Pixar’s landmark classic goes full throttle off the screen and into your living room for the first time ever in spectacular Blu-ray 3D! From the acclaimed creators of Toy Story, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo comes a high-octane adventure comedy that shows life is about the journey, not the finish line.
Hotshot rookie racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is living life in the fast lane until he hits a detour on his way to the most important race of his life. Stranded in Radiator Springs, a forgotten town on the old Route 66, he meets Sally, Mater, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there’s more to life than trophies and fame.
I don’t know, I just don’t know. I understand what Pixar was trying to do here, bring their successful formula to the world of Nascar racing, but somehow I just found the animation to be a bit, weirdly, sharp and flat. Don’t get me wrong it is flawless, but that’s the problem. Talking cars don’t have as much of an emotional punch as talking fish, super heroes, a rat, or even toys. With that said, even the worst Pixar film is better than 80 percent of everything else out there.
Audio/Video/Presentation
Not sure how many ways I can say this but Disney Pixar knows how to put together a Blu-ray 3D release. The 3D experience here is brilliant, bright and colorful. Not dark and drab like most movie theater 3D. It is flawless and hard to believe it’s post converted 3D, but as I always point out these Pixar films are made and rendered on computers using 3D modeling, so adding the 3D coat of paint is almost a no-brainer.
The audio mix is big, full and bright. On my 5.1 surround set up, I really felt like I was in the stadium, you could hear the cars screaming around the track and sounds of nature coming from the back left and right speakers. It really sucks you in.
Extras
- Match and the Ghost Light (7 Min, HD) – Cute cartoon short featuring Mater
- One Man Band (4 Min, HD) – This short is about a guy who is his own one man band fighting with a rival to entertain a little girl.
- Epilogue (4 Min, HD)
- Boundin’ Cars (46 seconds, HD)
- Movie Showcase (6 Min, HD)
- Inspiration for Cars (16 Min, HD)
- Deleted Scenes
- Documentary Shorts (36 Min, HD) – This collection of featurettes that takes you behind the scenes of the creation of Cars.
- Digital Copy – iTunes
Conclusion
Cars is probably the weakest of Pixar’s great film catalog. This Blu-ray release has a brilliant picture and must own 3D title for fans, but the extras feel disappointingly lacking. Fans should love this, everyone else should just rent.
Grades
- Movie – B
- 3D Quality – A
- Audio/Video – A
- Extras – C
Final Overall Grade B