Actors: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin
Directors: John Lasseter
Number of discs: 3
Rated: G (General Audience)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Release Date: October 29, 2013
Run Time: 116 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3D: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
“Cars” is a good Pixar film, it is not my favorite but it is definitely a good film. It has become one of the studios biggest franchises since the kids have been eating it up and cannot get enough. Following in to the vein of “Finding Nemo” and “Monsters Inc.”, Disney is adding the third dimension to Pixar’s landmark classic by converting it to 3D. This is the first time that the film has ever been available in this format. I have to admit, I was quite impressed. “Cars” is one of those films that you can watch over and over and you find little bits that make it more fun. “Cars 2” might have given this franchise a bad name but the original film is still quite solid and has never been faster and more in-your-face…literally.
Official Premise: Hotshot rookie race car 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.
The film packs an amazing voice cast including Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen), Larry the Cable Guy (Mater), Paul Newman (Doc Hudson), Bonnie Hunt (Sally Carrera), Cheech Marin (Ramone), Tony Shalhoub (Luigi), Guido Quaroni (Guido), Jenifer Lewis (Flo), John Ratzenberger (The Abominable Snowplow/Mack/Hamm Truck/ PT Flea Car) and Michael Keaton (Chick Hicks). There is something about these characters that have just clicked with the audience and have become more popular since the films. I have been totally immersed in “Disney Infinity” and my favorite world so far is easily “Cars”.
This Ultimate Collector’s Edition includes a Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy. I am excited that Disney has started to back the streaming digital copy service through Ultraviolet. The 1080p transfer still looks amazing. The 3D really adds a lot of depth to Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup races. The Dolby True HD 5.1 is the same as past releases as well and drives in high-gear and sends gravel flying in your face. Obviously if you have purchased previous Blu-ray’s for this film and are not a fan of 3D, then there is really no need to pick this up but if you care for the 3D, I enjoyed it quite a bit.
The special features are the same as the past Blu-ray release for “Cars”, which are decent but was never too impressive. There is an Epilogue, “Inspiration for Cars”, Five Deleted Scenes, There is a “Cars” Short: “Mater and the Ghostlight”, as well as theatrical short “One Man Band,”. “Cine-Explore” is an interactive in-movie audio-commentary by director John Lasseter, “Car Finder” is interactive BD-Java based game, Lastly there is “Boundin’ Cars” and “Doc” short.
