Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #74 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-27
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
There's an extra coat of hot wax on Pixar's vibrant, NASCAR-influenced comedy about a world populated entirely by cars. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the slick rookie taking the Piston Cup series by storm when the last race of the season (the film's high-octane opening) ends in a three-way tie. On the way to the tie-breaker race in California, Lightning loses his way off Route 66 in the Southwest desert and is taught to stop and smell the roses by the forgotten citizens of Radiator Springs. It's odd to have such a slim story from the whizzes of Pixar, and the film pales a bit from their other films (though can that be a fair comparison?).

Nonetheless, Cars is another gleaming ride with Pixar founder John Lasseter, who's directing for the first time since Toy Story 2. There's the usual spectrum of excellent characters teamed with appropriate voice talent, loads of smooth humor for kids and parents alike, knockout visuals, and a colorful array of sidekicks, including a scene-stealing baby blue forklift named Guido. Lightning's plight is changed with the help of former big-city lawyer Sally Carrera (Pixar veteran Bonnie Hunt), the town's patriarch Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), and kooky tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to break the 100-minute barrier, but had enough story not to suffer; Cars, at 116 minutes (including some must-see end credit footage), is not as fortunate, plus it never pierces the heart. Trivia fans should have bonanza with the frame-by-frame DVD function; the movie is stuffed with in-jokes, some appearing only for an instant. Ages 5 and up. --Doug Thomas

DVD Description
Pixar's latest movie features the talents of Owen Wilson and Steve McQueen, set in the world of car racing.

Lightning McQueen is a cocky, rookie race car. Speeding on his way to a big race, he crashes into Radiator Springs, destroying lots of the inhabitants belongings. In order to make up for what he did, the cocky roadster is sentenced to community service. Though he will do anything to get away from the work, McQueen must learn to respect and bond with the Radiator Springs inhabitants in order to get out of the town and back on the racetracks.

Synopsis
Talking cars rediscover the quirky originality of middle America in this inventive animated film from the folks at Pixar (TOY STORY, FINDING NEMO). Owen Wilson does the voice of arrogant rookie racecar Lightning McQueen, who winds up stranded in the small desert town of Radiator Springs on his way west to a big showdown. Sentenced to community service after literally tearing up the road in a high-speed chase, at first all Lightning can think of is getting back to the world of corporate sponsorship and merchandising tie-ins he loves so well. Eventually, however, the eccentric residents of Radiator Springs begin to grow on him, especially the attractive lady Porsche lawyer (Bonnie Hunt) and a rusty old tow-truck (Larry the Cable Guy). There's also a hippie Volkswagen (George Carlin), a low-riding T-bird (Cheech Martin) and Paul Newman as the gruff, curmudgeonly Doc Hudson, the town judge who harbors his own checkered-flag past. The story may not be new, but Pixar's precision-engineered animation brilliantly illuminates the town and its surrounding cactus-studded vistas down to the minutest detail, and director/writer John Lasseter keeps the film's satiric wit and generous heart in perfect alignment. Adults in the audience should appreciate the film's celebration of old-school American eccentricity, and the kids will dig all the thunderous grit and high-octane wheel burning.

Customer Reviews

Pixar does it again!


Cars has been out for a while now and it has accrued some critical baggage with many reviews saying that this is the moment when Pixar jumps the shark. The company's 7th film is the first directed by guiding light and Toy Story creator Lassetter since Toy Story 2 and it is, almost unquestionably, their worst film. However this is Pixar, their worst is better than a lot of people's best. The story is simple. Racecar Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) falls from the truck transporting him across country to his big race and ends up in a backwater town called radiator springs. There he meets cars that are at first suspicious of him but become his friends. Lets begin with the problems. There are, unusually, for a Pixar film, many of them. The film takes a long time to really kick into gear, in fact we've almost reached the midway point by the time it really gets going and becomes the sort of consistently funny piece we expect from Pixar. Part of the problem is that there's quite a bit of setup to get through and, again unusually, the characters don't really get fleshed out for a long time which makes much of the first half feel like dead time. I think this is the essential difference between Cars and Pixar's previous films. Before they've made me care desperately about toys, bugs, monsters and fish but here the characters take so long to advance beyond a single dimension that that never really happens. Happily there's also much about Cars that is good. The vocal cast is excellent with particularly fine contributions from Paul Newman, Larry The Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt and Pixar's lucky charm John Ratzeburger and the film looks simply jaw dropping. The desert scenery is a wonder to behold and the animators find ingenious and varied ways to get emotion out of their big hunks of simulated metal. The comedy really kicks into gear when Lightning and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) go tractor (cow) tipping, funny in itself, but absolutely gutbusting once the combine harvester (essentially a bull) enters the picture. From there on the gag hit rate goes up with incidental characters like Luigi and Guido getting a laugh on almost every line and Lassetter and company even manage to come up with an unexpected and rather affecting ending. After the credits roll stay in your seats for some flat out hillarious extra scenes including the characters watching Pixars other films recast with cars (You are a TOY CAR. You are a sad, strange little wagon, and you have my pity) and a touching dedication of the film to Pixar's late head of story Joe Ranft. Cars isn't a great film and that, from this company, ranks it as a disappointment, but it's a pretty damn good one and no disgrace to them.

cars
OK , where do i start ?
cars is brilliant !
me and my son and boyfriend
went and saw it the weekend it
was out ! and thought the bit were
gets lost, my daughter nearly cried,
even though its brilliant its not worth
£8.50 plus p&p ! the film is brill but
far too exspensive ! im not saying dont
buy it im just advising you go elsewere !
my apoligies to any sellers who think i thought
buyers off but its a fact you can find them
£5 in a store now its nearly a year old

A very special movie...
This is one of the greatest animated car films ever made. The detail is amazing, the flies are VW bugs for instance. There is not one human being in the whole movie. Instead of using Headlights to give the cars expression they took the unusual step of using the windscreen. The effect is clever. Paul Newman was an inspired choice for Doc hudson, and the cameo of Michael Schumacher (former F1 driver) is a wonderful surprise. There are many very funny moments. It is watchable many times over and details you missed in earlier viewings often appear subsequently. The car haters, Guardian Readers, and those who dislike a simple story will be bored. But in fact the story does have a moral, and its about swallowing your pride. What is more it does have a plot with some nice twists and turns (pardon the pun!) Anyone who dismisses this film just has not got the point. For an animated film to appeal to both adults and kids alike, it has to be special. This is one such very special movie. Disney Pixar has done it again,dont hesitate to buy this DVD