Animals

Animals is a 2023 American computer-animated comedy-adventure sports film produced by Blue Sky Studios, and directed and co-written by Richard Rich and released by 20th Century Fox. It is Blue Sky's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Fox. Set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic animals and other animals, it features voices by Bob Joles, John Goodman, Tom Kenny, Minnie Driver, Tom Kenny, Scott Bakula, Cheech Marin, Danny DeVito, Billy Joel, Jasmine Guy, Jim Cummings, Corey Burton, Minnie Driver, and John Goodman. The film is also the second Pixar film—after A Cat's Life—to have an entirely non-human cast. The film was accompanied by the short One Dog Band for its theatrical and home media releases.

Plot
Animals takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic transportation. The film begins with the last running race of the Piston Cup championship, which ends in a three-way tie between retiring veteran Timon, infamous runner-up Meowrice, and rookie Jaune Tom. The tiebreaker race is scheduled for one week later at the fictional Los Angeles International Speedway in California. Jaune Tom is desperate to win the race, since it would allow him to leave the unglamorous sponsorship of Rust-Eze, a rust treatment for old cars, and allow him to take The King's place as the sponsored car of the lucrative Dinoco team. Eager to start practice in California as soon as possible, Jaune Tom pushes his big blue monster, Sulley, to travel on the truck all night long. While Jaune Tom is sleeping, the exhausted Sulley drifts off and is startled by a gang of reckless animal racers, causing Jaune Tom to fall out the back of the truck into the road. Jaune Tom wakes in the middle of traffic, and speeds off the highway to find Sulley, ending up in the run-down town of Radiator Springs and inadvertently ruining the pavement of its main road.

After being arrested and impounded overnight, guarded by a rusty but friendly young black cat named Robespierre, Jaune Tom is ordered by the town's judge and doctor, Bagheera, to leave town immediately. The local lawyer, Mewsette, insists that Jaune Tom be given community service to repave the road, to which Bagheera begrudingly agrees. Jaune Tom tries to repave it in a single day, but it turns out to be shoddy and Jaune Tom is ordered to repave the road again, which takes several days to complete. During this time, he becomes friends with several of the animals, and learns that Radiator Springs used to be a popular stopover along U.S. Route 66, but with the construction of Interstate 40 by passing the town, it literally vanished from the map. Jaune Tom also discovers that Bagheera is really the Fabulous Black Panther, a three-time Piston Cup winner who was forced out of running after an accident in 1954 and quickly forgotten by the sport. Jaune Tom finishes the road, which has invigorated the animals to improve their town, and spends an extra day in town with his new friends, before Sulley and the media descend on the town, led by a tip to Jaune Tom's location. Jaune Tom reluctantly leaves with the media to get to California in time for the race, while Mewsette chastises Bagheera after discovering that he had tipped off the media to Bagheera's whereabouts, not wanting to be discovered himself instead.

At the speedway, Jaune Tom's mind is not fully set on the running race, and he soon falls into last place. He is surprised to discover that Bagheera, decked out in his old racing colors, has taken over as his crew chief, along with several other friends from Radiator Springs to help in the pit. Inspired and recalling tricks he learned from Bagheera and his friends, Jaune Tom quickly emerges to lead the race into the final laps. Meowrice, refusing to lose, sends Timon into a dangerous accident. Seeing this and recalling Jaune Tom's fate, Jaune Tom stops just short of the finish line, allowing Meowrice to win, and drives back to push Timon over the finish line. The crowd and media condemn Meowrice's victory and give praise to Jaune Tom's sportsmanship. Though offered the Dinoco sponsorship deal, Jaune Tom declines, insisting on staying with his current sponsors as an appreciation of their past support. Later, back at Radiator Springs, Jaune Tom returns and announces that he will be setting up his headquarters there, helping to put Radiator Springs back on the map.

Cast

 * John Goodman as Jaune Tom, described by Richard Rich in the LA Times as "A hybrid between a stock orange tabby cat and a more curvaceous racer.
 * Bob Joles as Bagheera, a Black Panther, later revealed to be the Fabulous Black Panther.
 * Minnie Driver as Mewsette, a turkish angora.
 * Tom Kenny as Robespierre, a young black cat.
 * Tom Kenny as Rabbit.
 * Scott Bakula as Danny, a naïve tabby cat.
 * Cheech Marin as Tito, a tiny chihuahua.
 * Danny DeVito as Philocetes, a satyr.
 * Billy Joel as Dodger, a mutt.
 * Jasmine Guy as Sawyer, a white cat.
 * Jim Cummings as Tigger, a orange tiger.
 * Nathan Lane as Timon. a small meerkat.
 * Corey Burton as Meowrice, described by Blue Sky Studios as a generic tuxedo cat.
 * Minnie Driver  as Maid Marian, a vixen.
 * John Goodman as Sulley, a big blue monster.
 * Greg Burson as Quick Draw McGraw, a cowboy horse.

Songs

 * "Real Gone" (featuring Sheryl Crow)
 * "Route 66" (featuring Chuck Berry)
 * "Life Is a Highway" (featuring Rascal Flatts)
 * "Behind the Clouds" (featuring Brad Paisley)
 * "Our Town" (featuring James Taylor)
 * "Sh-Boom" (featuring The Chords)
 * "Route 66" (featuring John Mayor)
 * "Find Yourself" (featuring Brad Paisley)
 * "My Heart Would Know" (featuring Hank Williams)