CHARACTER ARCHETYPES - FILM REVIEW

Cars (2006) follows "Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven by success, who discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line. After finding himself unexpectedly in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs on his route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros. McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters who help him realise that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship." This review will be looking at how the film Cars (2006) follows Christopher Vogler's concept of character archetypes, and applying them to particular characters within the film.. 

Christopher Vogler published the book ‘The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers’ (1992), which focuses on the theory that most stories can narrowed down into a series of narrative structures and character archetypes. He based his work on the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell, and the work of psychoanalyst Carl Jung. The eight main roles which the book explores are; Hero, Mentor, Ally, Herald, Trickster, Shapeshifter, Guardian, and Shadow.

Starting with the hero Role, the Hero is the audience’s personal tour guide through the adventure of the story. It is crucial that the audience can relate to this character as the story will be seen through their eyes, they will also transition to a different world to what they are familiar to. It will require the hero to learn a new set of skills to master this world and save the day. The hero is this case is Lightning McQueen (Fig. 1), the protagonist of the film. At the beginning of the film McQueen is cocky, rookie race car at the peak of his career, after accidentally ending up in Radiator Springs his confidence and skills are tested. There are no Nascar racetracks or large crowds, but a small town in the middle of the desert.

Figure 1

In this new world the hero needs help to survive, this is where the role of the mentor appears. The mentor describes how this new worlds operates, and often trains the hero. In the film, this is represented through Don Hudson’s character, a retired race car who is now a medical doctor and local judge in Radiator Springs (Fig 2). Specialised in off road racing, Hudson teaches McQueen a new way to race in particular, drifting. Once the hero is on the right path and has gained the appropriate skills, the mentor then disappears. This relates to Hudson’s character as at the end of the film he returns to retirement as McQueen pursues his racing career. 

Figure 2

While on their journey the hero will encounter some great challenges which they can sometimes not face alone. This could anything from; hacking into security, carrying their gear or even distracting the guards. An ally/allies for the hero are really important, as it allows the hero to proceed with their adventure while also building a strong connection with other characters. In Cars (2006) the majority of the characters end up becoming allies for McQueen, but the main two characters which are considered his allies could be Sally and Mater (Fig. 3). Mater is trusty harvester tow truck and is the first character to befriend McQueen, and he constantly provides encourage and enthusiasm to McQueen. Although Sally is McQueen’s love interest in the film she could still be seen as an ally as she too forms a strong bond with McQueen, often referring him as ‘Stickers’. 

Figure 3

The Herald in the film could relate to Doc Hudson’s character when he decided to punish McQueen for wrecking the town’s road, but could also be represented when McQueen flew out the back of his trailer. As the Herald often brings a new threat to the hero it also provides a glimpse of a new life, and separates them from the crowd. Therefore, the Herald is equally represented through these two parts in the film.

The Trickster often adds an element of fun and excitement into the story, while also bringing an outside view/ perspective on the Hero’s situations. For the audience, the trickster provides a break from the intense action and stress of the story. Cars’ (2006) trickster is definitely Mater (Fig. 4), he brings a fresh and crazy view on life while still supporting the hero’s choices. Mater also teaches McQueen a set of various new skills including how to drive backwards which then becomes relevant later in the story.

Figure 4

The shapeshifter lies in between an ally and an enemy, they often transition from one to another throughout the film. Although they can pose a threat to the hero they still bring an element of intrigue for the audience, and can bring tension to scenes which feature allies. The shapeshifter in this film can be viewed as The King’s character (Fig. 5). He was introduced in the film as Lighting McQueen’s main competition for the Piston Cup, and is sponsored by Dinoco which is revealed to be who McQueen dreams about. However at the end of the film, in the final race between the three racers, The King is sabotaged by Chick Hicks and is left burning on the side of the track. Despite the freud between McQueen and The King, McQueen sacrifices his first place position to assist him across the finish line. This results in McQueen being offered the sponsorship from Dinoco, and becomes a good associate with The King. 

Figure 5

The Shadow in the story is the villain, they purely exist to create threat and conflict for the hero. The shadow isn't necessarily a physical character but can also be represented through feelings in which a character may feel or face. Overcoming the shadow presents the hero’s success as being a lot more meaningful. In this case, the shadow could be represented as the physical character of Chick Hicks (Fig. 6), but also equally as McQueen’s inner self. Although in the final race Hicks takes the victory and receives the Piston Cup beating McQueen, throughout the race it is clear that McQueen has overcome him mentally and physically, therefore Hicks turns to aggression in the race. And for McQueen’s inner self being the shadow, is due to the fact that constantly throughout the film he is having to choose between living a famous racing life or to have a calm happy life with his friends in Radiator Springs. In the end, he overcomes both of the situations.

Figure 6

Bibliography:

En.wikipedia.org. (n.d.). The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Writer%27s_Journey:_Mythic_Structure_for_Writers [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].

Prezi.com. (n.d.). The hero's journey for Cars the Movie. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/bpnztmgkysur/the-heros-journey-for-cars-the-movie/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].


Winkle, C. (n.d.). The Eight Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey. [online] Mythcreants. Available at: https://mythcreants.com/blog/the-eight-character-archetypes-of-the-heros-journey/ [Accessed 28 Oct. 2019].

Illustration List:

Figure 1: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435019645229948210/

Figure 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSKhDLqgdUg

Figure 3: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-fillmore-sarge-lightning-mcqueen-ramone-flo-sally-carrera-mater-the-31239539.html

Figure 4: https://www.imcdb.org/v038311.html

Figure 5: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/The_King_(Cars)

Figure 6: http://what-does-he-know.blogspot.com/2010/08/hidden-gems-cars-2006.html