The ending of the movie Cars showcases Lightning McQueen's growth from a self-centered racer to a compassionate individual, demonstrated by his selfless act of allowing a retiring champion to finish his last race, even at the cost of his own victory.
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[Music]
the ending of cars is interesting to me
for a number of reasons I've seen plenty
of people who really like this movie
plenty of people who really don't and
plenty of people who are just okay with
it but this moment is one that pretty
much everyone seems to like throughout
the movie Lightning McQueen has been
desperately trying to make it to
California for the biggest race of his
career that could potentially make him a
racing Legend I'll be the first rookie
in history ever to win it over the
course of the movie though his
priorities start to shift and for the
first time in his life he starts to
genuinely care about the people around
him despite this though when the time
comes to actually do the race lightning
does pretty well thanks in no small part
to those friends the final lamp comes
and lightning seems to be a shoe in for
the Piston Cup which would make all of
his Ambitions a reality meanwhile behind
lightning Strip Weathers and Chick Hicks
resigned to the idea that neither one of
them is winning at this point are duking
out an elastic effort for second place
that is until chick as he's often known
to do takes things one step too far I am
lightning noticing what's just happened
screeches to a halt just short of the
Finish Line allowing chick to overtake
him and going back to give the retiring
Champion a dignified end to his career I
think the king should finish his last
race it's a nice ending that
demonstrates Lightning's growth from a
superficial celebrity to a more caring
and respectful person but while pretty
much everyone seems to agree with me on
this there is one point that I've heard
a few people bring up even if they do
still like the ending okay but like if I
was him I would have crossed the finish
line and won the race and then gone back
to help the king but I I guess this is a
better lesson learned or whatever the
finish line is right there come on just
go an inch further please Lightning
Lightning grows a conscience at the
stupidest time a moment that should show
me how much he's grown actually makes me
physically angry it is true that
lightning helping Strip Weathers and
taking the peson cup with G1 fair and
square are not mutually exclusive and he
could have very easily done both but I
feel like when people say that he's
giving up the championship
unnecessarily they're kind of missing
the point it's not about the Piston Cup
it's about sending a message to get
across what I mean by this let's take a
look at what actually compels lightning
to do this after he sees Strip Weathers
sitting in pain and completely wiped out
it immediately reminds him of Doc Hudson
who he learned earlier in the film had
his racing career end in a similar way
doc was injured during a race and it
took a pretty lasting toll on him not so
much physically more so in reputation
when I finally got put together I went
back expecting a big welcome you know
what they said your history this sets up
sort of the uglier side of racing that
lightning hadn't considered before
throughout the early portions of the
movie the races are treated as this big
spectacle because that is essentially
what they are they're sporting events
primarily organized as entertainment for
an audience and in those events the
racers are there to impress the audience
by performing Feats like outrunning
dozens of other cars at hundreds of
miles hour and weaving through any
hazards that come their way if done
right it seems as if they're Invincible
lightning being relatively new to the
racing circuit has had the first
impression of what that's like he's
amazing at what he does and as a result
he has entire stadiums of people
is to lightning this is a reality that
he only sees getting better as his
career goes on I mean if he's getting
this much love as a rookie imagine how
much of a God he'll no doubt become
after he wins the Piston Cup but then he
gets to no do a little bit and it's
revealed just how fragile that love
really is dog had similarly built up
this reputation as this legendary racer
and enjoyed the benefits of that for a
long time but after getting completely
wrecked mid- race he unwittingly did the
one thing that can destroy that
perception of him he made it too real
all that spectacle that people loved him
for and made him seem Unstoppable was
shattered and from then on nobody ever
saw him as anything more than just
another car who's as flawed as any other
and what so impressive about that and
it's that shallow perception of the
Piston Cup and its Racers that lightning
was annoyingly playing along with
throughout the early portions of the
movie he was showered with love and
admiration from total strangers while
also having an equally shallow view of
the supposed riff raft that come with a
gig his only friendly interactions take
the form of people heaping Praise on him
while he was being incredibly dismissive
of anyone less remarkable than him like
his pit crew or the rusty cars that look
up to him not realizing just how easily
that status of less remarkable could be
applied to anyone even someone like him
fast forward to the final race of the
movie where lightning has become a
little bit wiser as to where the value
in a person comes from lightning is in a
safe position to receive everything he's
always wanted but when he sees Strip
Weathers wiped out thoughts of do flash
into his head in particular what
happened after his wreck moved right
onto the next rookie standing in line
and now it's up to lightning if history
is going to repeat itself a multiple
time Piston Cup winner suffering a
painful end to their career only to be
overshadowed by a rookie doing something
impressive in his case being the first
rookie to ever become a champion and
with the entire world watching Lightning
decides to set an example he makes a
statement to the entire world that while
he's willing to race he's not going to
participate in a competition where such
disregard gets rewarded this grumpy old
race car I know told me something it's
just an empty cup of course while all
that is going on there's a certain
character who doesn't seem capable of
that level of
reflection yeah to me this is where
chick hick is at his most interesting up
until now he was a fun fairly one no
antagonist which was all he really
needed to be for most of the movie it's
at this point though when all the
negative superficiality that exists in
the racing circuit is taken to its
absolute extreme you know generally if
you're in a competition that you've
pretty much already lost in every way
except technicality and then the would
be winner just forfeits their guaranteed
victory at the last moment you'd
probably feel a little unfulfilled I
mean chick was in no position to catch
up to lightning legitimately and only
one because at the races end he
literally had no active competition and
yet he's just so pleased with himself no
consideration for how he cheated to get
to second place no acknowledgement that
he's demonstrably not the most skilled
who competed not even any curiosity as
to why lightning stopped short of the
Finish Line All That Matters to him is
that he's the champion showing that he
never really cared about the race it was
only ever about the glory not to mention
we can see that little message that
lightning was trying to send paying off
in a few different ways first with the
guy who came in last getting a massive
cheer from the audience while the Piston
Cup winner is shown having such a lack
of empathy and narrow-minded view of
being someone of worth that he
legitimately can't understand why people
don't like him hey how come the only one
celebrating is me huh and finally while
nobody wants to give chick any attention
[Music]
to I've made it no secret in the past
that cars is not a movie I'm overly fond
of not that I don't like it it's just
that I don't have particularly strong
feelings about it overall but there are
select few aspects like this where I can
say I love this scene obviously I prefer
to be able to say that with every scene
like I can with so many other Pixar
films but if a movie I'm slightly
indifferent about is what I have to go
through to get those truly exceptional
moments then I say so be
it special thanks to my patreon
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