7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
A high-octane adventure comedy that shows life is about the journey, not the finish line. Hotshot rookie race car Lightning McQueen 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, and a variety of quirky characters who help him discover that there’s more to life than trophies and fame. Cars is full of freewheeling fun for everyone.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech MarinFamily | 100% |
Adventure | 94% |
Animation | 84% |
Comedy | 46% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Egotistical rookie racing superstar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) takes a wrong turn on his way to California for a Piston Cup race with his two main rivals, The King (Richard Petty) and Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton). He ends up in Radiator Springs, an old, dilapidated, Route 66 town that time has forgotten. As his punishment for accidentally damaging the main road in the town, local Judge Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) sentences Lightning to repair the damaged road before he is free to make his way to the big race.
Lightning McQueen
Presented in 1080p high definition in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio on this Blu-ray disc release,
Cars looks
absolutely marvelous. Compared to the previous DVD release, viewing this Blu-ray disc is like
seeing
the film all over again for the first time. Detail is spot on and colors sparkle and leap from the
screen. It is, in a word,
amazing.
Where I really noticed the biggest difference between this release and all other versions
I've seen, is in the Piston Cup racing scenes and in the scene where Ramone (Cheech Marin) gives
Lightning his new paint job. In the racing scenes, the crowds and the backgrounds are much
more detailed and clearly defined than on the DVD version. DVD just seems blurry in comparison. This Blu-ray also eliminates the various compression and
motion artifacts that are so prevalent in the high definition MPEG-4 satellite
broadcasts. In the paint job scene, I'd never noticed, on the DVD, that Lightning's
paint was a brilliant metallic red. In previous versions, it always looked like a flat red paint, just like his original paint job. On this
Blu-ray release, the metallic red paint glitters with such a dazzling sheen it practically comes
to life on screen.
I could not find a single fault with the AVC/MPEG-4 encode on this disc. So, to call it perfect
would be an understatement. There were no artifacts present and contrast, black levels,
and color saturation were all superb. This Blu-ray release is the very definition of reference grade. Disney should be applauded for their unsurpassed attention to detail.
The soundtrack options available on this Blu-ray disc release are English 5.1 uncompressed PCM
(48kHz/24-bit) and English 5.1 Dolby Digital. I listened to the uncompressed PCM soundtrack and
it was yet another well recorded, brilliant mix from Disney-Pixar.
Typical of the soundtracks for Pixar's releases, the Cars 5.1 mix was very aggressive,
utilizing the
rear channels and LFE to full effect. During the many racing scenes, crowd effects and
automotive sounds were panned through the rear channels generously and the subwoofer was
heavily utilized giving the entire mix a very solid bottom-end and an all encompassing
soundstage.
EQ was also even and easy on the ears. High frequencies were never overbearing and the
midrange
was solid and precise. Dialogue and sound effects were delivered with absolute clarity and were
well placed and balanced throughout. To sum it all up, Cars features a well-recorded,
well-
mixed soundtrack that was beautifully suited to the material at hand.
In typical Pixar fashion, this Blu-ray Disc release features an abundance of extras. However, just
like its companion release, Ratatouille, most of these features will be of more interest to
adults rather than children.
First up, is the BD-Java based Cine-Explore feature which provides an interactive in-movie
running
audio-commentary by director John Lasseter. This feature displays graphics and storyboard
drawings during the commentary. It also allows the viewer to break away from the film to watch
deleted scenes and short, behind-the-scenes
documentaries. The Cine-Explore feature can be set to "Auto" and will break away to the shorts
and
deleted scenes without prompting, if you so choose. All of the documentaries and deleted
scenes can also be
viewed apart from the Cine-Explore feature and provide an interesting insight into what inspired
the film as well as all the hard work that went into making it.
One extra on the disc that some of the young ones might enjoy, is the BD-Java based "Car
Finder"
game. This interactive feature also runs during playback of the movie. The object of the game is
to select certain
models of cars as they appear on screen to build up points. Occasionally, movie playback will also
pause and the game will ask you to find a certain car within a scene. I personally found the game
to be quite tiresome after only a couple of minutes, but perhaps some younger children will find
pleasure in it.
Apart from the aforementioned extras, the disc features a few high definition trailers:
Enchanted
WALL-e
Meet the Robinsons
Ratatouille
Cars is an extremely entertaining film packed with fun for all ages. This high definition Blu- ray release from Disney-Pixar is, without a doubt, the definitive version, with excellent picture and sound quality. I highly recommend this release as a purchase. Not only will it give your home theatre system an enjoyable workout, but everyone in the family will enjoy the sights and sounds and will take pleasure in coming back for repeat viewings.
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2006
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Disney100
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2011
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2017
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1998
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