If you’ve been anxiously waiting for the latest Disney/Pixar blockbuster to hit home video, this week will end that wait with the release of CARS 3 on Blu-ray and DVD. And believe us, thanks to the stunning visuals and killer sound design, this is a movie that will make your home viewing experience an engaging treat. There’s also some great bonus content which we’ll get into in a bit, but this is definitely one of the most impressive presentations to come out of the Disney/Pixar legacy, really making strong use of the HD format. The Blu-ray + DVD combo pack also includes a Digital copy of the film, and the new short film Lou, which features an anti-bullying message and is quite imaginative.

For those who love great audio, the DTS Surround Sound mix really rumbles and excites while watching this third outing, fully immersing you in the racing tale and giving off the look and feel of a real life race track in select moments. As one might expect, the picture is brilliant and crisp, and the colors pop is every scene. I found myself really taking in the detailed backgrounds on this new viewing (I saw it once already theatrically), noticing tiny touches the animators put in to really compliment the presentation. Watch this on the biggest screen you have, you’ll see new things too with each viewing, and pay particular attention to all the different race car designs on display – it’s said this third movie has more unique individual race cars than the first two movies combined.

Click on image to see it full-size.

The bonus features here are geared more toward young viewers, but are still quite fun to watch, especially the segments where the filmmakers talk about how they constructed this outing and the characters. As we all know, CARS 2 wasn’t the best effort from the Disney/Pixar team, so they knew they had to make up for that. The featurettes show the great amount of care and concern that went into this third outing, and delve into the process of capturing the various voices of the film, especially the inspired choice of Cristela Alonzo as Cruz Ramirez. The voice cast on this film is rather impressive, including Owen Wilson, Larry The Cable Guy, Kerry Washington, Nathan Fillion, Armie Hammer, Cristela Alonzo, Kyle Petty, Bonnie Hunt, Margo Martindale, Paul Newman, John Ratzenberger, Bob Costas, Lea DeLaria, Jenifer Lewis, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Chris Cooper, Paul Dooley, Katherine Helmond, Jeff Gordon, Bob Peterson, Tom Magliozzi, Ray Magliozzi, Darrell Waltrip, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Lewis Hamilton, Lloyd Sherr, Junior Johnson, Ray Evernham and Humpy Wheeler. While it could be argued that most Disney animated movies have terrific voice casts and look and sound great, this is one where all of the various ingredients seemed to work quite well and really deliver.

Interesting bits of trivia about CARS 3 – One of the new racers is number 31, and is sponsored by Triple Dent gum, which was in the gum commercial that annoyed Anger from Disney/Pixar’s INSIDE OUT. The famous Pixar Pizza Planet truck makes an appearance during the demolition scenes, as well as a Captain America car. This is Pixar’s eighteenth feature film.  This is being released on home video on November 7, 2017, the same day that the original CARS was released in stores eleven years prior. Buy your copy today.

Disney and Pixar saw a solid hit with CARS in 2006, which explored the idea of sentient vehicles in a world only they inhabit (i.e. no humans or animals), and a simple story of an underdog who trains in a small town for the big leagues. It wasn’t just a critical and financial hit as a film, but a rather genius move in merchandising as every character could easily be made into a toy – what kid doesn’t love toy cars? Then in 2011 they released a sequel… and it wasn’t very good. CARS 2 just didn’t have the charm or the spirit of the original, and many thought it felt like a soulless cash grab that didn’t add anything substantial to the mythos. But the studios still know how popular this franchise can be, so now we have a third entry hitting theaters. The big question is will this third outing recapture the magic of the the original, or just feel like more of the same in a lazy way?

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is still top dog on the race track, having fun and winning like the champ everyone knows him to be. But things get shaken up when a sleek new car named Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) joins the races, and suddenly McQueen starts to feel like old news. Storm’s presence also sparks a rash of newer and more stylish cars on the track, sending many of the seasoned vehicles into retirement. Lightning tries to keep up, but suffers a horrible crash and is sidelined seemingly for good. When a fast-talking marketing genius named Sterling (Nathan Fillion) buys McQueen from his backers, he plans out a post-career push of product endorsement for the former racing star. But Lightning doesn’t want to give up his dream, so he makes a deal with Sterling to train for one last challenge against Storm, and if he wins he quits racing on his own terms… if he loses, he basically becomes a product spokesman for Sterling for the foreseeable future. To assist in his training, McQueen is partnered with Sterling’s assistant Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), and some of Lightning’s old pals in Radiator Springs may just be able to lend a hand in his rehabilitation.

There are some genuinely fun and awesome moments in CARS 3, and yes, even a few that remind us why the original CARS movie was so effective. Heck, they even brought the late great Paul Newman back by using previously unreleased dialogue recordings to revive his Doc Hudson mentor character in multiple flashback scenes. And toward the end of the story, the film shifts to a very smart and positive message that will warm your heart. But it’s a strong finish for an otherwise somewhat cluttered narrative. There’s obvious parallels to movies like ROCKY IV or THE KARATE KID in terms of story, but the concept of something flashy and new overshadowing the classic originals is never fully played out the way it feels like it should be. Even Armie Hammer’s “Jackson Storm” is only given minimal dialogue considering he’s supposed to be a pretty major character in the story. So much of the middle section of the film is filled with pep talks and “training” that it kind of feels bogged down, to the point of where I actually started to doze off a little… that’s something that’s never happened to me before while watching a Pixar film.

In thinking about the voice cast, Owen Wilson isn’t quite as charming as before when playing Lightning McQueen, and it almost feels like he’s just reading the words instead of feeling them. Most of the old school cast like Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, Jenifer Lewis, Katherine Helmond, Paul Dooley, and Larry The Cable Guy are used really sparingly, which might be for the best with the last name mentioned. Even John Ratzenberger is barely present, but much of this is likely thanks to the abundance of new voices joining this installment, including Lea DeLaria and Kerry Washington, plus several luminaries from the world of racing. Nathan Fillion and Chris Cooper are welcome additions to the cast, but perhaps one of the most successful of the new characters in Cruz Ramirez (voiced by Cristela Alonzo), who shines particularly well in the final act.

This outing is directed by Brian Fee, his directorial debut after working for many years on other Pixar projects. I’m sure it was a daunting task trying to not only capture the magic of the first movie, but also make up for the disappointment of the second one. Fee may win the day thanks to the strong final moments of the production, but under tighter scrutiny this effort may not fare too well. Even at a reasonable hour and 49-minute running time, CARS 3 seems to meander more often than it flows. It’s almost as it the Pixar movies of recent years have lost a bit of the magic we’ve grown accustomed to. It’s safe to say this is an improvement over the last one, but far from the quality of the original… then again, there’s a whole lotta potential new toys on that screen, and maybe that’s all that matters anymore. One really bright spot of this flick is the short before it called “Lou”, that has a great anti-bullying message, and I actually found myself more emotionally invested in than the film that followed it.

Special Features:

Lets. Get. Crazy. – Get schooled in the world of demolition derby, the “rules” of figure 8 racing, and how Pixar puts the crazy in the Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 race.

Ready For The Race – Check out how real world race training influenced the filmmakers.

Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could – Join Cristela Alonzo and the filmmakers on their journey to create a race-car trainer turned champion racer.

Generations: The Story of CARS 3 – For the story team, creating Lightning McQueen’s next chapter didn’t involve just a tune up, but a complete overhaul.

Deleted Scenes

Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez, with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isnt through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racings biggest stage!

Length 2 hours
Rating G
Packaging HD
Number of Discs 2
Disc SS-DL
Subtitles English

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