I am a dedicated Pixar fan - I think these folks are pathologically incapable of making a bad movie. I was hooked from the first frame of Toy Story and my enthusiasm hasn't waned a single iota since. They make movies like folks who actually care about their product, and it shows.
One thing I've noticed with their last three offerings is the ever-more-complex layering of visual references and story levels. I suppose it is a natural progression given their evolving cinematic sophistication. I think it actually began with Jesse's Song sung by Sarah McLachlan in Toy Story 2. I remember the emotional impact being both immediate and intense, so much so that it took me a while to go a see it again for fear of breaking down in the theater. No guy wants to admit that a mere song will reduce him to tears. Still does, by the way, every time I watch it.
I really began noticing the growing complexity with Nemo which, in all honesty, I found entertaining but not overtly "Great!" on my first viewing. However, many viewings later I find myself thoroughly immersed in the world it creates. Even though I've probably seen it, oh, forty or fifty times, I still pull the DVD out on occasion, usually picking up yet another little aspect I didn't see before. The same went for Incredibles, which I've watched so often I could probably recite it from memory.
Cars, however, brings that layering and complexity to a whole new level, at least for me. The premise appeals in a very personal way having watched my small home town slowly wither away over the last 40 years, and having each and every character remind me of people I still call close friends. Heck, some I even call family.
I find a special connection in the Brad Paisley song "Find Yourself", the lyrics being poignantly familiar - "When you find yourself, in some far off place, and it causes you, to rethink some things...". Seven years of a rotten marriage ending in a nasty divorce took it's toll on me both physically and emotionally. The best description I have for my condition at the time was 'soulless shell'. I was about as bottomed-out as you can get. Not suicide-bottom, mind you, just turned inward to the point that I didn't give a crap. I have pictures of myself from those years and it's like staring into the lifeless eyes of a mannequin. I went through the motions of life without really paying attention. I was on autopilot. Then one day something happened that caused me to stop and blink. And I mean 'blink' in the literal sense - like a zoned-out druggy who been thumped squarely between the eyes, flinch and all. It was akin to a veil being pulled aside, revealing the world behind it. It did a lot of rethinking that day, and in the many years since. The words of the song mean a lot to me because, well... because I've been there.
I find myself watching the movie constantly, usually when I'm up late at night and the only thing on TV is Discovery Channel reruns. That time when all is quiet and I don't have to worry about the phone ringing or a neighbor stopping by to chat. Just me and the cats curled up in the easy chair. I kick on the movie and let my mind wander, drinking in all the subtle essence woven into the background of the visuals and, more important to me, the story.
Strangely enough I didn't watch the behind-the-scenes until I'd see the movie at least a dozen times. I say "strangely enough" because that's normally the first thing I watch. For some odd reason I didn't with Cars. Flat didn't think about it until late one night when I couldn't sleep. The little "Inspiration for Cars" short isn't much, about fifteen minutes if memory serves, but watching it gave the movie an entirely new and even more personal meaning. I found myself openly weeping after watching it, thinking about my own family and my old friends, all struggling to maintain a sense of community in a town the rest of the world has simply written off and forgotten. Subtleties within the movie that had been noticed but not noted suddenly gained visceral impact, and I found levels within levels I didn't even realize existed. Every time I watch it I discover more.
Why am I posting this? Dunno. It's quiet here today and gave me some time to be introspective. A bit of soul-baring is good for the disposition, I suppose. Helps clear the windshield and fill the tank, metaphorically speaking.
Brad