The Point People Missed About Cars

Some people like Cars, some people don't. But everyone seems to agree the ending is good. But, just because people like something, that doesn't mean it always gets enough credit.
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[@toastyboi8737]

I always found it funny how Chick still thinks he'll get the dinoco sponsorship after literally almost killing their golden boy.

[@stuartbarron7117]

That's the thing. He literally only cares about winning and assumes everyone else thinks the same.

[@rainbowrunner1550]

@@stuartbarron7117 Plus, in Cars 3, Chick doesn't seem to have learned anything. He still arrogantly brags about being the "former and forever Piston Cup champion." Chick continues to find ways to roast Lightning and talks about the time he "beat" him, apparently oblivious to the fact that Lightning deliberately forfeited the race to set an example of humility.

[@jamiegioca9448]

@@rainbowrunner1550 Honestly, I bet he was just developing an addiction to copium, ain't no way he's that blind

[@MWSin1]

@@jamiegioca9448 The more someone tries to look amazing, the more confident you can be that they know they aren't.

[@benjaminbingaman1848]

Well, by that time, the fans would finally be sick of his tricks.

[@Blue-mj5gm]

It wasn't that important whether Lightning won or not, but it WAS important for Chicks to win to portray how empty it was.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

This is very much true

[@digitalcamaro9708]

Yeah I've been seeing a lot of Instagram/Tik Tok posts about it and arguing in the comments about why McQueen should've just took the win and went back for the King. It goes to show how many people just WON'T get it and how much more mature lightning is for it. I had the same reaction when I was a kid, now I realize that Cars has some of the best development in Pixar.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

@ Soul is just Cars but way better and far better executed, IMO…

[@Toasted_bread37]

Big brain

[@jetflyer62901]

⁠​⁠@@digitalcamaro9708​​⁠ I don't think it's necessarily because they don't get it. It's simply because it was poorly executed. He was right there, at the finish line. He almost ended up crossing the finish line and getting the win whether he wanted to or not, if it had taken him just a little bit longer to slow down... At least for me, that is the point, that is the reason. The execution. Because that just makes it look like they are bending over backwards to do it. It would have been better if the whole thing had happened further back, so that they are not right at the finish line. Or they could have made it so McQueen doesn't slow down in time and ends up getting the win anyway, but make it clear that he doesn't care that he just won, and only cares about helping Strip. That could have worked too.

[@Melindaington]

I had already loved the ending of Cars, but had missed the extra layer of Doc's crash being overshadowed by a rookie. I think the people who say he should've just won are missing the point of WHY Lightning took part in the race. Winning wasn't the goal, it wasn't to be THE best, it was to be HIS best. That's what sportsmanship and competition should be about, and is why Chicks victory is so hollow, because it wasn't earned. Yes, Lightning could've won, but it wasn't worth hurting someone else to do it, which is why Chick is such a great foil.

[@donnycorn3086]

Plus, McQueen never actually get to the finish line first in the final race in each movies (Cars 2's last one being open-ended, which I don't think it tells a lot, and neither was the London race, so we don't talk bout this one). Cars 1 being behind The King and Chick, and Cars 3 where he replaced with Cruz, which granted him a tie-in victory. And it all comes back to "The rookie and the veteran" story.

[@rainbowrunner1550]

​@@donnycorn3086Y'know, that's actually true. While the sequels show that Lightning did win several Piston Cup championships after the first movie, Lightning was never ever shown winning them. This ties in greatly to his character arc. It's not always about winning and being famous, it's about finding the joy in other things. Lightning found joy from being in Radiator Springs and made lifelong friends as a result. Then, in the third movie, Lightning was threatened with being forced to retire, but he found the enjoyment of mentoring Cruz Ramirez, which served as a nice passing of the torch moment.

[@donnycorn3086]

@@rainbowrunner1550 Your comment did remind me that the first part of the 3rd movie wasn't all about McQueen winning races, but about him and his pals racing and having fun on the track as well. He never really got to talk to another driver like they're friends or so in the first movie, just "I and the world" attitude.

[@rainbowrunner1550]

@@donnycorn3086 I 100% agree with your sentiments. The opening scene of Cars 3 shows Lightning having good relationships with his fellow racers, including Cal Weathers and Bobby Swift. It certainly is a testament to how much Lightning has grown since the first movie as well. Plus, it perfectly sets the tone for the struggles Lightning goes through in the third movie, as he's noticeably saddened when Cal and Bobby are forced to retire when Jackson Storm and the other next gen racers begin dominating the competition. It also ties into Lightning's own struggles of facing the prospect of retirement with his own statement: "Racing is the reward!"

[@Skana]

As someone who hated the ending but loved the idea of it, I really wish they had made that message clearer. I think people have a problem with it because they failed to properly forshadow the decision.

[@kirkyturki1546]

"There's a whole lot more to Racing than just winning."

[@TMDTheMaskDirector-ye5oe]

Only this time it actually has wholesome meaning.

[@MinecraftDood02]

What if the real Piston Cup was the friends we made along the way

[@Captainfatbelly34]

@@MinecraftDood02ooh that's a good point

[@AxionGaming2139]

I was going to bring up that quote if someone didn’t already.

[@yasininn76]

Is there tho

[@Im3than]

Actually, he DID have to stop at the finish line, because if he crosses the finish line and then Chick Hicks crosses right after him, The King would've gotten a DNF (did not finish) and the race would've just ended there

[@hendrik7354]

Fair point. By stopping and going back, the King was officially ranked 2nd and completed the race. Pushing him across the finish line after the race ended could still have some symbolic meaning, but the official report would forever be DNF

[@blomgaming6480]

If this was F1 The King wouldnt be DNF since he completed 80% of the race

[@stuartbarron7117]

I'll have to take your word for that but if true, that is a fair point. I could see why the movie wouldn't mention it though since like I said, part of what makes the ending so impactful is that as far as we know, Lightning could have finished the race and then helped but he wanted to send a message instead.

[@RaindropsBleeding]

​@blomgaming6480then how did George Russell DNF on the last lap last year in Australia

[@supersasukemaniac]

​@@RaindropsBleedingyou technically get a position, (any DNFs early in the race count as Retirements and the position is removed from the final standings.) But you will still be Considered a DNF but will get the position higher then the worst performing drivers.

[@TheDr502]

There's another thing that's really good about that scene where Lightning stops right before the finish line. Throughout the entire race, Chick is behind Lightning and The King. As the race goes on, he falls further and further behind Lightning. Near the end of the race, if you count how many seconds it takes for Chick Hicks to finally pass Lightning and win, you'll ask, "It took him THAT long for him to finally catch up?? That's sad". Lightning was so far ahead that he could sit right at the finish line for a good 5 seconds and think about whether to help out The King before Chick finally passed him. That's why Chick spins out other vehicles. He's painfully average at his job of being a race car, so he chooses to cheat because he wouldn't have a chance of victory otherwise. It really reinforces how pathetic he is. That was pretty subtle characterization on Pixar's part, and I like that. I think some folks missed how clever that scene was. For me, it's one of the most memorable parts in the whole movie.

[@stuartbarron7117]

That's a really good point. Really adds an extra layer to Chick celebrating the victory he really hasn't earned.

[@ARockRaider]

oh yah, I didn't ever consider how long he just sits there, when racing is measured in 10ths or even 100ths of a second, a several second difference may as well be an eternity.

