The Film
For a lot of people, Cars is the least favorite Disney/Pixar franchise. Those people obviously aren't little boys. Cars isn't just a film series; it's a toy franchise -- a billion dollar one, at that. And we're sure that this economic reality factored into the decision to release Cars 2.
The disappointing thing about Cars 2 is that it doesn't really pick up with the "lives" of the cars in the little town of Radiator Springs. While some of those characters (and their celebrity counterparts) do make appearances, Cars 2 is mostly about new characters (and toys!) involved in a cockamamie secret agent plotline.
Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) is no longer the second banana; he's been upgraded to main character here. He is the one that's mistaken for a secret agent (no really). Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) spends most of the time driving around in circles, in more ways than one. While Mater is busy working with two British secret agents (Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer), McQueen is trying to one-up his newest nemesis, a Formula One car that goes by the tongue-rolling name Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro).
Besides the dueling plotline, the film features a ton of rapid-fire eye-candy. The characters travel to exotic animated locales that are filled with bright colors, bright characters, but unfortunately few truly funny or sweet moments.
Does it really matter? If you have kids, the answer is obvious. Plan to make Cars 2 a day-one purchase.
The Picture
Say what you will about the franchise, but Cars 2 is a drop-dead gorgeous movie -- in 2D and 3D. The beginning of the film is slightly dark, which had us worried about what the 3D effects would do to the cartoon's color palette. Thankfully, that worry quickly faded. Moments into the movie, Finn McMissile makes his first appearance and looks very sharp and very 3D. The movie has plenty of awesome 3D effects, and none of them deter from the bold image on-screen. Radiator Springs, in particular, is filled with textured grass and mountains so real looking, you'll want to strap on your hiking boots (or all-terrain tires). The race scenes also deliver dirt in the face and a unique first-person perspective that could be the closest thing you ever get to NASCAR. It's a really fun ride and absolutely one of the best Blu-ray 3D discs I've seen so far.
Besides the effects, the actual image on both the 2D and the 3D versions is stellar, to say the least. The film offers up oodles of detail on Blu-ray, which is most obvious in the "exotic" locations, such as London and Tokyo. Each car has its own distinct color and detailed features, and many of these details are borderline jaw-dropping. Just as an example, McQueen has his detailed racing stripes and sponsor emblems, while Mater has his dirt and rust. Say what you will about the actual movie, but the image on Cars 2 had us revved up from beginning to end.
The Sound
Disney has given Cars 2 a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track, and we can tell you that it uses every single one of those channels to its advantage. This film has some killer directionality. In fact, it could be the best audio experience we've had with a kids' movie. Cars screech and whip across the soundfield and explosions are full and well... explosive. While some may accuse Cars 2 of being on on-screen seizure with all of its fast-paced action, the same could be said for its audio experience -- and that's what makes it so awesome.
The Extras
As if a Cars sequel didn't aggravate Pixar fans enough; the 3D version of the Blu-ray offers up two discs of extras that aren't available with the 2D Blu-ray package -- and both make it absolutely worth buying the 3D set.
The first exclusive is the Digital Copy, which is self-explanatory. The other is a Blu-ray that's busting with extras, which are found by clicking through an interactive globe. If the globe gets annoying (and it will), you can also tap into a larger map view by just clicking on any one location on the globe and scrolling down to the Location Index. Despite the navigation, there's a mind-blowing collection of extras here. There are trailers, production tidbits, virtual tours, deleted scenes and other shorts. This disc has every extra you could possibly imagine, and many of them are more interesting than the actual movie.
It should also be noted that this disc contains quite a few Easter Eggs under the interactive globe. When you see The Pacific, press the down arrow to get a tidbit about "Crabby." While on London, the up arrow gives you a little animated short about the city. Tokyo has a similar travel video, which can be accessed through the down arrow. The up arrow on Munich will give you a deleted storyboard scene titled, "Meet Finn." The up arrow on Prague provides a pop-up menu with three extras for Moscow. Click the down arrow on Porto Corsa for another animated short, which is about Italy. Experiment with this yourself and you're sure to uncover more treasures.
The one other featurette on the extra Blu-ray disc invites viewers to get a peek at the upcoming Cars Land. That's right, people; starting in the summer of 2012, Radiator Springs will become an overpriced vacation destination!
The actual 3D disc includes one extra, a 3D version of the short "Air Mater." It doesn't pack the same 3D punch as the film, but it's bright, it's entertaining, and it's a nice little bonus. That same short is also featured on the 2D Blu-ray, which also has director commentary and the super-cute Toy Story short, "Hawaiian Vacation."
Final Thoughts
Do you need Cars 2 in 3D. Um, yes. This is not the best DisneyPixar film. It's not even the best DisneyPixar film about cars. That said, it's certainly the best-looking Blu-ray 3D release I've seen to date. Even if you don't have a 3D setup, you may want to consider springing for this definitive set for all of the extras.
Product Details
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