What's Your Take on the Movie "Cars"

[RoadDog]

I've seen this movie three times now. The first was at the McHenry Outdoor Theater in McHenty, Illinois. It gets better each time. I see more than I had before. I've actually heard applause at two venues. I don't ever remember hearing applause at the conclusion of a movie.

Personally, I believe this movie will go a long way toward getting people out on the open road (gas-prices willing) and especially on 66 or other two lane highways.

It made a great statement about the coming of the interstates and impact on small towns. Even though the places and people were not real, they were a synthesis of what you will see and who you will meet on 66.

What's your take?

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog

[Mark Sedenquist]

I've seen this movie three times now

I agree, it is very cute. Very funny car-humor related references. Excellent research. I will probably go see it again. Make sure if you have not seen it, to STAY TO THE VERY END -- all the way to the blue screen and the copyright notices. PIXAR is famous for those last 100 second sequences and this film does not disappoint!

Personally, I believe this movie will go a long way toward getting people out on the open road (gas-prices willing) and especially on 66 or other two lane highways.

Um, I don't really think it will -- but they did a nice job with creating characters in the small route-66-esque town that were not "dumbed down" like often happens in movies.

It made a great statement about the coming of the interstates and impact on small towns.

I know that it is a popular perception to view Interstates as "bad" and small blue highways as somehow being "good" they are just tools -- I still enjoy traveling on Interstate highways as much or maybe even more than the small winding two-laners out there.

But, all in all, a good, family-friendly, car-friendly summer-fun movie!

Mark

[nenemac]

The car world adaptations of Route 66 landmarks were fantastic. And the subject of small towns being forgotten in the shadow of the big highways hit the nail right on the head.

It was common practice for my family to go somewhere far-flung on a Saturday afternoon and take 66 (Foothill Blvd. in our neck of the woods) back home. Not so for my best friend, who's intrest was piqued by Cars.

We recently ran away from home for the weekend (what happened to the 20-hour road trip thread?) and took 66 most of the way back home. First she thought it was neat to drive through miles and miles of nothing, only to suddenly come aross something awesome like the Bottletree Ranch. But when we hit civilization again she was expecting a lot more. What she got was less than Radiator Springs, and it dawned on her how dead-on the movie really was.

I'm sure other people will be just as inspired to take a ride for themselves, if for no other reason than to show their kids where the movie was coming from. Maybe not throngs of them, but more than usual.

[lhuff]

OK - I have to admit to being the idiot in the movie theater that lost her mind when that was said. Perhaps it was because it had been less than a week since I had decked myself out in head to toe Ferrari gear and watched them race (and win) at Indianapolis.


It did get my sister and I thinking, though. We started to toss about the idea of seeing the US Grand Prix next year (this is assuming that it will be at Indianapolis again) and then heading over to Chicago and taking Route 66 all the way to the Texas Pandhandle and then making our way back to Louisiana. We've never traveled in the Midwest and have only been on Route 66 for short stretches at a time.

[KingofJacks]

Well i loved this movie alot and I would love to take Rte 66 one day. Is there anything like Radiator Springs?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Well i loved this movie alot and I would love to take Rte 66 one day. Is there anything like Radiator Springs?

Us too. There is no one spot, but there are pieces from scores of places and views that the movie designers used to create Radiator Springs. One thing that is interesting, is that inspiration for "Fillmore" the hippy van character was based on a real truck and a real Route 66 character named Bob Waldmire who is also the painter of one of our featured murals in Kingman, AZ.

Mark

[UKCraig]

Absolutely superb film! Works on so many levels and it is sooo accurate. I'm a huge motorsport fan and have been to a number of Nascar races and got back from an awesome trip to the South West a couple of months ago so I guess I was always gonna love it. But the attention to detail is simply brilliant - both on track and on the road. I love it :)

[RoadDog]

Us too. There is no one spot, but there are pieces from scores of places and views that the movie designers used to create Radiator Springs. One thing that is interesting, is that inspiration for "Fillmore" the hippy van character was based on a real truck and a real Route 66 character named Bob Waldmire who is also the painter of one of our featured murals in Kingman, AZ.

Mark

Bob Waldemire is the son of the founder of the famous Cozy Dog in Springfield, Illinois. He has recently commenced work on the map of Illinois at the Route 66 museum in Pontiac, Illinois. Very distinctive art.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Very distinctive art.

Yeah, the form and execution of his art has caused him a fair amount of grief over the years -- he tends to... express his point of view about corporate America in a variety of ways (usually not in ways that make him a favorite in corporate board rooms when discussions are underway about which artist is getting funded for what project....)

Mark

[RoadDog]

Bob is a strict vegetarian and refused to have anything to do with the project once he heard that McDonald's was going to have a tie-in with Happy Meals.

He is one very unique person.

He stands by his beliefs regardless of whether it costs him money or not. I imagine he will be out in Clinton, Oklahoma for the Route 66 Festival in June.

I was able to meet him again, and Dean Walker, who was the influence for Mater at the Springfield Festival in September. Dean can turn his feet completely around, hence Mater's ability to drive so fast backwards.

Keep on Down that Two Lane Highway. --RoadDog