[@nuraby_9228]

That actually sorta makes him more relatable if he's actually an average racecar that made himself into a contender by the only method he had lol

[@sewey5069]

I think I just noticed a movie error... In the scene where you see the king flying, you can see mcqueen only just ahead of Chick and the King, but then just after and when he stops, CHick is nowehere to be seen and takes ages to reach mcqueen, even though he was only just right behind him only a few moments ago... interesting ive never seen anyone mention that before and ive just realised it

[@tsunertoo9149]

​@@nuraby_9228Seriously? His method to win is breaking rules. That's like being in a cooking competition and then coming close to winning because you kept making everyone elses dishes burn

[@Victor-056]

4:06 To be honest, that would be the _Sponsors_ and media that saw him as such, that once they saw Hudson crash out, they moved on and abandoned him, not the fans of Hudson. You can see that once Hudson made himself known. Even Strip Weather's Crew were in stunned awe when they realized who was Mcqueen's Pit Crew Chief, and the media crews (Who had been raised on tales of the Legendary Hudson Hornet) went frantic and scrambling to focus on Hudson when they realized he was there. In fact, Mcqueen himself even said "Oh, right, your big wreck of 54..." as if he _just_ remembered a vital piece of Doc's History he had previously been told of. The Hudson hornet had his fans... But the media and the Sponsors at the time likely claimed "Doc retired of his own volition", which was not truly the case.

[@Logan-tinyplanetss]

the people loved him!! literally EVERYONE in the audience, no matter which merchandise they had on, started whispering and cheering for doc. the people didnt stop loving him!!!

[@Woodland_Adventures]

I had no idea The King's name was Strip Weathers, so I spent a full five minutes googling stuff about cars, trying to figure out who the hell that was lol.

[@BogeyTheBear]

Take the line said in _Ford vs Ferrarri_ where a reporter begins to question Carroll Shelby why the first American to win Le Mans would suddenly quit, then conject that he lost his nerve when in fact Shelby got sidelined by his heart problem.

[@EMETRL]

kinda glossed over the fact that by pushing him over the finish line, mcqueen finished behind him in the race results. It's a perfect way of showing respect, and that alone earned mcqueen a greater legacy than a championship ever could

[@t1mast3r7]

I feel like to prove your point even further, McQueen could have driven forwards to turn around after Chick passed him, but McQueen slowly drives backwards instead to avoid crossing the finish line in second. He was adamant that if someone was going to lose by unfair means then he didn’t want to win.

[@TeenWithACarrotIDK]

Yeah, people forget that the whole point is that he sacrifice his win to give the king a good finish. You can’t have your cake and eat it too, and he knew that. Him winning would kill the whole point of his choice and still show that he put his own success above the well being of others, which he used to do. Edit: again, he didn’t get his cake and eat it too. He lost the piston cup, and that was a massive motivation for him and goal throughout the whole movie. He lost the chance to be the first rookie to win a piston cup but in return gave an old timer one last good lap while pushing him which caused himself to be in last instead. He did indeed make a sacrifice here and no, he didn’t get both things. He picked the king over the piston cup, and he makes that clear when he says “it’s just an empty cup”, showing how his mind has changed.

[@jo3473]

exactly ! if the theme is that there are more important things than winning a race and it’s just an empty cup that won’t bring fulfillment at the end of the day, then having him focus on winning instead of helping someone would COMPLETELY undermine the message.

[@GLUBNOIR]

Unless you bake two cakes

[@ALJ9000]

@@GLUBNOIR You’re really going to hold a tiebreaker race for who wins second in the first tiebreaker?

[@GLUBNOIR]

@@ALJ9000 That was a line from Across the Spider-Verse

[@ALJ9000]

@@GLUBNOIR Yeah, but it’s a pretty hollow response to a situation where you cannot have it both ways, no matter how hard you try

[@IzakiAkanami]

Another detail I just realized, throughout the entire 200 lap race when Lightning was trying to regain his lap, The King was literally comfortably leading the whole race, which just adds to the narrative that Chick clearly had no chance of winning the moment Lightning caught up to them. And even if Lightning didn't win, I'm still certain that The King would still win the race if nothing dirty happened.

[@klltx2001]

I remember seeing someone point out on a video of the final race (when KZbin allowed comments on animated film clips x3x) that after Lightning's drift got him in front, there was a small moment of The King smiling after him in a sort of blink-and-you'll-miss-it bit. He was proud of seeing Lightning overtake him considering the last time they raced he was really selfish. He was stupid, as King said. I wouldn't be surprised even if he would've been fine taking second because of him witnessing how much Lightning had learned since then, probably even as long as Chick was last because he didn't deserve even being a runnerup (Ofc, we know things don't work like that and he plays dirty, but ya get what I mean)

[@spider-soniczilla2989]

Not to mention as another person in the comments pointed out it takes Chick a good 5+ seconds to finish after Lighting came to a complete stop, and in a sport that measures time by 10th and 100th of seconds, a whole 5 seconds is usually the difference between first and last in a FULL race of 12+ participants, and this one only had 3, Chick stood ZERO chance of wining this race.

[@ZM1306]

​@@klltx2001 Think part of that is the pride and comfort that a man stepping down from his career knowing that he is not leaving everything to fall into ruin, but that the torch he once received and has worked to keep lit will be dutifully looked after after he is gone?

[@Memelord1117]

It also looked like as if king was trying to stop chicks from pulling any more stunts on mcqueen by blocking him.

[@USSFFRU]

@@klltx2001 Here's the best part, when Chick complains about it, The King _was literally looking behind him annoyed._ It was like even HE got sick of Chick and was purposefully trying to be in the way to stop him from getting any light as second place. The King for most of his time was mostly being neutral at most towards Chick and annoyed at worst but he was being professional enough to race with him as peers and equals even if he didn't like seeing him as one. It was him deciding to purposefully be in the way instead of it just because The King didn't want to be third place.

[@bobi200samatar6]

I always found the way they depicted crashes to be interesting. In the opening scene, Chick causes a gigantic crash and it's portrayed as a set up for funny gags and for Lightning to be a big cool guy by weaving through it. Because Lightning doesn't care about these other cars and sees this an obstacle to overcome instead of a terrible thing that's been done to his fellow racers. And because he's the main character, we see it that way too and don't really question the absolute carnage we're being shown. Then he learns about Doc's big crash. The one that ended his career. In that moment, McQueen gains the respect for the kind of damage a crash can do to car's body or reputation. And from that moment every crash we see is treated with weight and respect. The King's crash at the end, the World Grand Prix racers being made to crash into each other, McQueen's own big trailer bait crash. The only time this is subverted is at the dirt rally. This is an event where the point is for the cars to wreck each other. But while the participants and audience are happy with it, McQueen and Cruz are terrified and spent the entire game dodging attacks instead of actually playing along. And while the scene is funny like the first film's opening crash, the tone isn't "Wow, McQueen is such a badass for being able to get through all that", it's "WTF this shit is insane, I hope they get out of there".

[@fettycheese2498]

That’s an amazing point to think about. It never clicked to me at just how seriously they took the crashes. Especially with cautious they were, after the demo derby, McQueen is even asked “You sure you were in a demolition derby? Because there’s not a scratch on you”

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

@@fettycheese2498 The best part about the Cars Movies have always been crashes, and how the narrative always uses Crashes…

[@texposeidon1256]

I always thought the crashes were pretty horrific no matter which part of the movie they were displayed. In real life if the rig is built right, it’s meant to protect the driver to some degree when a crash inevitably happens, but in this movie, they are the rig- they are freaking cars!So when they crash, the utter damage that is done to their body is pretty freaking scary.

[@Logan-tinyplanetss]

GREAT POINT, ive been rewatching this movie since i was a kid and never recognized that. but it absolutely makes sense!! because the movie's plot is so tight it's focused solely on lightning, of course we follow everything through his eyes as he grows....

[@DoctorPhileasFragg]

@@texposeidon1256 *utter damage?

