‘Rally Road Racers’ is a fun film for everyone

Category: Movies

Rally Road Racers is a fun animated film about friendship, family, and definitely racing.  It is fast-paced and filled with cute characters.

Zhi (Jimmy O. Yang), a little Loris, has dreamt of being a road racer his whole life. Unbeknownst to him, his mother was also in the racing mode, however she passed away before Zhi knew anything about her. Zhi talks to her picture all the time, which pulls at viewers’ heartstrings. This fellow lives with his grandmother (Lisa Lu) who looks after him and attempts to quell his racing dreams.

His dreams are large and he is a good racer but he never manages to pull of a big win. Then when his small Loris Slow Village, the last in China, is about to be demolished by the greedy and unscrupulous road racer Archie Vainglorious (John Cleese), Zhi turns his attention to saving his home and the village. With the big Silk Road Rally looming in the very near future, Zhi makes a deal with Vainglorious. If Zhi wins then Vainglorious will give his grandmother back the deed to her house. If Vainglorious wins then Zhi will be the poster boy for him. 

Zhi enlists the help of Gnash (J.K. Simmons), a goat that has a great talent for creating just the right tool for any occasion and a former racer himself. He always has a bumper sticker thought ready to impart. Together they begin the race with Zhi attempting to not only be the next great racer, but also win the bet to win back his ancestral home.

As the race continues through treacherous terrain, Zhi follows the advice of Gnash and they turn out to be a pretty great team. Then Zhi ups the bet with Vainglorious that if he wins then Vainglorious will let the entire village alone. If Vainglorious wins then Zhi must  become one of his “echoes.”  These little guys are dutiful and obey their boss. They might remind viewers of the Minions in the popular Despicable Me franchise.

This is a whacky story with some great scenes, and even though they are animated they still get the heart racing, no pun intended. It is a shame that many kids’ animated films have a deceased mother though.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Loris mammal, they live in Southern Asia and are slow-moving mammals, but little Zhi does not want to follow his grandmother’s traditions of Tai Chi and getting in touch with his inner self. He has a need for speed. 

What is inspiring about the story is the sense of family that winds its way through the film. Yes, Zhi wants to win the race and become a champion, but even more than that, he wants to win to save his grandmother’s home and the whole village.

The Silk Road was a trade route that wound through China. It connected small villages from the East to the West. This route was used for about 1400 years but became obsolete when ocean transportation made travel faster and cheaper.

Rally Road Racers is cute for all ages.  It is rated PG for some mild violence and rude humor. It opens in theaters May 12, 2023. Start your engines. This is a race to remember.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.