This animated feature comes from Pixar, the studio who has had continued success since the mid-1990s with the Toy Story films, A Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.  Some critics have complained that it is not as effective as the previous Pixar films, but the high US box-office indicates that it was popular.

For the first twenty minutes, I found I was not particularly enjoying Cars.  Perhaps it was the world of racing cars that didn’t appeal.  Perhaps it was the way that the cars were drawn, the attempt to humanise the cars. (As a matter of fact, there are no humans at all in the whole film; the crowds for the races are all cars!) I am not sure at which stage or even why I found I was enjoying the film but, by the end, I was liking it very much.

The drawing and computerisation of the cars and their action is quite extraordinary.  As with the action sequences in The Incredibles, the editing and pace are what you have in a live-action movie and you forget for the moment that you are watching cartoon characters and action.

As with all Pixar films, there is a moral to learn.

Owen Wilson provides the engagingly drawling voice for Lightning McQueen whose ambition it is to win the Piston Cup. He finds himself lost in Radiator Springs where the townscars eventually make him welcome, where he finds true love and self-sacrifice and discovers a veteran champion, Doc Hudson (with Paul Newman’s gruff voice).  His stay in Radiator Springs with the eccentric old cars in a rundown town bypassed by the freeways is entertaining.  The desert and mountain scenery is quite magnificent.

But managers and the media catch up with Lightning and he has to make decisions about the race, his mean-spirited rival (voiced by Michael Keaton) and a heroic act of generosity.  Selflessness wins the day.

Younger audiences might find this a bit long and, with its focus on racing cars, not so engaging.  On the other hand, parents will probably enjoy it more, the human-like cars and the voices of such talented actors as Paul Newman and Owen Wilson.  As with all Pixar films, you should stay for the humorous credits.

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