[@StarMechV]

A small detail in Cars 2 I really like (despite its infamy) regarding this is that its mentioned in passing that by then Lightning had already won a fair share of Piston Cups. This shows how Lightning throwing away his victory did NOT mark the end of his career and that at the end he really did do the right choice here.

[@rjsouthworth5246]

It feels like when people say, “Why didn’t Aladdin wish to be a prince again, then give the lamp to Jasmine and have her wish the Genie free?” It just wouldn’t have been as meaningful.

[@ashesGeek]

Not just wouldn't have been meaningful, it would've just shown Doc that Lightning hasn't learned a thing in Radiator Springs and him not valuing King means that he doesn't really values his friends too as much as victory and some boring Piston Cup.

[@nickthepick8043]

Or how SOME people think the Iron Giant should just used his laser canons to destroy the missile. Some people just don't have it in them to see.

[@jo3473]

@@rjsouthworth5246 yeah it’s very clear it’s about following his word and not finding a loophole. of course he COULD HAVE wished to be a prince then asked someone else to wish for the genie’s freedom, but he promised him. he used to operate based on loopholes and tricks (even tricked genie when he first met him) and lies and it shows immense growth to have him hold to that promise even when he didn’t have to - when he could have tricked and lied and found a loophole. it’s about honesty and integrity

[@beanman3113]

@@jo3473 It's also Aladdin showing in no uncertain terms that he cares more about the Genie as a friend rather than what the Genie can do for him.

[@erikbihari3625]

​​@@beanman3113. And like every great villain, jafar was excellent counterpoint towards Aladdin! Some people are blind.

[@LightningCayo]

When I saw this movie as a kid, my step dad told me this after the movie was over; “In life, you can either be like Chick Hicks, or you can be like Lightning McQueen.” That stuck with me, and it made me love Cars a lot more and try to be like Lightning McQueen to help people.

[@JeweloftheWorld2000]

Thanks for adding this. I think I need to have a similar talk with my little brother.

[@BeDatAPickle]

W step dad

[@chowderdx]

As true as that is, it also sounds really funny. "You can either die a Lightning McQueen or live long enough to become Chick Hicks." -Sun Tzu

[@DefNoAsh889]

1:38 Imo, if Lightning did cross the finish line and then helped the King, it would've made him look selfish and the King's career wouldn't have ended with a high note, as he was overshadowed by another rookie. Which is why he gave it away to someone who does care about winning and fame more than other people, Chick, and even though he won the piston cup, it really meant nothing. In other words, it was just an empty cup not worth sacrificing the king for

[@Im3than]

Also, if he crossed the finish line and Chick did right after him, The King would've gotten a DNF and not properly finished the race

[@metawarp7446]

@@Im3than Yup, because a racer past the finish line wouldn't be allowed to interfere with the race (like helping King)

[@RaxusXeronos]

@metawarp7446 I don't think that is what would happen. I believe since King couldn't move, the race would be considered FINISHED and placing final. Lightning stopping and going back to push him meant the race was technically still on and King being pushed past the line before Lightning would make him Second instead of DNF. It was a loophole to give The King a dignified 100% finish rather than leaving him to not complete the race.

[@metawarp7446]

@@RaxusXeronos After 1st and 2nd finishing, I'd imagine they'd wait at least a minute to see if King can move, and maybe McQueen could have pushed him then. Regardless, whether McQueen could have pushed King or not; I agree the right thing was for McQueen to finish last. Man, I have to rewatch Cars :)

[@himedo1512]

​@Im3than if it's f1, it's marked as finished as long as you had done at least 80% of the race.

[@52flyingbicycles]

If McQueen would have crossed first then gone back for The King, then the crowd would be going wild for McQueen winning and his act of kindness would be a footnote. “Oh he did a cool thing to help The other car who crashed out I guess”.

[@raymaikeru]

Not only that, but it technically would also not really send that much of a message. As someone in this comment section said earlier. If both McQueen and Hicks cross the finish line, and King is in no condition to keep moving, then King would be docked with a DNF (did not finish) similar to Doc. So when McQueen said "The King should finish his last race", he really meant "finish".

[@Kierkierkier]

I thought the exact same thing- I was happy that the press attention was a point mentioned in this video. Regardless if winning and then helping him would be kind and show his growth, it still would've been about him. His biggest growth as a character is that things don't have to be about him all the time, and the ultimate kindness that he can do for the King is to let him have this special moment on his way out.

[@alieninsectbass]

That, I think, would still completely defeat the purpose. In the scenario you mentioned where McQueen crosses the finish line, yes, you're correct, they cheer for McQueen, and the rookie makes a nice gesture to McKing afterwards. McQueen maybe still gets the Dinoco sponsorship for winning the race. But McKing's crash would have been an ultimate low point to end on for McKing--just like Doc Hudson. So the alternate scenario of McQueen finishing the race first and then helping McKing means that McQueen still puts his dreams of winning a race above helping someone else--just like when Hudson's crash was overshadowed by a new rookie's victory. McQueen gets all the attention due to winning. History repeats itself. Compare that to McQueen halting without crossing the finish line, with the world watching. Complete. Silence. The whole movie of Cars has been building up to this point; helping McQueen realize that winning the race really doesn't matter. Or at least, not nearly as much as the glory of actually racing; giving an old racing legend an uplifting and emotional end to his career. You can see this with how McQueen thinks of Sally driving next to the waterfall, or thinks of his Radiator Springs family instead of winning the race when he's inside Mack before the race starts. McKing is still a big focus; even though McQueen is the one making the kind gesture, McKing is the one with all cameras on him and the one that most people are talking about. This is the ultimate character growth for the red car. He starts out cocky, pursuing fame and winning his first race for his whole life, not caring about the people around him (even his own pit crew); and becomes a compassionate racer by the end. With what happened in the movie, history does not repeat itself. The moral of Cars is that compassion and love outweigh the glory of victory.

[@bluefoxbrawler]

I especially like the quote the Dinoco CEO says to Lightning, "There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning." Not only does that drive your points home, but I feel that it shows the racing scene DOES actually care for those who are doing it and the message Lightning was trying to show. I've never heard of a guy's career immediately falling apart just because he didn't make podium on his first race. Would it have been impressive? Sure. But let's not toss everyone aside just because they didn't make first.

[@Sorain1]

It's also a really great choice to have the minor character most expected to not have such an attitude (The CEO of a company.) be the one to say that.

[@jamiegioca9448]

I always found it rather interesting that Lightning says the very same thing while being interviewed after the 1st race

[@danieldortch8779]

Probably because it’s a famous saying for those in the business/industry/profession/sport, but again, a legend, both King and the CEO of the biggest racing corpos out there say it, it means that it ACTUALLY MEANS something. Maybe it didn’t hit Lightning then and there, but it helped plant the seed of growth he later went through.

[@yeetmeister3055]

Tbh even as a kid I understood the meaning behind McQueens forfeit of the win, and even understood the gravity of his win. For all intents and purposes he did win, a rookie proved himself faster and more skilled than the reigning king and his runner up, the whole world saw his final pass and his stop before the finish. The world saw his victory and even accepted it with his has pass with the king, the cheer says it all. I always interpretted the ending as both a contextualization of character growth for McQueen but also a moment of realization and a proper ending for Doc, i wish they gave him more screen time. Throughout the mid part of the film Doc was constantly characterized as a grumpy pessimistic car that had nothing but contempt for anything and everything about the racing scene, believing everyone to be shallow. McQueens finish and the final race was essentially to disprove that. People did genuinely care to some degree, everyone was astonished by his return and only had praise, and McQueens finish with the king had an exponentially higher applause than Chicks hollow victory.

[@HumanThing-fm6xt]

It drives me crazy how so many people, including creators like LS Mark just completely miss the point of this scene despite the message being extremely obvious

[@ashesGeek]

Guessing when the movie is about sports all people can think of its plot should end up with winning the first place or else the story is meaningless. I seriously don't understand how people can even complain about that beautiful scene.

