Characters (film)

Characters is a 2002 American computer-animated sports comedy film produced by United Saints Animation Studios for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was directed by Jeff Fowler and Rob Letterman, co-directed by Tim Hill and Tim Story, produced by Robert Simonds and Michael Barnathan, and written by Samantha Thompson, Stephanie Griffin, Jonathan Hales, Zak Penn, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, The film features an ensemble voice cast of Ben Savage, Jackie Chan, Amanda Bynes, Tom Kenny, Eddie Murphy, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ned Luke, [http://fanon.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Downey_Jr. Robert Downey Jr.], Rick May, Anna Faris, Antonio Banderas, Willem Dafoe, Artemis Pebdani, Bob Joles and Roger Craig Smith.

Set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic talking characters, it follows an overconfident, conceited rookie race hero named Hiro Hamada (Savage) who, on his way to the biggest race of his life, discovers in the rundown town of Radium Springs when he gets stranded, where he learns humility and friendship from the residents.

Development for Characters started in 1994, after finishing the production of A Toy's Life, with a new script titled The Yellow Car, which was about an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world with Klubien writing. It was announced that the producers agreed that it could be the next United Saints film after A Toy's Life, scheduled for a 1995 release, particularly around January 4; the idea was later scrapped in favor of Tune Story 2. Shortly after, production was resumed with major script changes. The film was inspired by Griffin's experiences on a cross-country road trip. Alan Silvestri and James Newton Howard composed the film's score, while artists such as Sheryl Crow, Rascal Flatts, John Mayer and Brad Paisley contributed to the film's soundtrack.

Cars premiered on July 19, 2002, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina and was theatrically released in the United States on July 26, to generally positive reviews and commercial success, grossing $653 million worldwide against a budget of $365 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2002.The film was released on DVD on November 27, 2002, on VHS in limited quantities on February 14, 2003, and on Blu-ray on December 8, 2006.

The success of Characters launched a multimedia franchise and a series of two sequels produced by United Saints Animation and two spin-offs produced by United Toons Studios, starting with Characters 2 (2007).

Plot
In a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles, the Dinoco race marks the climax of the Piston Cup season. The event intensifies a rivalry between the retiring seven-time champion, Sonic the Hedgehog, the cunning Green Goblin, and the talented but overconfident rookie, Hiro Hamada. Desperate to win and gain entry into the prestigious Dinoco team, Hiro struggles with teamwork due to his self-centered attitude. During the high-stakes race, Hero avoids a major collision instigated by Goblin, but blows his lead by refusing to take a pit stop, causing his rear tires to blow out before he can win. The race ends in a three-way tie, setting the stage for a decisive race at the Los Angeles International Speedway in one week.

After the race, Hiro rushes through the night on the interstate to reach California inside his transport truck driver Bill Green. A mishap leaves Hiro stranded alone in the rundown desert town of Radium Springs. Here, he inadvertently damages the main road, leading to an unexpected community service assignment: repaving the road under the supervision of the town's judge, Sensei Wu, who is prejudiced against Hiro for being a race car.

Hiro repaves the road shoddily in a rush to leave, and Sensei challenges him to a race for his freedom, on the condition that he starts over from scratch if he loses. The overconfident Hiro, having never raced on a dirt road before, spins out on a turn and crashes. Sensei, on the other hand, handles the road with no problems. Over time, Hiro warms up to and befriends the town's residents, especially SpongeBob SquarePants, a sponge, and Honey Lemon, who dreams of reviving Radium Springs. As he bonds with the locals, Hiro helps rejuvenate Radium Springs and develops a newfound appreciation for its charm. He discovers the town was once a bustling attraction for drivers on Route 28, before the construction of the interstate caused them to lose all their business traffic. Hiro also discovers that the bitter Sensei, reticent about his past, used to race as the legendary Ninjago until a disastrous crash ended his career. Hiro is dumbfounded that Sensei considers his previous Piston Cups worthless junk.

Hiro finishes repairing the road and decides to spend an extra day in Radium Springs helping the local businesses, but Sensei alerts the media of Hiro's location, leading them and Bill to descend on the town and force Hiro to leave in time for the race. Sensei immediately regrets his actions after seeing the residents disappointed by his unexpected departure. At the race, Hiro initially struggles but is buoyed by the sudden arrival of his friends from Radium Springs, who come to his aid in the pit. With Sensei now acting as his crew chief, Hiro stages a remarkable comeback and takes the lead. On the final lap, as Hiro closes in towards the Finish Line, Green Goblin employs a PIT maneuver that intentionally wrecks Sonic, rendering him unable to continue. Fearing that Sonic's career may end as Sensei's did, Hiro halts just before the finish line and pushes him across, allowing Goblin to win the Piston Cup while ensuring Sonic's safe finish.

The crowd and media furiously condemn Green Goblin's Piston Cup victory, while praising Hiro Hamada's integrity and sportsmanship. Although offered a sponsorship by Dinoco, Hiro politely declines and chooses to be with his current "small-time" sponsor, Rust-eze bumper ointment out of loyalty and past support. Returning to Radium Springs, he reunites with Honey Lemon and declares his intention to establish his racing headquarters there and revitalizing the town, while also training under Sensei Wu's mentorship.