Bovie Movie

After a near unprecedented string of critical and box-office smash hits, beginning with Toy Story in 1995, animation studio Pixar produced its first disappointment with Cars. In a bizarre and slightly creepy world where all the characters are motor vehicles, red racer Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a preening, hot-shot track star who, on the way to a big meet in LA, becomes stranded in the small town of Radiator Springs off Route 66. There, the residents, including a cute female Porsche (Bonnie Hunt) and a wise old-timer with a secret past (Paul Newman), teach McQueen a few lessons about the value of taking things slow and enjoying life. The middle act is too sedate and the jokes are below par. But, on the plus side, the racing sequences are mini-masterpieces of editing and the animation is consistently impressive. And if you’re watching the UK release version of the film, you’ll recognise Harv’s dulcet tones — yes, it’s Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson. 

Toy Story creator Pixar continued its run of superb computer-generated animated features with this jaw-dropping underwater adventure. It’s a rainbow-hued delight, overflowing with innovation and vitality. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef provides a stunning starting point for this aquatic fable, as single-parent clown fish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) sees his beloved only son, Nemo, netted by a scuba diver. From then on, it’s a nonstop journey of visual excitement and wonder, as the distraught father sets off to rescue his offspring, encountering a host of colourful characters along the way. As is mandatory for a family film, there are plenty of life lessons for youngsters to learn, but they come agreeably sugar-coated with humour and fun. Meanwhile, a more adult undercurrent offers grown-up laughs, and there’s even some old-fashioned tear-jerking to complete the emotional rollercoaster ride. The voice casting is inspired too, with Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush and Eric Bana among those contributing supplementary texture to a marvellous sensory experience.