[@TheEldritchHyena]

@@ashesGeek I think it's really because Cars 2 was so awful that it made the general public retroactively decide that Cars as a franchise was NEVER good to begin with, so people miss a lot of the nuances in the first movie because they don't want to be challenged on that consensus. I used to be one of those sheep for a time, but as I've gotten older I've come to realize that the first Cars is actually a genuinely good movie that people refuse to give the time of day to because the sequel ruined its reputation.

[@ashesGeek]

@TheEldritchHyena honestly, I don't think Cars 2 is that bad. Yes, it completely misses the point of Lightning sports journey, but I don't think it's Megamind 2 level awful. It's just a simple filler to turn your brain off while watching.

[@cloudwalker9572]

That should tell who's the most like them in that race. Hint: it's not the old man and it's not Lightning.

[@Z38_US]

@@TheEldritchHyena Best thing to do is just watch Cars and then skip straight to Cars 3, they make zero callbacks at all towards Cars 2 in 3 but several to Cars 1 so in my mind the 2nd one really is just kind of a filler in between with the main Story just being 1 and 3, you can never watch Cars 2 and not miss a single thing in the story.

[@dannymartial7997]

If McQueen won first and then went back, King would’ve finished last instead of 2nd. The gesture isn’t much of a gesture if no sacrifice is made.

[@Glamrocks_Universe]

“The moral of this movie is winning & being famous is not always gonna fix your problems”

[@bluesrike]

"And more often than not, it makes them worse. 'Mo money, 'mo problems."

[@aikordcz4424]

I know a lot of people don't like Cars, but I just don't get why exactly. Is it the nonsensical worldbuilding? Mater as a comedic relief? I don't know. For me, Cars is an extremely comforting movie. It has action and high speed races, but for the most part, it's just wholesome and calm story, especially all the time Lightning is in Radiator Springs. The ending is a cherry on top, clear and awesome messege, perfect finish for Lightnings character arc, just awesome

[@jo3473]

people love to nitpick bc some parts of the series’ worldbuilding as a whole can be flimsy at times. who the fuck cares? the most important part is the themes and overarching story being told.

[@madkoala2130]

​​@@jo3473themes are never main selling point of the movie. If you want them, watch 90% of those flim festival flufs, most of those movies are not watchable and have little to no entertainment, just "themes". Movie should be trying to achieve everything, good story, camera work, editing (flow of the movie) etc. Cars is equally good movie to rewatch and enjoy and those themes are just cream on top (and we all know how bad cream is without actual cake)

[@sliceddpbj]

I don't get it either, 2 of my favourite animated movies are not loved by a lot. Those 2 movies being cars and adventures of Tintin

[@RJDavePhin]

I kinda get it, but also don't get it at the same time Personally, I love Cars just as much as any Pixar classic

[@Wendy_O._Koopa]

You've gotta admit Mater is _frighteningly_ unfunny, like he makes Jar Jar Binks look humorous by comparison.

[@jrother]

Also interesting, that I haven't thought about, is that Chick, though clearly having cheated to get the win, is still given the trophy. Silent statement that the establishment didn't reprimand him for the unnecessary pit maneuver.

[@RayleighSilvers]

In Chick's hands, it literally is just an "empty cup".

[@shadowshots9393]

Not given, thrown at to send the message of "fine! Here's your god damned cup" And then the crowd proceeded to boo at him

[@jnawk83]

When is a pursuit intervention technique manoeuvre _necessary_ in racing?

[@GLUBNOIR]

​@shadowshots9393 Not to mention he was bombarded by confetti

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

Not sure about NASCAR, but if he did this in Formula 1 in the era this movie was made they'd black flag (disqualify) his rear bumper into the next millennium. Probably went ham on his racing license with a blowtorch for good measure.

[@lasercraft32]

Its not about winning... Its about sending a message.

[@Charles-7]

i agree, it more than just about winning, it's about putting the moral effort to winn, and to not cheat to get it.

[@CongPham-yv2bv]

Excellent point. The same can be said for the movie watchers as well. The narrative is ‘it’s an empty cup’, and the sacrifice of the cup is much more impactful than getting both by technicality. It’s not completely logical (though the King getting a DNF is a valid point), but it’s emotional, it sends a much powerful message to kids and adults alike

[@Charles-7]

@@CongPham-yv2bv I know another famous quote that could fit in cars: "windom is a circle, what you receive you must give back".

[@dracozeon_]

So glad someone finally said it, mcqueen finishing the race then going back would completely ruin the point of the entire scene

[@qwerty3793]

I think a lot of the people that wanted Lightning to win this race and then help out are the same people that wish this movie held onto the tone of the opening scene throughout and was more of a traditional sports movie. The detour into Radiator Springs loses a lot of people that wanted this movie to be more about the excitement of racing, rather than a story about slowing down, appreciating life and having honor and respect for those that came before you. The ending is very fitting for the kind of story this movie is telling, but Lightning winning the big race would be fitting for the type of story some people *wish* this movie were telling, if that makes any sense.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

There’s a good reason why Americans hated Cars, but everyone else in the world loves Cars 1

[@snakewithapen5489]

​​​​@@TiagoGomez-hb9te that is a really weird generalization to make. I dont think it's a country thing, it's more of a type of personality thing. The creator of this video is (it sounds like) an american after all

[@Burnoutparadise95-d8d]

​​@@TiagoGomez-hb9te I think it's the opposite.

[@UnePintade]

​@@Burnoutparadise95-d8dit's very unlikely to be the opposite since NASCAR is basically irrelevant anywhere else. What it is though is wrong as Americans didn't really hate cars 1, they just have a high amount of people that dislike it

[@ShadowReaperX07]

"Please just win the race" The sign that the average person is apparently unable to tell the difference between Winning in spirit, and winning in practice. Nor apparently what a 'hollow victory' is. This has happened in Races in real-life. Where people have vacated their 'actual' placement positions in order to help another. The Brownlee brothers in 2012 had such an event, Jonny, who was in first, was incredibly dehydrated and began weaving 700m from the line. Alistair, who was in 3rd place could, reasonably, have ran past him [yes I know they're bothers, I know this was unlikely] and finished in 2nd or even 1st place. Instead, Alistair chose to help Jonny AND ensured Jonny crossed the line in 2nd place, with himself in 3rd (having both been overtaken by the South African contender finishing in first who DIDN'T stop to help). I'm not rendering judgment on the South African per se, he wasn't any obligation to stop and help a runner in distress. But it's more about making the point that the story that made the news wasn't his victory, it was the 'heroic' display of brotherly love. If you have essentially 'clearly won' I.e. You're inches from the line and could go back many times that distance. The audience knows 'you won'; even if you receive no credit that this was in fact the case. It also makes the 'real winner' have a somewhat hollow victory, because although they obtain the rewards (after all, by the means we measure 'winning', they won) everyone knows that the reality is they would have lost if the situation were different. Could he have won and gone back? Yeah sure. But personal integrity is a thing, I don't need a bit of paper to say "I'm good". By the end of the film, Lightning McQueen knows he's good, he proved it.

[@scipocelah6677]

This is exactly why the Jamaican Bobsled team walking across the finish line was so impactful. They clearly lost by time, but won in spirit.

[@kokorochacarero8003]

It kind of reflects whatever culture the viewer exists in imo If you were raised in an enviroment that values individual "success" above everything else, (and I'd argue some people value success ESPECIALLY when it is at the expense of somebody/something else), it would make sense for somebody to prefer this kind of outcome to the one that's more in line with Lightning's character development

[@ItsAK9]

Ngl i actually love the ending for this as it showcases more of a maturity in heart. Of course he could've done both, but his the main focus was his priority on what was more important. Leaving fame and glory for a more meaningful interaction is what honestly makes the first Cars movie kinda goated tbh.

