Took the boy to his first movie yesterday, Cars. He climbed up on my lap and sat transfixed throughout the entire show. It was a long time for him to sit through: the movie itself was about 2 hours plus there were about 5 previews and an animated short before the movie began, so I think he was ready to get out of there by the time it was all over.

I was thinking it would be great if there were a movie theater dedicated only to children’s movies. Since he’s been watching Finding Nemo at least once a day for the last few weeks, I think he’d really enjoy it on the big screen.

Back to the movie. I enjoyed Cars (the movie) quite a bit, though I don’t think my wife will find the same replay value that I will, mostly because, well, I like cars (the objects) a lot. Lots of great touches like the pistons and connecting rods adorning the V8 cafe. My mom told me beforehand that when the spark plugs light up, they do so in the timing of a specific V8 engine. Don’t know whether I would have caught that if she hadn’t told me. Since we’ve been watching Finding Nemo nonstop, it’s sort of interesting to compare the two. Finding Nemo has something of a sweeter story about a small boy and his father, about trust when to let go. Cars features a main character who is farther along in life and its themes are a little more mature, about finding and doing what you’re good at while learning to appreciate and love the folks who help make it happen. I think my son identifies better with Finding Nemo since there is a character closer to his age, but there is enough action in Cars to keep him entertained as well.

The animation is, as expected, outstanding. The folks at Pixar are amazingly talented. There is a scene in Finding Nemo where Nigel (the pelican) lands on a buoy to drop Marlin and Dory (Nemo’s pop and sidekick) in the water, then flys away. You only see the broken reflection of Nigel in the surface of the water as he flies away, and the textures of the buoy and reflections on the water’s surface are phenomenal. Cars continues to showcase Pixar’s animation skills, from panoramic desert vistas to multi-car crash sequences that look like they’re straight from NASCAR.

I was taken very off-guard by one particular scene in which it is revealed that a particular car has some particular pin-striping in a particular spot. I won’t give away particulars for fear of spoiling.