There’s nothing that’ll make you feel older faster than a Pixar or Disney movie anniversary. And in my brain, Cars is as old as Radiator Springs in Disney’s California Adventure, but that happened in 2014, so really, even that’s too old at this point. Where is time going? When did we get here? The concept of Cars reaching its 20th anniversary has me spiraling a bit, like a full-blown Mater crash-out.
But true to most Disney and Pixar films, it still holds up, adding a layer of nostalgia now that feels even more comforting to think about. More importantly, the thing that’s most striking about Cars when you rewatch it is just how stunning the movie is. Radiator Springs is one of my favorite lands at the theme parks, and watching the movie on the big screen easily feels just as transportive as being back on the ride.
In an age where we’re begging for more vibrancy in our movies and are simultaneously terrified of creatives who’d use AI to achieve something an artist mastered years ago, everything about the visuals in Cars feels revolutionary. The word stunning doesn’t feel like a big enough word for how it captures every little detail. The colors of every car, darker scenes still being properly lit, and the landscape feeling completely real are largely why it’s such a triumph.
And then there’s the story. As a wholesome narrative about perseverance and the kind of homecoming that involves a found family, Cars was always one of my favorites in how it dealt with Lightning McQueen’s character journey. Honest, funny, and vulnerable in all the right ways, every part of his story still sticks the landing. Exile is always a strange, nuanced topic to discuss, and it’s especially not one that kids can grasp to its full degree, yet the way we see with Cars works because of how layered the characters and their relationships are.
It’s fascinating to revisit Cars today when so much of what the movie hones in on is the type of community that people are completely missing today. Diners and mom-and-pop shops seem to be even more scarce, many of them taking the biggest losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea of a community has become widely digital, and we’ll see more people on their phones than friends socializing. That reality is often so anxiety-inducing when you dwell on it for too long that it contributes to Cars feeling like a cozy time capsule during its 20th anniversary.
The movie romanticizes the simple things in life—friendships, community, long-forgotten roads—and rightfully so. It’s captivating how that message is still so relevant today, and maybe even more so because of everything we know and have been through. To think of just how much has changed because of climate change and how many places no longer look the way they do is heartbreaking.
From the voice acting to the unforgettable animation, everything about Cars shines even more vibrantly today. Everything about it feels significant and honest, plus genuinely hilarious. While its sequels are fun, too, few things really top the original.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Pixar