[@RenegadePlayingGames]

Yeah at first when I saw the video I was thinking "wait, isn't it obvious?" and then he showed the clips from other youtubers and I cringed so hard. We really do need more stories with foundational moral lessons like this.

[@M0ONCommander]

The third one too, to some extent. How stubbornly clinging onto fame and past glory can have the opposite effect and lead one to infamy. Driving the message of how sometimes you just have to pass the torch

[@cmSaS]

Also remember the specific references… the King is a direct reference to Richard Petty. Complete with the 1970 Blue Plymouth Superbird and even VOICED by Richard Petty himself. Who, in his last race, was involved in a crash that has his garage spend the rest of the race to get running again to get Petty back out on track before the end of the race. So he could be out there at the end of his last race. To “Finish” his last race. This was the 1992 Hooters 500. Also coincidentally the only race to have Petty, Earnhardt AND Gordon all in the same race. As it was Gordon’s first race and Pettys last.

[@cmSaS]

Further, the crash itself is a reference to one that Petty actually had. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ2pfaF8mJxsmKssi=GkaXj18F415mFOva This crash also got NASCAR to mandate the iconic window nets. Also, Petty has a crash on the last lap just before the finish line and is pushed across it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYuviaCoedWqf6Msi=4syvOctsIbr_9xRV And finally, the actual “physical” reference for the crash. Rusty Wallace at Talledega. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGasf6qXqc9-hassi=favA6N-p2gcPS-6f kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJ-lg5p5lMenjZIsi=991QTGwxgYQn6MYC While I’m doing this, might as well add… Richard Pettys Last Lap kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKjdlIJvpqZ2r68si=BBzHVr6Rm_PiVAfE

[@twaggytheatricks4960]

@@cmSaS I thank you so, so much for all this information. It really elevates the movie for me, particularly since I _love_ attention to detail like this. Seriously, big thanks.

[@cohengamertv6548]

Cars was basically a Love note to stock car racing,

[@X1erra]

The common sense is that once you cross the finish line, you're not supposed to make contact with anyone, nor alter anyone's race. If you cross the finish line first before pushing King, emotionally it's pointless, no matter the rules. He didn't want King to DNF like Hudson did, and the audience sympathized and cheered for him because he gave up his 1st place for him.

[@jamiegioca9448]

1:48 C'mon, Stuart, that's not really fair. We all know CinemaSins has been desperately grasping at straws for the sake of content for quite a long time now

[@kirkyturki1546]

To be fair, I think he's not too serious about most of the stuff he says. A lot of it he says just to be funny

[@jamiegioca9448]

@@kirkyturki1546 That's where you're wrong, sadly

[@kirkyturki1546]

@ Surely not. I don't watch him a lot, but from what I've seen, some of the "Sins" aren't even valid. It's the most nitpicky of things to the point where it's like "That's gotta be a joke." Sometimes he's serious, sometimes he's not. I hope I'm not wrong, cause if I am, that Is VERY sad.

[@KyleRDent]

Sometimes they just outright lie and make up their own straws to grasp. It's infuriating.

[@blomgaming6480]

​@@kirkyturki1546 that's the issue, it conveys a mixed message that isnt well delivered to their audience and it ends up as conflicting. So their big audience who they know are very Influential make a general opinion about the movie from their "jokes" as legit criticism from a potentially "professional" source

[@JeremyBelpoisX]

"It's just an empty cup."

[@jokelethkurueisner9229]

Doc was right, especially when you really think about it. I got the point when I saw the movie as a kid. Lightning realized there’s more to life than just winning.

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

If someone criticizes Schaffrillas for not understanding why Lightning didn’t choose to win, then that guy earns my respect.

[@emondadon]

Never cared for schaff he always kinda just felt like a lesser, more annoying doug walker to me. I actually like nostalgia critic though because even if he has a different opinion than me his perspective and reasoning is actually interesting to hear.

[@hada__02]

@@emondadon no disrespect to your opinion but “Lesser Doug Walker” has to be one of the most crippling insults I’ve ever read

[@andreasottohansen7338]

@@hada__02 I mean, I can think of worse people to be lesser than.

[@laziwastaken]

​@andreasottohansen7338 unrelated entirely, I love the shadow of war pfp

[@andreasottohansen7338]

@@laziwastaken thanks, i get that a lot.

[@jo3473]

if the only people that like you like you because you’re a winner, then when you lose you’ll have nothing and nobody. fame doesn’t last. it’s just an empty cup.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

Are you a Christian? Puss N Boots was perfectly explaining this

[@mercenarydelta7351]

@@TiagoGomez-hb9te What does religion have anything to do with this statement? Besides, Cars 1 came out way earlier than Puss in Boots.

[@ChrisRion-xy3yb]

What was the comment you replied to? It's removed on my end.

[@mercenarydelta7351]

@ there was someone who asked if OP was a Christian, then proceeded to say that Puss in Boots had done this.

[@ChrisRion-xy3yb]

@@mercenarydelta7351 Humility and serving others before yourself, as seen in the beloved movie, is very in-line with the Lord's will, but to say that OP is a follower is guesswork. Also - Puss In Boots? Did this channel have a video on that as well, and thus the statement?

[@limwater8230]

I’ve always went off the logic that, “if I don’t help them now, no one will”. Because I have no reason to believe, no matter how many people are around me that any of them will help them. And I would want to make that clear in a race. The reason I would have stopped before going past the finish line would be to bring as much attention as possible that someone got hurt and that the injured person is more important to pay attention to. The moment any other racer passed me, they should notice they should have lost and looked back to see why I stopped, but villains always have a way of being too self absorbed to notice they are not special.

[@ethanp.796]

"When is the last time you cared about something except yourself, hot rod? You name me one time and I will take it all back."

[@adamperdue3178]

If Lightning finished the race, he wouldn't be allowed to go back and get the King across the line. Even if they didn't immediately declare The King DNF because all other racers had finished, and the only racer left racing was unable to continue doing so- then Lightning STILL wouldn't be allowed to go back and push him, because that'd be a non-racer interfering in the race. Lightning has to give up the win in order to get The King across, that's just how it works.

[@ashowofhands9813]

It too has always buggedme when people complain about this scene or say “oh I would’ve crossed the finish line first then help him”. Plus McQueen has a whole career ahead of him as this was his first racing, and he knew the King deserved better.

[@KiuhKobold]

Picking between a "loser" placed last but with integrity or a self-centered winner without morals. Yeah he could have crossed the finish line and turned around, but when another competitor is clearly hurt and probably doomed without aid what matters most at that moment? Funny how living cars displayed more empathy and care than actual humans.

[@blazingghost9963]

You know, with McQueen taking a "detour" in his racing mentality and learning to care for others and take it slow, it reminds me of a certain quote from, believe it or not, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. "The shortest route is a detour. It was a detour that was out shortest path"

[@dr.fiction7]

Considering the part that comes from is also about a race, it makes sense.

[@aaronthomson3639]

I really appreciate this. I always defend the first Cars and felt it had a very good and impactful ending. Even as a kid, I was stunned that Lightning won the race and felt it unfair Chicks one. But then I realized Chicks did "win" but he pretty much lost everything and had no one while Lightning despite coming in 2nd place was adored by people and still had his friends that he made from Radiator Springs. And I think him helping the King wouldn't have happened if he hadn't know what happened to the Hudson Hornet and how he just became Doc Hudson in Radiator Springs so that's why it was so powerful. I also love how King's sponsor wanted to make Lightning the new spokesperson for Dinoco simply because he helped King and made sure he did his last race gracefully despite coming in 2nd. And Lightning only wanted to use the connections to make sure Mater flew in a helicopter like he always wanted. That always made me so happy both as a kid and as an adult.

