I Watched ‘Cars’ for the First Time, and Here’s Why I Think It’s a Cartoon for Adults
It’s never too late, right? Watching a kid's movie for the first time in your late twenties is something that helps realize how wise a cartoon can be. And Cars just proved it to me.
It was a boring evening with my sibling and we wanted to watch something, so after an hour of talking we finally chose Cars for the night, and to my surprise, it was then I realized that I know nothing about the movie! Only the name of the red car, which was Lightning McQueen.
Well, it took me only a couple of minutes into the movie to realise the titular car was red for a reason. McQueen’s actions were all red flags, from being too self-obsessed, to not caring whatever there’s anyone in his corner or not. Needless to say I became absolutely annoyed with him in an instant and was hoping that the writers have a great redemption story up their sleeves.
And I was right to wait for it!
Lightning McQueen was driving to California to take part in The Piston Cup to become Dinoco’s next face, but suddenly he was out of his driver-van and became lost on route 66. There he finds himself in a small town of Radiator Springs, full of quirky characters.
Because of all the destruction he caused to the town's road when he got there, he was made to renovate it, and only after that to leave the city and go to California.
Well, a deal is a deal, but at first McQueen was not even trying to feel the heart of the town and do everything as needed. He continued being a self-absorbed jerk not realizing that cars there are different and they have real values in life.
It was then I thought that sometimes people never even realise that they are jerks because the society they are in doesn’t even hint on that. What it does though is make you feel comfortable in your moron position. But once you are put in a place where you feel uncomfortable – start learning quickly.
That happened to McQueen as well, as soon as he realized that there are things in life much more important than winning a race. He finally made friends, he learned how to trust and to be the one who anybody can trust. And frankly, for me it felt like a genuine story that can happen to anyone, not just a plot twist that needs to happen in a cartoon towards the end of it.
I realised as well that everybody can be redeemed, but some people stay awful simply because they don't understand when life is giving them a chance to become better.
Well, maybe Cars can be used in therapy? Or at least schools have to show it in high school, to make teenagers understand life better.
