Cars

    The 2006 film, Cars, is a classic. The film follows the main character, Lightning McQueen on his journey to become a better person (car). Initially, Lightning McQueen is kind of a jerk. He is focused on fame, winning, and richness. He is quite self-centered and does anything he can to accumulate fans, and money, and to be a better racer. On his trip to California, for the biggest racing event EVER, his traveling truck falls asleep. This leads to a series of disasters, which lands him in Radiator Springs, a rundown town, in the middle of nowhere, with a small population. Not only does he accidentally end up here, but he accidentally ruins the entire town, and now, is forced to repair it before he can leave. At first, of course, Lightning McQueen tries to escape, tries to half-effort repairing the road, and is overall extremely rude to the town members. Over time, he becomes closer to friends with the town members, especially the goofy tow truck, Mater, and his love interest, Sally, and because of this, he has a change of heart. While his heart is blossoming, Doc, the local judge, who was also a previously famous racecar driver, isn't too fond of McQueen. He calls the news to come pick up McQueen to get him out of his town. Because of this, McQueen can race but is feeling a sense of loneliness and regret. During his race, this prevails, but luckily Doc also had a change of heart and ended up coaching McQueen through his race. Although McQueen didn't win, he demonstrates his newly found selflessness, is criticized by Doc, and helps one of his opponents finish the race after a wreck.

    Although a cliche, typical trope, where the selfish guy turns selfless, I really enjoy this film. Watching Doc and McQueen's hateful relationship turn into a mentorship is really sweet. When McQueen found out Doc used to be a famous racecar, he was stoked! This demonstrated a special connection that Doc and McQueen had, which was first denied by Doc, but prevailed at the end. When McQueen was struggling on the racetrack, it was such a warm feeling when Doc started coaching McQueen through his earpiece. It was a real moment of coming together, as the rest of the crew was there too. 

    This movie also speaks on hugely important topics, such as classism. McQueen is obviously a rich and famous racecar, so when he gets to this seemingly "dirty" town, he is immediately judgmental and doesn't want to give it the light of day. When tourists pass by Radiator Springs, they see it similarly. In reality, Radiator Springs, and the surrounding land, are sacred, and beautiful, along with the cars.

    Guido was one of my favorite characters. At the beginning of the film, McQueen is set on working alone, and not having any helpers to change his tires, and at the end, Guido is helping him, in literal lightning speed, which is so cool and sweet. It really just emphasized the idea of a team.