[@maskedfoxx7173]

Small correction; Lighting came in third, after King

[@nathanguice2417]

I always took Lightning's stop at the finish line to be his way of saying "I refuse to win this way". True sportsmanship (sportscarmanship?)

[@Shanepex]

Yes precisely

[@shojodraws3399]

Seriously? People complain about that?? That's. That's the POINT of Cars, like you said. I swear, media literacy gets worse by the day.

[@ashesGeek]

I'd say both media AND the community become worse each year. There's always been badly done movies, books, etc. just as today. The only thing that changed is a lot more people have access to express their thoughts, unfortunately majority is only interested in debating for the sake of pissing each other off.

[@TheLazyFusspot_3428]

Ye thanks for that Schaff (Ik that’s his personal opinion, but I’ve rode on it for like a year that it’s just the pot calling the kettle black at that point)

[@GLUBNOIR]

​@TheLazyFusspot_3428 I like Schaffrillas and all, but sometimes he can say things that really get under my skin. For example, he acts like Big Hero 6 is the worst movie ever when it's really not.

[@CoqueiroLendario]

​@@GLUBNOIRI stopped watching schaff a while ago, after he dunked on pikmin 2 like if it was a travesty of a game because ''pikmin 1 is pikmin, pikmin 2 isnt pikmin'' like if he KNEW what pikmin is more than nintendo themselves, based solely on the experience of a SINGLE game. It is fair to criticize the many aspects of pikmin 2 that fail to deliver, but the way he went on was so petty and without insight that I just fell out of love with his channel at that moment.

[@DynamicPants]

I'd find it hard to trust people that believes Lightning should have crossed the checkered flag first. "I know what kind of man you are" meme

[@nicolassanabria3219]

Great analysis, the movie hits harder now where thanks to social media all people do is focus on one specific thing and if McQueen had won it wouldn't be the same.

[@TMDTheMaskDirector-ye5oe]

I wouldn’t have seen this scene as wholesome if McQueen had crossed the finish line first, McQueen may not have won the piston cup but he did win the hearts of everyone in America… and maybe outside it too.

[@EKSUCKNOGSTEEDS]

To me, lightning feels like another IRL person, Siya Kolisi, captain of the springboks. At the last rugby world cup he was on the sidelines when they won. He almost ran onto the field with everyone to celebrate, and then he looked back. One player, Cheslin Kolbe, was on the sideline crying. He recieved a yellow card a few minutes earlier and was sent off by the referee, he was out of the game as there was less than 10 minutes left. Kolbe was crying with his shirt over his head, he did not watch the match in disgrace as it was a tight game (11-12) and one wrong move would have ended it. This was also probably the last world cup of his career and he felt he screwed over his friends and country. Kolisi ran to Kolbe, picked him up and hugged him. He assured him he will be fine and got him on the pitch for the celebration. Kolbe was the last man off the pitch. It just shows how much character this guy has, to pick up the lowest rather than be the highest.

[@DavidA-uu7mg]

If lightning had crossed the line first and THEN helped the king it would show cracks in the ideals he had just learned: that he can set aside his respect for others as long as the compromise is small enough. True he was right there anyways and he had to slam the breaks to stop short but that’s literally the entire point: he can’t afford to compromise his integrity, no matter how atomically SMALL, because it’s all or nothing. Stopping everything to immediately help the king outweighed doing both but knowing you took a compromise to have it happen. Again, the fact that the compromise is so atomically small not just matters but matters a lot! It’s all or nothing or else it becomes transactional and fake! His ideals are infallible, and infallible doesn’t mean it can be compromised as long as the sacrifice is small enough.

[@DavidA-uu7mg]

But I guess romance (not the romantic kind) and ideals are something that’s lost on a lot of modern audiences…which is weird because I thought the entire point of film was to convey these complex emotions and messages through feeling, context, and characters? Like you don’t even have to think about it, it should just come naturally and you should just understand.

[@natperXD]

Plus, don't forget that if you compromise on one part, it could start growing to be worse. For example, one day it could be not stopping literally inches from the finish line, to not even checking up on the injured racers after the race. Your mind starts to make excuses and makes it harder to ignore if you start compromising especially from the start.

[@Xavast]

People don’t understand how sacrifice can make a message stronger.

[@thestargazer679]

as someone who used to race in motorsports (i raced in motocross and not in stock car racing but i digress) ive always thought the ending for this movie was perfect. there were times in my races we *would* just, let immature assholes who are willing to hurt other competitors to win take their undeserved trophy. everyone is there to have fun and go fast and when people start acting that way we'd rather just let them take their trophy they didn't earn while nobody cheers than start some goofy unnecessary shit, it's better to just let them walk off the podium embarrassed

[@thediscospider5701]

How do people not get this? I’ve been watching this movie for basically my entire life and I got it when I was three years old.

[@dragonmaster1360]

Thank you! Finally! Somebody gets it! The whole reason McQueen stopped literally INCHES from the finish line was to send the message "Winning isn't everything," and also "Winning doesn't matter if your sacrifice too much to get it." In that moment, it shows THAT McQueen had successfully finished that particular character arc, learning that there are more important things than winning. I don't like throwing this term around, because it's overused, but the people complaining about McQueen not winning and THEN going back are seriously lacking in media literacy. Even when I was a teen, when this movie came out, deep down I knew there was something to that scene, even if I couldn't verbally say why. I knew it was extremely important that he NOT finish before going back to help The King.

[@STICKGUYMB]

People miss so many points in the Cars movies because they take being cars wayyyyy too seriously.

[@rainbowrunner1550]

Great analysis. Cars has always been in my Top 10 Pixar movies. Say what you will about the sequels, but the first movie still works great as a standalone movie. I can definitely see people hating on Lightning McQueen, but that's the whole point of a character arc. This whole movie shows how Lightning turns from an arrogant and egotistical racer to someone more humble. Chick actually serves as a perfect representation of what Lightning may have become if it weren't for his life changing experiences in Radiator Springs. When I was younger, I think I was disappointed that Lightning forfeited the final race in L.A., but looking back on it grown up, this scene makes much more sense. Yes, Lightning could've crossed the line and then went back to help The King, but it wouldn't have made that humble act as meaningful. As Tex (the head of Dinoco) says: "There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning." Sometimes, the true victory comes not just from being a talented person, but by putting others before you. That's why Lightning is cheered for his selfless act of pushing The King across the finish line, whilst Chick is booed and despised by the fans for his selfish worldview and act of ramming The King off the track.

[@NonJohns]

I like the humble theme because it made cars 3 cooler

[@raymaikeru]

Let's be real, while not as great, Cars 3 is the true Cars 2. Cars 2 really should've been another one of Mater's Tall Tales and it would've been harmless.

[@robfus]

Not only that but Queen clearly showed to be more talented and in any way superior to chicks

[@jackychen6261]

McQueen not finishing first i think was incredibly important for his character arc. The whole point of the movie is that he starts off as this shallow but talented rookie that knows nothing but to chase glory. Winning and making a name for himself is all that mattered to him. But for the first time in his life he finds friends, a mentor and love. He doesnt need the glory anymore because he found his happiness in the ones that believe in him no matter if he wins or loses. His friends help him build a better understanding of the world and what it truly means to be a champion. And its this experience and his dignity that makes him decide to forfeit the first place to help a former champion, which completed his journey transforming into a good and loveable person.

