real good buddies,� he adds. "We're both into anything that has to do with a track and cars. He makes ya real comfortable. He told me, ‘Mater is your character. I want you to make it yours and do the lines however you wanna do it.' When I'd say a line and he'd start laughin' I knew I was doin' pretty good.

"Mater is a little bit like me actually,� says Larry. "He's grown up in a small town his whole life, and I'm from a town of 1200. And what he thinks is fun and exciting, somebody in the city would go, that's stupid. Why would you do somethin' like that?' But in his world, it's the most exciting thing he's ever done. He's the world's best backward driver. If you ever wanted a friend, you'd want Mater. He's McQueen's buddy to the end, and he'd do anything for that guy. There's not a mean bone in his body.�

Lasseter adds, "Mater is the definition of true friendship, and Joe and I loved this beat-up rusty tow truck that was always there for his friends. Larry the Cable guy is one of the absolute funniest guys you'll ever meet, and he's a terrific actor too. We had so much fun working with him. When you first look at Mater with his buck teeth, rusty body and missing hood, you think this is a moving wreck. By the end of the film, you just fall in love with him. It's the classic thing about not judging a book by its cover, and he comes to represent so much of the growth of the main character, Lightning McQueen.�

MACK/ JOHN RATZENBERGER: John Ratzenberger eagerly accepted his latest assignment for Pixar. Having provided voices for all six of their previous films, he has been dubbed "Pixar's good luck charm.�

"I'm the lucky one,� says Ratzenberger. "Pixar has created the standard that everyone has to live up to. They're creating history with each one of their films and I feel lucky to be a part of it. ‘CARS' really took my breath away. At first, you're struck by the detail. As you watch the film, you forget you're watching an animated feature about cars. It really tugs at your heart strings.

"My character is rugged, strong, broad-shouldered, yet sensitive,� adds Ratzenberger. "He's not going to get you there fast, and it's not going to be flashy. But you're going to arrive where you intend to go - eventually. He's very reliable and loyal. He's got a work ethic and he wants to make sure the job gets done the right way. I love working for Pixar because of the enthusiasm they bring. You want to play with them and be in their sandbox. John inspires you with his passion and direction.