Plot: What’s it about?
When it comes to computer animation and movies, there’s really only one that I even pay attention to. Pixar. They were really the first out there and, in my opinion, really make the best animated films. I will say that the “Shrek” movies are an exception, but time has proven that the “Toy Story” movies along with “The Incredibles” really make it hard to top. The only Pixar movie that I’ve never seen is “Finding Nemo” which is supposedly the best of the bunch! As “The Incredibles” took home a couple Oscars last year, it’s evident that this new wave of animation isn’t a fad, it’s here to stay. It’s ushered in a new era and, sadly, the traditional 2-D animation is probably going to go the way of the dodo. I was reminded of this when watching the recent “The Little Mermaid” DVD, a movie that’s probably responsible for the resurgence of the animation movies. What makes these Pixar movies so great is that they are entertaining for both kids and adults alike. Yes, it’s a cliche, but they’ve got something for everyone. “Cars” is the latest offering and here’s what to expect.
NASCAR is no doubt partially responsible for this movie and though I’m not a fan, plenty more are. It’s with this that we meet Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a rookie who’s having quite the year. There’s a three way tie in the latest race and their egos are going to be put on hold until the biggest race of the year. On the way out to California to compete, he mistakenly gets sidetracked in Radiator Springs and is sentenced to help repair the damage he’s done. The judge (Paul Newman) keeps a careful eye on him and Lightning quickly learns that he’s racing against a different clock if he’s to make it to the big race. You see, Lightning is a bit selfish and stuck up. His pit crew quit on him and he only looks out for himself. As he spends more time in Radiator Springs, some bonds start to form and he finds himself questioning his morality. Will Lightning make it to the big race or will he discover there’s more to life than winning?
“Cars” was written and directed by John Lassiter, the man personally responsible for “Toy Story” and “A Bug’s Life”. It’s no secret that “Cars” has the same flare that those two did and it’s chock full of quirky humor. Lassiter is the man behind Pixar and he’s helped spawn a new age in computer animation. I also neglected to mention the top notch talent that’s involved with this movie. Naturally Owen Wilson is in the lead along with Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Keaton, Larry the Cable Guy and Cheech Marin all lending their respective voices to the roles. “Cars” is as the back of the box describes “An instant classic” as are all the Pixar movies. Go out and pick this up and watch your children be entertained time and time again. Though adults might not get as many repeat viewings out of it, its good quality entertainment and certainly worthy of the Pixar name.
Video: How does it look?
I can remember watching “Cars” when it hit on standard DVD last year and being blown away by how good it looked. I’d seen and experienced HD DVD at the time, but nothing on Blu-ray as of then. Well, time has passed and I’ve now seen plenty of movies on both HD DVD and Blu-ray and I don’t think it comes as any surprise that “Cars” is among the best out there. Naturally, any movie stemming from a purely digital source will look spectacular and being animated only gives it that much more life on screen (pardon the pun). Truly, this is what you show people when you want to show off how good an image can look. The standard DVD looked great and the Blu-ray is a shining example of what everything in HD should aspire to be.
Audio: How does it sound?
The PCM uncompressed track is everything we’ve come to expect from a next generation format and it delivers on many levels. As I noted in my original review of the standard DVD, “Cars” benefits from fantastic sound. There are highs and lows to the frequency and though dialogue occupies the majority of the soundtrack, there are so many nuances in every speaker; it nearly creates a dizzying effect that’s pure euphoric joy for the listener. I was also surprised at the LFE, the sub was going crazy in some scenes and it added a much needed punch to an already robust soundtrack. While not quite on par with the video, this is pretty close and certainly is deserving of a near perfect score. A Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also included.
Supplements: What are the extras?
As one of the more high-profile releases on Blu-ray, Disney has not only given us what the standard DVD offered, but they’ve also packed the disc with some Blu-ray exclusive material. What we do have is fairly interesting, a couple of new animated shorts “Mater and the Ghostlight” and “One Man Band”. We also get an interview with writer/director John Lassiter on his inspiration for the movie. There are a five deleted scenes and an epilogue that runs about five minutes. As with most Disney Blu-ray titles we also get a movie showcase, showing us the best in audio/video for the film but there’s a few other specific extras that are worth mentioning. We get a bonus deleted scene in “Traffic” as well as a featurette entitled “Radiator Springs”. What’s really interesting is the Jave enhanced “Car Finder” feature that lets you look through the movie for one of the 200 cars featured in the film. This is one of the first, if not the first, Blu-ray disc to utilize the BD-Java feature and let’s hope it catches on, because it’s way cool.