[@isauldron4337]

He found what he truly wanted

[@silverraigirideviluke]

-"There is one point [...] a few people bring up [...]", cuts to cinemasins. Yeah, sorry, but if its something cinemasins brings up there is a 60% chance its utter bs. I also find it funny how obvious the message is, with mcqueen literally coming to a screeching halt, the camera being focused on his stopped figure, him with a somber face for several seconds, before hicks barrels past him. Like the whole thing is screaming "There is more to life than winning", and that having gone over the finish line would have undermined the whole message. Anyone who doesnt get that needs to get a checkup.

[@RenanDavidSoriaAhumada]

5:44 thats Green Omni-man

[@SUDDENROCK]

DAMN

[@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511]

Más bien pintor austriaco auto

[@RenanDavidSoriaAhumada]

@@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511 es mas divertido imaginarlo diciendo "Mira lo que hacen para imitar una fraccion de nuestra velocidad" sobre hitler? que dialogo podriamos usar?

[@nigelrichardson4327]

It all ties into a character's want and need, and thus their arc as a whole; why Tiana and Naveen choose to stay frogs, why Ralph gives up his quest for a hero medal, why Ian let's Barley have a proper goodbye with their father. They've all grown past their want and found their need. Of course with how stories end this want-need dynamic can end 4 different ways, the examples I’ve listed are where characters either get both their want and need or simply their need. Lightning's want is to be the first rookie to win the piston cup (and secure Dinoco as his new sponsor), his need is to realize and learn that "there's a lot more to racing than just winning,” and more to life than just his career. Him sacrificing the win and helping the King finish the race shows he's grown as a character and is no longer the naive, selfish jerk he started as. If he crossed the finish line, his character growth would've been meaningless.

[@Trident_Gaming03]

"There's a whole lot more to Racing than just winning" The point is quite literally spelled out in the film multiple times

[@Spicie95]

The first time I watched the movie as a kid, this scene bothered me as well. But all subsequent rewatches, I truly appreciate(d) what Lightning did. The only way he could have won the race and kept his morality perfect, would be if he didn't know about the crash until after he crossed the finish line and then went back for The King after that.

[@beanman3113]

Basically what happened in 2 when he finished the race in Italy and then found out about the crash that occurred behind him.

[@CamTheGalaxy]

Or even if he just didn’t even know about the win, like started pulling an urgent u turn and didn’t even realize he crossed the finish line with it until he started getting the praise. Cause honestly that’s my only issue with the scene, is that he comes to a halt, sits there, and only really goes back after Chick has already crossed. I just like the idea of his actions having just a little more I guess urgency to them beyond his braking before the finish line, but that’s really my only nitpick with how it’s handled

[@AFO666]

the people who say theyd finish the race first havent won a thing in their lives. if you have won anything and taken that experience to heart, you understand that winning isnt everything. at times it is just about being a dignified competitor which, much like the movie shows, can still open you doors in life.

[@cameronmcfarrin4587]

As a kid who was competitive, I would get angry when I didnt win. I remember watching this movie in 06 with my dad and siblings and my dad, knowing how competitive I was, asked what I learned. This scene teaches kids that winning isn't everything. Sometimes knowing in your heart that you won or lost means more than the technicality of who won or lost.

[@matityaloran9157]

1:20, agreed. I love that scene

[@josemarquez4760]

It made the movie for me.

[@manslikeaqeelsonicadvances8566]

My sister was crying when she saw McQueen help The King... She had happy tears...

[@matityaloran9157]

@@manslikeaqeelsonicadvances8566 I don’t blame her

[@Geckur0]

chick hicks would have been an infinitely more interesting character if he screeched across the finish line accidentally after realizing his rival, lightning, was basically handing him the win, then got upset and demanded a rematch. winning isnt always about crossing the finish line first.

[@brennantmi5063]

That would have made him more interesting on his own, but would have made him a less effective foil as he serves the narrative purpose of providing contrast where at the beginning of the film Lighting and Hicks have the same world view and attitude to others but over the course of the move Lightning changes and grows wile Hicks remains the same so by the end of the film Lighting is a more empathetic and compassionate racer wile Hicks is still an egotistical jerk who only cares about winning. By having the film end with a character that holds the same values and goals Lightning had at the start of the film achieve said goals we get to see what would have happened has Lighting not grown and changed and we get a clear demonstration of how shallow vaid and unfulfilling that world view is even when it achieves what it sees as the only important thing. Yes, winning isn't about crossing the finish line first, but at the start of the film crossing the finish line first is all Lighting cares about, and as such it serves the story for that to be all Hicks cares about as well.

[@nonhmusic4570]

im surprised that "grown" adults are missing the point that badly, arrogantly calling it a stupid move or whatever lmao

[@mariatserpe8730]

The main reason why I love this movie as much as I do is that in the Greek dub, lightning McQueen is voice acted by very famous Greek pop star Sakis Rouvas and he does such a beautiful job with the character. This singer was also bigger than life, beautiful, young and top in his area of expertise just like mc queen so he really delivers the arch mc queen goes through. I can't watch the original English dub cause it feels like something is missing

[@faysalkayd6965]

That's interesting! I didn't know that. I grew up with the Norwegian dub of Cars. And I have the norwegian dub of McQueen memorized to the point I recognize his actors voice in commercials 😂

[@TheChilaxicle]

Even as an American, Owen Wilson's performance of McQueen would take me out of the moment sometimes. He does a pretty good job, but occasionally you're just like "Ya that's just Owen Wilson playing a car."

[@TheFloodFourm]

Honestly that’s a great way to get kids started on media literacy but I guess one of them grew up without ever figuring it out then started cinema sins.

[@NoPantsJohnson]

@2:55 So a little later it makes a joke that those twins "flash" Lightning but... what does that say about how the entire audience is doing the wave? 🤨

[@DominatorLegend]

There's also the fact that Dinoco hadn't really put up an advert that saud "Whoever wins gets hired", that was just something Lightning and Chick (to a lesser degree) were betting on. By the end of the race, even if Lightning finished last, everyone at Dinoco and the whole stadium knew he was the one who raced the best and thus the most sought after racer. Besides, even if he didn't become the "rookie champion", the "rookie who threw glory away to help the veteran keep it" is definetly something history would remember.

[@SuperYouFox]

These people who say "Well, he could've won the race first AND THEN gone back to help the King" How much do you wanna bet that if Lightning had done this, those same people would've said "Is winning the race more important than helping him? That's rather superficial." Some people are just never gonna be happy.

[@mateosalim11]

We could add that when Lightning was about to win, before Chick collided with the King, the latter was not actively trying to overtake Lightning: he wanted to avoid at all costs that Chick would win or even come second. The King knew that Lightning did deserve to win and was willing to come second as long as Chick did not.

[@wickdaline8668]

I've never thought about this until now.

[@jnawk83]

Not to cast shade on you personally, because you appear to be one voice among many, but how on god's green earth can anyone watch that scene and _not_ realise what it was all about?

[@wickdaline8668]

@jnawk83 I was a kid back then first seeing it. It hits harder as an adult.

[@joymoding]

EXACTLY, he was very deliberately making a statement. By stopping he was saying "if this is what racing is about, I want no part of it, and winning a race like this means nothing"

[@JamTheHam32]

I never realized that there were people who missed the entire message of the movie, but it also doesnt surprise me

[@edwardcarlisle5580]

Yeah, Lightning could have won the championship and then helped the King, but by giving it up he became a legend for having a moral compass and the embodiment of the true spirit of sportsmanship. Letting Chick win showed just how empty the victory was going to be for either of them after the King wrecked. Letting Chick win absolutely ruined Chick's reputation. He won, but then he didn't win. Everyone saw him cheat in the most unsportsmanlike way possible. No one will ever cheer for him much less sponsor him. Chick won nothing and the only person who doesn't seem to get that is the idiot himself. No one remembers it as the day Chick won a championship. Everyone remembers it as the day Lightning McQueen became a living legend by throwing the championship to help the King finish his last race.

