Cars

In town, McQueen meets a variety of affable individuals, all of whom make the movie enjoyable. There's Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), an attorney, a romantic interest, and a late-model Porsche 911 Carrera. There's Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), "Like Tow-Mater, but without the Tow," a dim-witted but totally lovable 1950s' Chevy truck. There are Guido (Guido Quaroni) and Luigi (Tony Shalhoub), owners of the town's tire store and the both of them dedicated Ferrari lovers. There are Sarge (Paul Dooley), a gung-ho, military type four-wheeler and war-surplus salesman, and his neighbor Fillmore (George Carlin), an retired VW hippie van. And there are Ramone (Cheech Marin), a custom car painter and low-rider, and the Sheriff (Michael Wallis), an old Merc who runs McQueen in.

The list goes on with colorful characters and familiar voices like those of Jeremy Piven, Michael Keaton, John Ratzenberger, and actual broadcasters and race drivers Bob Costas, Jay Leno, Darrel Waltrip, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Michael Schumacher, and Mario Andretti.

I'll admit the movie starts out rather noisily, sometimes even frenetically, but it gets better as it goes along, thanks in large measure to Newman and Larry the Cable Guy. They are real charmers. I'll also admit that the movie doesn't work quite so well as "Monsters Inc." or the "Toy Story" films because the main character here is for too long an unsympathetic figure. Even with Owen Wilson's casual, laid-back vocal mannerisms, McQueen comes off as grating and irritating for most of the movie, a condition necessary for his reformation as time passes. Still, "Cars" wins us over in the second half with its beloved townsfolk and its warm, gentle message.

"There's a whole lot more to racing than just winning," says one character. And the movie reminds us that it's not the destination that counts, it's the journey. In this case, it's not just the humor or excitement of "Cars" but the heart that makes it a winner.

Video:
As with most CGI-animated cartoons these days, "Cars" is handsome all the way around, with unsurpassed 3D character rendering amid almost photorealistic background settings. Needless to say, it requires some pretty good transfer work to capture the film's beauty, and the Disney-Pixar video team deliver a high-bit-rate, anamorphic widescreen reproduction (very nearly capturing its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio) that is well-nigh perfect. Detailing is sharp, colors are bright (but not too bright to be flashy), black levels are intense, and grain is almost nonexistent.

Audio:
Everything you can find good to say about a modern soundtrack you'll find in this Dolby Digital 5.1 product. There are strong dynamics, a deep bass, a clear, natural midrange, an effective use of the surrounds, and an extended frequency response. The movie is not only a joy to look at, it's a pleasure to listen to as well.

Extras:
Oddly for a film that earned almost a quarter of a billion dollars at the box office, the powers that be at Buena Vista accorded it only a single-disc edition, available separately in either standard or widescreen. Perhaps they're thinking of issuing a two-disc deluxe edition later on, I don't know. In any event, the bonuses here include a seven-minute animated short, "Mater and the Ghostlight," featuring the amiable character from the movie in a very cute bit, a four-minute animated short, "One Man Band," that accompanied "Cars" in theaters, and a sixteen-minute featurette, "Inspiration for Cars," in which director John Lasseter explains how his childhood, his present family, his love of automobiles, and Route 66 prompted him to make the picture. In addition, there are four deleted scenes, a total of about ten minutes in sketchy, rough-draft form, and a version of the movie's Epilogue in complete widescreen (in the movie you see it truncated next to the closing credits), which you should not miss.

Finally, there are thirty-two scene selections, a DVD Guide, and a chapter list a THX Optimizer of audiovisual calibration tests Sneak Peeks at various other Disney releases, including a Blu-ray promo that says "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "The Lion King," and other titles are on their way, English as the only spoken language, and English subtitles. The keep case comes enclosed in a handsomely embossed, metal-foil slipcover.

Parting Thoughts:
I should never have doubted Disney-Pixar. They have a perfect track record of hits going all the way back to the first "Toy Story," and even when some of their movies had a weak plot line, as in "Finding Nemo," they had gorgeous graphics to make up for it. In "Cars" Pixar has come up with a strong story, beautiful images, intriguing themes, and endearing characters. I enjoyed every minute of it.

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