20 of the most unforgettable Pixar moments
By Casey Nalley
The King finishes the race – Cars
In the final scene of Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen is well on his way to winning the Piston Cup, but in the end, he does not win — not because he could not do it, but because he chose not to.
In Pixar tradition, this scene is a heart warmer, as our main character helps soon to be retired racer, the King, cross the finish line after he gets thrown off the track by another racer. While we all love to see our hero win the race, Lightning’s choice to not win the race and help out a friend is more like winning than crossing the finish line first.
Pixar always makes a point of putting valuable life lessons in their films — the studio is making movies for children, after all. In this case Lightning’s selflessness, especially after his transformation from the selfish speed racer that he is at the film’s start, shows viewers the importance of helping others. That’s something we all need to be reminded of every now and again.
It is a pretty simple idea, but Pixar presented it in a very powerful manner. By doing so, the studio created a character who is one of the most inspiring in the entire Pixar catalog.