Lightning McQueen, Cars, the Movie 

Lightning McQueen, Best Friend

We just moved to Texas, and driving through West Texas on the way to North Texas, we stopped to have dinner in a little tiny town.  Dirt roads, dilapidated buildings, deserted-looking–it looked like a ghost town.  

My 15 year old son got out of the car, ran his hand through his hair, and said, “I feel like we’re on the set of Cars.”

It was hilarious–this place was Radiator Springs, only worse. 

It got me thinking about the movie, and its hero Lightning McQueen.  Whether painted blue or red, Lightning in one hot race car.  And, more importantly, he becomes friend and savior to the town of Radiator Falls.  

STATS: A contender for the Piston Cup in the last race of the season, Lightning McQueen thinks he all that.  He was the underdog and now has to compete in a final race-off in California.  

THE LOOK:

Sometimes red, sometimes blue, he’s sporty, shiny, and has rims to die for.  But Lightning McQueen is much more than the chassis he’s built on or the shell that covers him.  He’s a car on an adventure of self-discovery.  It’s what Lightning realizes is inside him that completes his look. 

LEADING LADY:

Sally is Radiator Springs’ attorney and wants the book thrown at Lightning McQueen for his flagrant disregard of their town and how he tore up their main road trying to outrun the sheriff.  

Sally guides Lightning figure out what’s important in life, and he, in turn, helps fix up Radiator Springs, bringing it to its former glory.  Theirs is a love that develops as the town is revitalized and all the cars in it get a new lease on life.

BOTTOM LINE:

Cars tells the heartwarming story of how one person–or in this case, a car–can impact the lives of so many.  Doc, Mater, Sally, and the whole gang in Radiator Springs is affected by Lighting.  He changes their outlook on their town, on each other, and on themselves.  

It’s a story of how opposites attract, and shows how Lightning grows as a character, begins to think outside himself, and finds love in the process. 

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

Not every animated movie is all that, but Cars is right on the money.  It has all the essential elements that make a movie fun, and poignant. 

Doc Hudson is my favorite character in Cars.  He’s damaged, yet is redeemed and finds a new happiness in the end.

Who’s your favorite Cars character?