Cars

Bolstered by the Disney-Pixar imprimatur and the popularity of NASCAR, John Lasseter and Joe Ranft's computer-animated Cars—set in a world of cute little anthropomorphic autos—was a huge commercial success. But while well-made and enjoyable, overall, Cars is hardly a classic, serving up a standard-issue tale of a brash, self-centered protagonist—here a glory-seeking racecar—who learns that friends and fair-play are more important than petty ambition. For the most part, the voiceover work—Owen Wilson as the plucky hero who needs a life lesson, Bonnie Hunt as the Porsche he falls for, even Paul Newman as the gruff old town boss—is fairly bland, with Larry the Cable Guy, playing a goofy rust-bucket tow-truck, being the only real spark plug here. The ultimate message that winning isn't as important as good sportsmanship (or more properly, sportscarship) is a solid one, but the fact that it takes nearly two hours to deliver it will test-drive the patience of many. Still, kids will want to take this out for a spin, while adults will be generally amused by the pop-culture jokes. Be sure to stick around for the closing credits, which actually contain some of the picture's funniest material. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include the 16-minute “Inspiration for Cars” featurette featuring creator John Lasseter, four deleted scenes (11 min.), the all-new animated short “Mater and the Ghostlight” (7 min.), the five-minute animated short  “One Man Band,” a four-minute epilogue segment, and trailers. Bottom line: a small but solid extras package for a decent family flick.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 5, 2013—Walt Disney, 117 min., G, $49.99—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 2006's Cars 3D is a fine 3D port with a great transfer and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound. Extras include the “Cine-Explore” viewing option with audio commentary by director John Lasseter or a crew commentary including writer and storyboard artist Dan Scanlon (and pop-up videos and pictures playable throughout the film), various “Documentary Shorts” behind-the-scenes featurettes on character design, graphics, animation, and action (36 min.), an “Inspiration for Cars” featurette (16 min.), deleted scenes (14 min.), a “Movie Showcase” clip show (7 min.), the 2006 companion short “Mater and the Ghostlight” (7 min.), the 2005 Oscar-nominated Pixar short “One Man Band” (5 min.), an epilogue (4 min.), a “Boundin' Cars” parody, the “Carfinder” game, trailers, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: budding 3D collections will want to add this Pixar favorite.]