Cars (DVD)

Cars is Pixar Animation Studio's seventh feature length film. While not the best Pixar film, it is still a big cut above other animated films released around the same time.

The Film - 4.5 out of 5

The film is the story of Lightning McQueen, an arrogant race car who, on his way to the last race of the season with a championship at stake, gets lost on Route 66 and encounters the citizens of Radiator Springs. The variety of characters there help Lightning to see that there's more to life than going fast and winning.

The primary flaw with Cars is its length. At just under two hours, the flow of the story can feel rather slow at times, making it slightly less suitable for younger children. If one can get past this, then it's not a problem, as there are still lots of funny jokes and moving moments.

The voice acting is superb. Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy and John Ratzenberger each provide a wonderful voice to their respective character. As a NASCAR-style race is prominent in the story, there are also cameos by such race stars as Dale Earnhardt Junior, Mario Andretti and Michael Schumacher.

The sound effects are also great, but the music is what I got most out of the film. The instrumental soundtrack was composed by Randy Newman, composer of Both Toy Stories, A Bug's Life and Monsters Inc. His music matches the intended emotion of every scene. Spread throughout the film are rock and country songs by such singers as Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley, leaving Cars as the Pixar film with the most songs.

Which leaves only visuals. At the time of this review (May 2007), I can only say this: Cars is peerless when it comes to visuals. Breathtaking scenery, believable reflections in the cars' shiny paint jobs and a couple of scenes that border on photorealism. The cinematography is some of Pixar's best work, especially the scene when the character Doc Hudson goes for a drive.

All of this is taken directly from the digital source at Pixar and presented in excellent quality on the DVD. For the film alone, Cars is worth getting.

N.B. Make sure you watch through to the end of the credits.


The DVD itself - 3.5 out of 5

After the DVDs for Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, which were loaded with extra features, the fact we only have a one-disc version of Cars is disappointing. The Cars DVD looks practically threadbare when put alongside earlier Pixar films. However, what is there is highly entertaining:

Mater and the Ghostlight - A brand new animated short, set after the film.
One Man Band - Shown before Cars in the Cinema, this Academy Award-nominated short shows the measures two musicians will resort to to earn a little girl's money.
4 Deleted Scenes - These are entertaining, but ultimately it's a good thing they weren't in the film. Two of them are rather creepy, actually.
Epilogue - During the credits, several scenes of life in Radiator Spirngs were shown. On the DVD, they are now presented in Fullscreen for your viewing pleasure.
Inspiration for Cars - Cars Director John Lasseter talks about what inspired him to make a film about cars.
And a hidden easter egg.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of the DVD for me is that there is no commentary.

Conclusion

If you only want the film, then this DVD is fine. If you're the kind of person who enjoys extra behind the scenes stuff, then you may end up disappointed. I still recommend adding it to any family's DVD library.