[@joeyhoy1995]

How can you not love this film? It's about gaining respect for your fellow man. Something we should all remember and take to heart the next 4 years.

[@gem9535]

With how we're talking about the dehumanization of sports stars more, Cars was ahead of its time.

[@JosaxJaz]

I always felt that McQueen giving up the cup was just as important as going back to help. To me, it feels like the final act of him giving up his own ego for the betterment of others. Even more symbolic to me is him not only giving up first, but pushing strip in front of himself, acknowledging the legacy of strip weathers and humbling himself by taking 3rd. As a Christian, this scene reminds me of the concept of "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first". Chick hicks takes first, but the true first place winner is the one who humbles himself and serves others.

[@delix787]

I believe a lot of Pixar movies keep getting disrespected because everyone’s comparing all the other movies to Toy story which is so stupid. No other movie is going to have the same impact or legacy as Toy story we get that but let another movie tell it’s story in its own right, and its own perspective and stop comparing it everything. Cars one is simply a masterpiece!! 😇💙😱🏎️🏁

[@waffleson45]

You are right on the dot with that. People question cars about dumb stuff that makes no sense they wouldn't dare do to toy story.

[@justsomeguyonhisphone709]

"It's just an empty cup" is *the* one line from the movie I will always remember

[@RainstormCheetah]

Absolutely agree with your perspective on the movie at 7:15-onward. I've never been a 'car guy' myself, so while I'm fine with the movie, it's not a favourite of mine or anything and a lot of the specific details go over my head. That said, this scene is the absolute highlight for me every time I do watch it - it kinda helps, I guess, that The King was my favourite character in the movie so it always warms my heart to see him helped to the finish! - so thank-you for unpacking just what it is that's always made that part so good :D

[@pj1343]

1:30 lmfao of COURSE it's THESE critics in particular that had a say about the finish line scene.

[@theweekndxo7438]

I feel like my childhood was a lie after finding out how it's basically common knowledge that there's like half of Car's watchers who didn't like the movie. I thought this movie was part of the golden age of Pixar alongside Nemo, Monsters Inc, etc. I did NOT know that this movie was so polarizing 😭 I legit always loved it and thought the story and character development was great. Yeah the sequels weren't great but the first movie is like PRIME Pixar to me

[@waffleson45]

I am the same way, I remember getting into KZbin when I was a teen and seeing people talk negatively about cars caught me so off guard. Now I realize it's just stupid nitpicks and the inability to see the moral.

[@theweekndxo7438]

@ I genuinely still don’t understand the criticisms of the movie. Has a clear and thoughtful character arc and development, good humour and charm with the art style and world design. The sound track is also fantastic. Like yeah I dislike the second movie and think the third is just okay but the first movie is TOP TIER Pixar fr

[@cohengamertv6548]

I have loved cars since i was 3, as a kid it was up there with Thomas as one of my hyper fixations

[@MrAlexarctica]

Life is a game made up of smaller games. To really win, it's not about winning the smaller games, it's about living in a way that makes people want to invite you to the most games you can possibly participate in. That's what people mean when they say "it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

[@chrishamr947]

I honestly didn’t even know there were who thought it was unnecessary for him to stop before the line. It was intuitive to me why that made this more impactful, and if anything that fact that there are people who don’t see it suggests a need for the kind of commentary this scene was providing in the first place.

[@isauldron4337]

Me neither

[@magicdragon9325]

1:49 The subtle Cinema Sins diss 😂

[@mitchellhowell9380]

Sacrifice. For Strip to get a dignified ending to his career, it would never have been enough for Lightning to finish and only then go back to help him. Instead, Lightning told the world, "Strip deserves a glorious finish more than I do."

[@brennantmi5063]

Yeah, it wasn't about if the king crossed the line or not. It's just a line on the ground. It was about Lighting putting the king, someone undergoing a terrible tragic situation, above himself. The people who think Lighting setting the record is more important than helping the King also don't think it is an empty cup.

[@isauldron4337]

​@@brennantmi5063yeah lightning nailed it: it's just an empty cup

[@quickhallsshow576]

Cars is a big part of my childhood, when i saw that ending i was screaming "screw the cyan car, JUST WIN THE RACE AAA"

[@blankbear782]

Sorry but not sorry… Dang that past self of yours, was so rude as chick hicks 😂XD

[@suecli8131]

I watched Cars for the first time when I was 6. When the cars went to the podium Even though chick won, It felt so cheap to six year old me and lighting coming in third didn't hurt that much. Sure he sacrificed his win, but they are more important things than winning. I carried that with me. I HATE cheap wins.

[@TiagoGomez-hb9te]

Agree

[@Logan-tinyplanetss]

wonderful video!! this is my favorite movie ever (which is obviously part nostalgia, but i just genuinely love it on a rewatch as well). one thing this movie excels at is its parallel scenes. the film folds in half at the tractor tipping, when lightning's perspective really starts changing, and we get two big race scenes, two dirt racing scenes with doc, parallel sally scenes, parallel mater scenes, it's just delightful. literally baby's first film analysis. but to your point, yes, it is so important that he doesn't take the win for every reason you pointed out. it's so shallow to say that he should grab it and then help the king, because that would show no character growth!!!

[@draphking]

“Why didnt they fly the ring to Modor” “Why didnt Harry shoot Voldermort with a gun?” “Why doesnt superman throw all his enemies into the sun?” “There is magic in this universe, why dont they use it to cure all illness’ and problems?” “This character made a mistake and didnt do everything perfectly. This is bad writing” Media Illiteracy 101.

[@joshlewis8860]

So BASICALLY That final race can be remembered in one of two ways. It can either be 1) The super rookie Lightning McQueen’s first Piston Cup win or 2) Strip Weather’s final race. Of course it could be both, but one is going to outshine the other. And McQueen decided that giving respect to the retiring legend was worth more than having his name on all of the headlines.

[@dekoldrick]

Even though Chick won, it cost him the respect of the audience. It'll be like someone having a medical emergency in a game of chess and couldn't make their move that probably would have won them the game. Instead of stopping the game to help, you just wait for their turn to time out and make a wining move yourself. You won but now you look like a donkey.

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

almost accurate; completely accurate if the medical emergency was caused if the person poisoned his opponent.

[@haydencrawford8552]

Bloody, thank you. Winning would have greatly diminished his character development if he won and went back. He would have shown that he prioritized winning over being a good person.

[@willhiggins9563]

Definitely a pretty good perspective. I always figured Lightning stopped because there was some rule against back tracking on the track after crossing the finish. But this makes so much more sense.

[@sliceddpbj]

well you are right, that is an actual rule

[@maplered5042]

After so much time passed, i now able to see not just enjoement of this movie, but also love and care. Back then, moneymilking movies was also art...

[@Sadet1991]

Winning isnt everything, setting an example and good sportsmanship even at the cost of one's own victory can scream louder than any world cup could Sadly not everyone gets the chance to realize what Lighting did in this movie

[@OddsYT]

great video mate! I've always agreed with the idea that people who say he should have crossed the line then gone back completely missed the point of the scene and I think you explained it perfectly too

[@MinecraftDood02]

What if the real Piston Cup was the friends we made along the way

[@SeaBagel228]

It’s weird cause McQueen outright says the reason why he didn’t finish “It’s just an empty cup”

[@leopardbunny]

I feel vindicated by this video. I've been saying this entire time that him crossing the finish line would, at least partly, defeat the purpose of him going back. He sacrificed being *well* in first place, his guaranteed victory, just so the former champion wouldn't have to be dead last.

[@Somthinglevlogger]

That race reminds me of Abu Dhabi 2021 in Formula One