Cars 2: Tow Mater, Average Intelligence

"If he's your best friend, why would you ask him to be someone else?"

This is the exactly why I didn't submerge myself in the dangerous realm of friendship. Observing others forming their own BFF clubs back in high school, I realized one cannot fully be himself as the group will always fall into booby traps like backstabbing, senseless fights and misunderstandings and a political arena of passively dominating each other--may it be in terms of romantic relationships, academic statuses or any other unproductive endeavors.

Somehow these were the kinds of friendship I observed that, of course, have evolved from its simpler value and definition. I began to contemplate on what friendship should truly be about after I watched Disney-Pixar's Cars 2 (2011, directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis).

With Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) leading the breathtaking race, Pixar gave a whole new, action-packed James-Bond-like storyline incorported with the quest to define true friendship. At first I was too overwhelmed by the fast pace of the movie, starting with Finn McMissile (Michael Caine, James Bond himself) spying on an illegal mission run by Professor Z (Thomas Kretschman).

Maybe the high-speed chase and the rather complicated plot further muddled by Mater's quite incomprehensible articulation of words buried the simple moral lesson that was unlikely of Pixar. Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed the movie as I also love action-packed ones, and Tow Mater successfully pulled off the humorous atmosphere throughout the movie. I was also amused at how Pixar perfectly portrayed Japan, Rome and London with their respective trademarks, like the geisha in Japan, the Pope in Rome and the Queen in London.

PIXAR @25: Cars "Right turns, wrong turns"

What we've once thought as wrong turns might've been the right ones after all.

Fame. Fans. The Piston Cup. The life.

 And the wrong turn.

We've never thought cars could actually resemble a face, with their bulgy head lights and their shiny glass windows. We've seen it all in the animated racetrack and in Pixar's Cars (2006, directed byJohn Lasseter and Joe Ranft).

In a million ways we've once encountered what Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) felt. Drunk with the cheering mob, the entitlement pleasure and the cheap medals and metal cups and glass plates, competitions only transpiring in a political arena. Those were the times when we felt we're so up when in fact we're a lot more down. When we've thought this kind of life is simply heaven but then it's simply not.

Thanks to the night-long ride to California and the sleepy Mack (John Ratzenberger), as they led our sportscar hero to the road less taken, where he could find something more than his life in the limelight.

Fix the road, get all the dirt, and sleep in a tranquil, one-room hotel:  at first all these were simply unbelievable for McQueen. All that could go wrong--with all that dirty work and the delay and the serious deliberation that he's nothing but another trouble-making outcast--were all turned upside down after accidentally bumping into Route 66's secret heroes and paradise.

Of all the unexpected places to visit, McQueen found his inspiration from Sally the Porsche (Bonnie Hunt), a bestfriend from a rusty towcar Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and a hero from the legendary but humble Doc Hudson Hornet (Paul Newman).

The fixed road. The slow drive. The life.

And the right turn.

Just as we kids found our childhood path in Pixar movies, so did McQueen, in the inexistent road called Route 66. I'd always laugh at the scene when Mater and Lightning were making fun of the lawnmowers, and his big break from the race witnessing the road's paradise with Sally.

After all, any race is not about winning; it's about coming to realize who you truly are.

Cars Fact Sheet

1. The Pixar creators had to use a technique called "ray tracing" for the cars to reflect their environments to get the real look from real cars.

2. The movie earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature in 2006, and two Academy Awards nominations, with a box-office hit collecting $461M worldwide.

3. The inspiration came from director John Lasseter's childhood memories with his passion for automobiles, with his dad working as a Chevrolet parts manager in California back then.

CARS 2 TEASER TRAILER