Cars

    I really loved rewatching the movie Cars (2006), directed by John Lasseter. Even though I have watched this movie many times, I didn't really notice all of the little things and themes tied in with the movie until I last watched it. Even though Cars is a lighthearted, fun movie about an egotistical race car, it has a lot of meaning. During the first half of the movie, Lightning Mcqueen only cared about himself, Dinoco and winning. When Lightning McQueen first came back to meet with the Rusteeze Company, he was dreading it because they are "dirty" and "unlike him." He hated talking with them because of how different he thought they were from him, even though they were the ones that gave him his big break. Then, when he got stuck in Radiator Springs, he would do anything to escape in order for him to get to his race in California early so he could talk with Dinoco, a big name racing brand. He referred to Radiator Springs as "Hillbilly Hell" and a "dump." However, after slowly falling in love with the people and area and learning its history, he realizes it is not as bad as it seems and isn't rushing to get to California. He realizes that everything he once viewed as bad is not really bad at all. 

    Some scenes that I believe really capture this theme is the opening scene. The screen is black but we hear McQueen talking. It seems that he is trying to hype himself up and get him focused for what we assume is a race. I really liked how the directors did this because it makes the audience feel as though we are inside his mind and can see all of his thoughts. Then the screen starts briefly flashing with clips of fast cars racing on the track. This demonstrates that McQueen is very focused on winning and being the best.  He is not distracted by anything because he won't settle for anything less than that. He does not only desire to be the best but to also have the best. This shows that the only thing he really cares about in his life is himself. However, after spending days at Radiator Springs, we see a shift in his desires. Before the tie breaking race starts, we see McQueen trying to hype himself up again. The screen is black and has brief flashes of race cars just like how it was in the opening scene. However, this time, we see him have some other thoughts. He starts to think about the people back at Radiator Springs and all of the memories he made there. This shows the audience that McQueen doesn't necessarily completely desire to constantly win and have the best. What he desires and needs now are his friends. 

    Cars isn't just a story about a life of a famous race car, it represents how the world views the wealthy versus the poor. Countless of people today usually desire for the expensive things, fame and money, but turn away from anything that they believe is below that, like Lightning McQueen. However, we don't need those things in order to be "successful" and happy in life. After spending time in Radiator Springs, McQueen begins to be thankful for everything that he used to hate. For example, when he realized that The King crashed, he could've ignored it and kept on racing in order to win the Piston Cup. However, he chose to stop and help The King finish his race, even though it meant that he would lose. He realized that all of the things he used to desire don't mean anything. The Piston Cup isn't anything special to him anymore and it is "just an empty cup." McQueen also realizes that he doesn't need to sign with Dinoco in order to be "successful." He chose to stay with Rusteeze even though he used to hate being around them and constantly tried to avoid being seen with them. Overall, we should try to avoid desiring to be the best at everything as well having the most extravagant and expensive things. Instead, we should try to focus on the little things and not judge a book by its cover, because you never know what will truly make you the happiest.