Chick Hicks

Chick Hicks is a fictional character, a racecar and the antagonist in the 2006 animated Disney/Pixar film Cars. He is voiced by actor Michael Keaton.

Story

Cars movie

Template:Spoiler In the film, Chick Hicks is the perennial runner-up in the Piston Cup. He has spent most of his career in the shadow of The King and also has to contend with up-and-coming young star Lightning McQueen. Chick is willing to do whatever it takes to win, including putting other cars in danger.

In the race that begins the film, Chick causes a wreck that takes out numerous racers in a vain attempt to take out Lightning, who maneuvers and even leaps in the air to avoid a setback. The King and Lightning finish tied with Chick for first in both the race and the Piston Cup, leading to a one-race playoff to determine the champion. Chick, like Lightning, hopes to win so he can take over The King's spot with sponsor Dinoco (the fuel company from Toy Story) and during Lightning's sojourn in Radiator Springs, Chick is able to rally support from many of Lightning's supporters, including Mia and Tia, the Mazda Miata twins who just happen to be Lightning's number-one fans; Chick may have used his knowledge on Lightning's social flaws.

At the final race, Chick recklessly knocks The King out of the race, determined to at least not finish behind him again. Lightning brakes just short of the finish line, allowing Chick to win the race and the championship. Despite winning the race, Chick is not treated as a hero, but is jeered by the audience—and especially Mia and Tia (who turn their fandom back to Lightning)—for his big cheat. He is also denied the Dinoco sponsorship, which is offered to Lightning instead, but Lightning declines it in favor of remaining loyal to his original sponsors, a decision which was greatly influenced by his sojourn, although Lightning does have the Dinoco helicopter give Mater a ride as part of a promise that he made earlier in the film.

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Chick still appears under the colors of his old sponsor since Dinoco passed him up. He spies on Lightning from afar in Radiator Springs prior to the start of the season. At the season-opener at Palm Mile Speedway, Hicks arrives at Lightning's pit to gloat, backing up into Guido after being shooed away by Doc Hudson, Lightning's crew chief.

Some time later, Chick again arrives in Radiator Springs, challenging Lightning to a race which Lightning wins. Chick then has DJ, Boost, Wingo, and Snot Rod (The Delinquent Road Hazards) attempt to help him win against Lightning by hijacking his equipment from Mack on Interstate 40. Lightning retrieves his gear, brings the Hazards to justice with Sheriff's help, and arrives at the next race, much to Chick's bewilderment. Lightning goes on to win that race.

Hicks, not at all satisfied with the result, agrees to challenging Lightning in a series of Grand Prix events in Radiator Springs, followed by another Piston Cup race. Chick is very confident in his chances, saying he'll "win for real this time." Lightning, however, defeats Hicks in the next series of races, ending Chick's tenure as the Piston Cup champion.

Appearance and Personality

While described by Pixar as a generic 1980s American stock car, Chick Hicks resembles a GM G platform car of that era, most likely a Buick Regal. According to reporter Ann Job, "GM wasn't interested in an early Lasseter idea that would have portrayed an old-model Chevrolet stock car as a movie villain." Chick's color (green) may be a reference to envy. His primary sponsor is Hostile Tankover Bank, represented by "htB", but his sides and hood are covered with logos for numerous other companies, especially in comparison to the King's Dinoco-only design. He is one of two characters in the movie to have the most stickers on their body. The second is Fillmore with mostly organic fuel stickers.

Although he is the antagonist of Cars, Chick Hicks is also something of an underdog. In an article by Mumtaj Begum, John Lasseter explains, "For Chick Hicks (voice of Michael Keaton), we wanted him to drive beyond his capability so he is vibrating a lot and he’s awkward, even the design of the car is square, one of those 80s designs which were kind of boxy and uninteresting." An Autoweek article by Pete Lyons quotes Pixar's Jay Ward on the character of Chick Hicks: "He's like totally manic. All he wants to do is win. He's always driving past how fast his car should go, so he's always got like this little shake and he's always driving a little illegal."

Merchandising and Promotion

Chick Hicks received little promotion compared to some of the other characters in Cars with relatively similar screentime. For instance, there was no Chick Hicks in the McDonald's Happy Meal collection. There were also few Chick Hicks toys in the various toy lines released in support of the movie. This may be related to Chick being the bad guy of the movie, which might lead children to not want toys representing him. There was also little known about the character prior to the film's opening, with many information sources unaware of Michael Keaton's casting in the role until close to release.

Trivia

• Chick's number (86) refers to the year of release of Pixar's first short, Luxo Jr..
• According to Cars director John Lasseter, the number also refers to "86-ing" someone, as in throwing them out.
• His primary sponsor is the "Hostile Takeover Bank".
• In a nightmare that Lightning had after his first encounter with Frank the Combine Harvester, Chick gets shredded by Frank, who wins the race.
• When he hears Chick's voice on the radio outside Lizzie's, Lightning has a nightmarish daydream in which a triumphant Chick wins the Piston Cup and Dinoco sponsorship.
• Chick's driving style is believed by some to be similar to that of the late Dale Earnhardt, however, it is closer to current NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, who is known for aggressive driving and a tendency to lose his temper on and off the track.
• Certain merchandising text (most notably that for the "Piston Cup Track Set" from Mattel) refers to Chick as "Chick Murphy". It is unclear if this is an earlier name for the character or merely a mistake on the part of a copy editor.

External links

• Cars website page on Chick Hicks
• A MySpace fan page for Chick Hicks
• Chick Hicks on the Internet Movie Cars Datebase