It's the ultimate road movie: no people at all, just vehicles. Its hero is Lightning McQueen, a racecar named desire. He's actually a hot-shot stock car, whose desire is to win the coveted Piston Cup championship race.

In the fast lane, left to right: Chick Hicks (voiced by Michael Keaton), Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), and The King (Richard Petty). Click photo for larger image. 'Cars' Rating: G. Voices: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger. Director: John Lasseter. Web site: www.carsthemovie.com Family Film Guide: 'Cars.' Stories on previous Pixar movies Imagination saves the day in 'The Incredibles' The makers of 'Toy Story' find humor at the bottom of the sea Pixar's action-packed 'Mosters, Inc.' is a real scream Getting a good buzz from 'Bug's Life' Playful 'Toy Story' has a lot of fun

"Cars," the delightful new animated feature fantasy celebrating Pixar's 20th anniversary (and recent acquisition by Disney), is a nice paradox. While devoid of "real" humans, it has the most reality-based geographical setting of any cartoon I've ever seen.

The story goes like this:

Ever-so-cocky Lightning (voiced by Owen Wilson) is being hauled by Mack the '85 Super-Liner (John Ratzenberger) across the interstate to his big race on the West Coast. Lovely details of dawn on the American autobahn, aerial shots of Kansas corn, birds on phone wires, sleeping trucks at rest areas whiz by until -- trouble! Lightning gets separated from Mack, lurches off the big highway onto iconic Route 66 and runs amok in the quintessential podunk town of Radiator Springs.

There, finding himself booted in the municipal car pound, Lightning is duly tried, convicted and sentenced to asphalt duty, repaving the road he ruined before he can leave town. The yin and yang of local autocrats are crusty Doc, a 1951 Hudson Hornet (Paul Newman), and a good ol' boy hayseed tow truck named Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy). Also in residence is Fillmore (George Carlin), a 1960 VW bus replete with peace stickers. But of most interest to Lightning is Sally, an autoerotic Porsche 911 (Bonnie Hunt) and proprietress of the Cozy Cone Motel.

Of most interest to us -- visually -- is the beautifully soulful rendering of Route 66. It's perhaps the most famous and beloved road in America, "the nation's mirror," running from Chicago down into the Midwest heartland, through the awesome Southwest and Mojave to the Pacific. "Forty years ago," says Doc, "roads didn't cut through the landscape, they moved with the landscape."

So does Pixar's superb animation, re-creating the mom-and-pop eateries and curio shops along the way with a rare combination of humor, accuracy and affection. Flo's V-8 Cafe and the Radiator Springs Drive-In might've stepped right out of Joplin or Flagstaff. A highlight is a stunningly magical, nostalgic nighttime light-up scene, where the dusty old town comes back to life in all its erstwhile neon glory.

Great imagination -- and 3,000 computers -- have been invested in the anthropomorphizing of these autos (and their auto motives). It was a clever decision to put their eyeballs in the windshields instead of the headlights. My favorite touches are at the speedway, where all the spectators are cars. Look for the cars lined up waiting to get into the men's and women's rooms -- the women's line is longer!

John Lasseter has three previous Pixar hits to his directorial credit ("Toy Story" 1 and 2 and "A Bug's Life") and was executive producer of three others ("Monsters Inc.," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles"). He knows the drill and delivers again: There's every NASCAR spoof imaginable here, plus a hilariously inspired "tractor tipping" sequence. But there's also a real love and respect for Route 66 that would warm George Maharis's and Marty Milner's geriatric hearts.

By the time that hokey song kicks in and Lightning finds the true meaning of friendship and good sportsmanship, "Cars'" family values have long since been driven home.