The greatest race ever told

Cartoons certainly have changed a lot over the years. I remember when Disney released Snow White many years ago and everyone was blown away by the first full-length animated feature film. It even won an award at the Oscars. Now, it looks practically archaic. I suppose that’s truly the way of everything though. Even regular movies have changed greatly as technology evolved and improved.

I guess that’s all to be expected. Personally, though, I’ve loved watching cartoons change over the years. From the original Disney princesses Snow White, Cinderella, and (my absolute favorite) Sleeping Beauty to the pre-millennium generation of Ariel the Little Mermaid, Belle, and Jasmine to the Disney/Pixar girls of today like Jessie in Toy Story, Elastagirl, or Edna Mode, the style of drawing and even personality have changed quite a bit. Disney began with the original perfect damsel in distress and at that time the drawings portrayed the girls to look quite a bit like Barbie actually, but still more real than the later drawings of Ariel or Jasmine who had waistlines too small in proportion to their bodies that it became anatomically impossible for them to exist. Still further down the line there came classics like (my favorite again) Edna Mode who, let’s face it, is a bona fide firecracker but is also quite the hydrocephalus.

And even more than just drawing styles, which were bound to truly change with the passing of the years, stories and feelings in cartoons have changed as well. No longer are they only just for kids. They’re not just a bunch of drawings running around the screen for an hour or so ‘til they beat the bad guy or find some lost item and the credits roll. Now, cartoons are just as much for adults as they are for children and they have become quite witty indeed. I believe we have the new generation of cartoon creators to thank for that!

Which brings me to the wonderful world of Pixar. Though many people may believe that Pixar is new, the company has actually been around for more than two decades. Starting back in 1984 when John Lasseter left Disney to join George Lucas’ special-effects computerwww group, which, in the following year, becomes Pixar with a little help from Steve Jobs. Though they only really made their breakthrough with the full-length, computer-generated film Toy Story in 1995 (the highest grossing film of that year) they had already done many short films before that along with several incredible commercials including the Clio-winning Lifesavers Conga-line TVC.

But, again, as I mentioned above, Toy Story changed everything and took the entire world by storm. Distributed by Disney, it was the first of many successful films the creative duo released (and now they are one company, hooray!) and set the new standard. Toy Story received critical acclaim and took home a slew of Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Woody and Buzz even made an appearance at the Academy Awards show. That was only the beginning. From then on, Pixar was unstoppable, releasing hit after hit including A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monster’s Inc., Finding Nemo (which I LOVED!), The Incredibles, and finally the newly released blockbuster Cars!

I thought Cars was awesome! The animation wasn’t only incredible (I swear they looked so alive!), the storyline was great, the comedy was hilarious, the wit was biting, and the characters were so alive and real that it was so easy to relate to them and love them. See, I believe that that’s part of the magic of Pixar. Not only do they create cutting-edge and flawless animation but they also make their characters so unbelievably unforgettable and loveable. Not to mention they choose the best talents to lend their voices to their creations. Greats like Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and most recently Owen Wilson have loaned their vocal cords to bring characters like Woody, Mike Wozowski, and Lightning McQueen to life and they were amazing!

Cars was just another fabulous film in the illustrious Pixar history. They are indeed certainly not resting on their laurels and are continuing to produce wonderful animated films that really captivate the audience young and old alike. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it does. In my opinion, Cars is a smash hit that appeals to everyone. I thought the cast was full of zany, funny, and witty characters that are easily remembered long after the credits have rolled. My personal favorites are the Italian tandem of Luigi and Guido who run Casa della Tires in Radiator Springs. They’re so adorable, from their intense love of Ferraris, their Italian accents (Guido actually only speaks Italian and can only say "Pitstop" in English), to their crazy antics like Guido knocking everyone’s socks off when he pulled off the fastest Pitstop in history! They’re so cute and the entire movie is easily any merchandiser’s dream come true!

What’s more, even though Pixar cartoon films have become more mature and a little more adult, not to mention more cutting edge, they still have that one ingredient that makes them perfect for children – they’re still stories with good morals and good values, stories about true friendship, about family, and about doing the right thing. Underneath all the humor and appeal, that’s what truly makes Pixar such a giant in the world of animation!