Technically astonishing and highly imaginative, Cars will be one of the biggest summer blockbusters this summer. It's another Pixar creation which delights both parents and children with its humor at the same times as it warms their hearts with old-fashioned American values. A brash, talented racecar, Lightning McQueen (what a perfect name) learns that you can't achieve success without the help of friends and you can't find happiness without being able to help those friends. The film captures the nostalgia for 1950s small-town America where life was slower and gas was much, much cheaper. We learn along with Lightning Mcqueen that what ultimately matters is the community not the individual. Our reluctant hero is able to maintain his individuality, achieve success while still helping the community.

We've seen the conflict between the reluctant hero and society played out in countless films, including many westerns. But what makes Cars really interesting is how the conflict between individual and community is imagined and resolved. The film imagines America as a nation of gas-guzzling cars who find true happiness when taking the time to smell the roses (which might be masked by the exhaust of those cars) and enjoy the spectacular American West. In the film, the same car culture which has led to the creation of exburbs and suburbs that have contributed to the death of downtowns is used to celebrate the importance of community.

I'll talk more about Cars as a western later.