2006年VOA标准英语-'Cars' Pushes Limits of Computer Animation

By Alan Silverman
Hollywood
10 June 2006
 
 
A scene from 'Cars' 
  
A talented young race car learns what is important in life when he gets stuck in a small town in the new feature from Pixar, the animation¹ studio with a history of family hits including Toy Story, Monsters, Incorporated and Finding Nemo. Alan Silverman spoke² with director John Lasseter and his star-studded voice cast for this look at Cars, a film in which all the characters are Cars.

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Lightning McQueen is brash and cocky to the point of being reckless; but this impetuous youngster is the newest star on the 'Piston³ Cup' racing⁴ circuit:

Lightning ignores the advice of veteran racers who warn him that he cannot really succeed without teamwork and loyalty⁵; but it takes getting lost for the rookie to learn that lesson, in a dusty town on old Route 66, the highway that ran through the heart of the American west before it was bypassed by high-speed super-highways.

The town, its motorized inhabitants and scenic⁶ surroundings all come alive through vividly⁷ realistic computer animation, far more detailed⁸ than even Pixar's previous hit films:

"This is by far the most complex movie Pixar has ever done. We really brought the computers to their knees rendering⁹ this movie," said John Lasseter, creative head of Pixar.  He returned to directing with Cars for the first time since the Toy Story movies.

"We did research by traveling down Route 66 and when I went to these old towns a picture said 1,000 words," he added.  "You could tell that they were once vibrant¹⁰ but had been bypassed long ago and no one comes here anymore by the rusty¹¹ signs, the faded paint, the cracks in the sidewalk, the grass growing up [and] the dust everywhere. All that stuff just tells you the story right there."

But Lasseter says 'all that stuff' was a major challenge, even for a team that has led the way in computer animation innovation:

"The computers don't give you anything for free," he noted¹².  "You can't go on location with a computer and just film something. You have to create it yourself; but all that detail adds up. Every time you add a pebble¹³ or grass blade or dust it is adding up to make the complexity¹⁴ of the scene in the final rendering."

That attention to detail attracted Oscar-winning actor and veteran race driver Paul Newman to provide the voice of Radiator¹⁵ Springs' crusty old judge, Doc Hudson a 1951 Hudson Hornet.

"I did it mostly because I knew it would be good, because Lasseter was working on it at Pixar. That would be the first consideration. That it was about racing was just a bonus," said Mr. Newman.

"These are good folk around here who care about one another," he added.  "When is the last time you cared about something besides yourself, hot rod?"

The residents of Radiator Springs include trusty old tow truck Mater, voiced in the English version by comic actor Dan Whitney, better known as his 'redneck' TV character 'Larry The Cable Guy:'

"Mater is a good friend, a faithful friend," said Mr. Whitney.  "Mater is a small town guy. What Mater finds interesting, other people might find boring and I put myself in the same category. I'm a small town guy. I try to help people out along the way. I was taught that way and in many ways, Mater and I are exactly alike."

There's also Sally Carrera, a sexy little Porsche sports car, voiced by Bonnie Hunt:

"What's the first thing that you fall in love with when you're a kid? Animation," said Ms. Hunt.  "You're mesmerized¹⁶ by it, you fall in love with the characters (and) then when you grow up and you're in this business and you get to be the voice and it all comes to life ... it's unbelievable. I am so thrilled."

At the heart of Cars is a simple message: in life, the journey is its own reward ... something John Lasseter says he learned only a few years ago on a family road trip with his wife and five sons:

"Everybody thought we were going to be at each other's throats," he said.  "The opposite thing happened; we got so close as a family. It was so special and I came back and said 'I want this movie to be about what I just learned: that the journey in life is a reward."

Cars also features Owen Wilson as the voice of Lightning McQueen; and several real life race drivers do characters, including Richard Petty and Darrell Walltrip.

1 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 piston   

n.活塞

参考例句：

• They use a piston engine instead.他们改用活塞发动机。
• The piston moves by steam pressure.活塞在蒸汽压力下运动。

4 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

5 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

6 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

7 vividly   

adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地

参考例句：

• The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
• The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

10 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

11 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 pebble   

n.卵石，小圆石

参考例句：

• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。
• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

14 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

15 radiator   

n.暖气片，散热器

参考例句：

• The two ends of the pipeline are connected with the radiator.管道的两端与暖气片相连接。
• Top up the radiator before making a long journey.在长途旅行前加满散热器。

16 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网