“Time for a Tune Up!” 5 Lessons to Learn from Pixar’s “CARS”

“Life is a highway, and I wanna ride it all night long.”

Pixar is universally loved for their tear-jerking, laughter infectious and emotion-filled stories. And while “Toy Story”, “Finding Nemo”, and “UP” are the crowning jewels of the beloved animation studio, there is much to learn from 2006’s “Cars”.

Now ready your road trip playlist and your engine’s exhaust system, because we’re about to embark on this throwback tune up!

No Such Thing as a “One-Man-Show”

Lightning McQueen is a fast-paced rookie race car who has his eyes pinned on the Piston Cup. With a quickly gained reputation to hold, McQueen dodges his initial team’s concerns and smothers himself with the attention of paparazzi and fans instead.

Though racing may appear as a one-man show, which McQueen perfectly displayed at the start of the film, it takes a good team of a pit crew and a chie to snatch the coveted Piston Cup. It was a good thing ‘Doc got his back after all, right?

Lightning Mc-Rude

When McQueen found himself lost in the middle of nowhere without MAC, he was desperate and frantic until he reached a humble small community along Route 66 called Radiator Springs. Because his entrance wasn’t very pleasing, he wasn’t greeted with a warm welcome.

Big shot or not, McQueen was impounded after destroying the small community’s road. During his stay at Radiator Springs, the egotistical rookie was able to realize that life didn’t revolve around his fame, and that the world has bigger concerns that his road to the Piston Cup.

Whiny McQueen

McQueen had a week to cross the country and reach LA by the time his race commences. But as unfortunate as that ancient squirrel from Ice Age was, McQueen was stuck at Radiator Springs until after he repairs the damage he’s done to their road. To his frustration and agitation, he “fixed” the road as quick as he could, resulting in a road that was bumpy, messy, and ultimately unacceptable.

Actions speak louder than words. First introduced as a muttering and bickering egomaniac, the speed-defying rookie eventually humbled himself and work hard for his debt. Work is pretty tricky to overcome, but not letting it overwhelm you is a technique you have to learn on point before mastering. Good thing McQueen learned this after Doc had him redo the whole road.

Ka-chow!

You’ve probably heard at least once in your life before the phrase “Not all glitter is gold.” This is true both to material things and the sincerity of personalities, especially when we think so highly of ourselves that we tend to forget those whom we should value more.

Initially, Lightning McQueen was crept and grossed out with Rusteze, despite them being his major sponsor. In life, we should learn to value those who have been there for us through thick and thin because our relationship with these people are investments.

Turning down Dynaco after a heart-warming plot twist may be the most difficult decision McQueen has made in his career, but it won’t be as heartbreaking if he lost his friends as a result.

Friendship

If you haven’t watched Cars yet, then you better be prepared for this spoiler because the once egocentric superstar ended up losing the big race. We will leave the how and why questions to your throwback movie marathon, but to provide a short summary, our favorite Camaro learned the importance of friendship and putting others’ needs ahead of one’s wants. Isn’t that beautiful? Well done, Pixar.