Anna Gorman, Campus Carrier news editor

Everybody has a favorite childhood movie. Those who deny it are lying to you and to themselves. No matter what that movie was, something about it captivated Little You.

This was Pixar’s 2006 movie “Cars” for me. I can’t remember the first time I ever watched it, but I remember loving it so much that I watched it countless times until now. Sure, it raises some pretty weird logical world-building questions (how do the cars reproduce?), but it has stuck with me for the rest of my life. It is so much more than just a movie about cars. It’s about understanding that winning isn’t everything. It’s a subtle critique of the racing industry. It’s a story about friendship and learning more about yourself outside of your comfort zone.

I want “Cars” to be my valentine this year.

For one thing, the characters are what drew me in as a child, and to this day are one of the movie’s strong suits in my opinion. Lightning McQueen and Mater’s budding friendship is obviously the focal point of the story and the main source of change in Lightning’s character. Who would have expected that an arrogant, spoiled, rookie race car and a down-to-earth, rusty tow truck would become best friends? Doc Hudson is another stand-out character, acting as Lightning’s mentor.

However, Doc’s character also has another purpose, which is why I believe the ending of the movie is one of the most controversial and amazing endings to any movie. For those who may not have seen the movie recently, Doc Hudson used to be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet (which was a real car in the 1950s), before he was involved in a career-ending crash. When he was ultimately fixed up and ready to race again, everyone abandoned him in favor of “the next rookie in line.” Doc tells Lightning this because he wants him to see that racing is so much more than just winning. It can end your whole career, and since Lightning is still a rookie, he’ll have other chances to win races.

The movie ends with a race between Strip Weathers (blue Dinoco car), Chick Hicks (green car) and Lightning McQueen, set up to break the first ever three-way tie that occurs in the beginning of the movie. Whoever wins this race, on top of getting the Piston Cup (a trophy), will also be the new face of Dinoco when Strip Weather retires.

When Lightning is ahead by a landslide, Chick Hicks, frustrated that he’ll be in last place, causes Strip Weathers to crash. Seeing this, Lightning stops mere inches from the finish line, allowing Chick Hicks to come in first place. Instead of crossing the finish line, Lightning reverses back to Strip Weathers and pushes him across the finish line, so Strip comes in second and Lightning in third. Many movie critics hounded on this ending, frustrated as to why Lightning didn’t cross, get first place and then go back to help Strip.

Well, do I have a revelation for you. Seeing Strip’s body after the crash reminds Lightning of Doc’s career-ending crash, and how he was tossed aside to make way for the next rookie to take his place, despite being fully repaired. Lightning didn’t want Strip’s reputation to be thrown away like Doc’s, since it was hinted at from the start of the film that if Lightning hadn’t gotten lost in Radiator Springs, he’d most likely be the next rookie to take Strip’s place. Even after the race, despite coming in third place, Strip’s agent asks if Lightning would like to be the new face of Dinoco, to which Lightning declines. Lightning wanted Strip to finish his last race with dignity.

If Lightning hadn’t stopped at the finish line and had gotten first place, he’d be no better than Chick Hicks, who started the crash. Chick Hicks is, in my opinion, what Lightning could’ve been. He is a foil to Lightning’s character, acting as a power-hungry, apathetic racer who’s only in it for the prize, much like how Lightning was at the beginning of the movie. Learning about what Doc went through woke Lightning up to the realities of racing, that you’re only one crash away from never racing again. Trophies and titles won’t matter then.

Despite never racing professionally again, Doc still found joy in coaching Lightning. He kept his old racing tires so he could race whenever he wanted, because it wasn’t the trophies and the glory that he missed. He missed racing, period. That made Lightning realize how important it was for Strip to cross the finish line, even if it was going to be his last time. The ending to “Cars” wasn’t about Lightning winning and getting what he wanted. It was about letting Strip “finish his last race,” something Doc never got to do when he crashed. Having Lightning cross the finish line and then go back for Strip would have negated that emotional impact altogether. And this is why I continue to go feral for this dumb movie.

This is why I want the silly little “what if cars had feelings” movie to be my valentine. I’ve always loved cars, and as a kid this movie just reinforced that love. I can’t say the sequels have done the same (the spy-cars plot was interesting to me as a kid, but as a college student I’m just confused), but the impact this movie had on me as a kid (and still has on me to this day) is why it’s one of my favorites to watch again and again. Thank you for entertaining my “Cars” brainrot.