The first time I saw any footage of Pixar’s Cars, it was in a teaser trailer that showed a talking sports car and a redneck pickup truck reminiscent of the mechanic (Cooter) from Dukes of Hazzard. Sure, it piqued my interest, but the trailer was — to be polite — bizarre, and it never really told what the movie was about. Was Pixar about to release its first box-office bomb?
Of course not. Pixar always delivers, and the final version of Cars illustrates that perfectly. It may not be as memorable as Finding Nemo or The Incredibles, but Cars, which is now available on DVD, has all the personality, charm and incredible graphics we’ve come to expect from Pixar. And on its race from box office to boxed DVD, it also found some great bonus features. They’re limited in number (this doesn’t have a two-disk set), but what’s there is high quality.
In one of the extras, Pixar executive John Lasseter explains that Cars is the film he’s always wanted to make. The story of a flashy sports car lost in a tired Route-66 town combines his childhood love with his current struggle to balance work with family. What’s funny about his interpretation is that I got a different message entirely, which means adults are bound to personalize Cars in ways as varied as they are, while kids just sit back and watch the funny interactions when two generations and lifestyles meet.
Adults and kids will definitely get the same vibe from the two new animated shorts, though. The first short, which is about seven minutes long, is all about Mater (the redneck Cooter-like tow truck) having yet another prank pulled on him. The second short, however, called One Man Band, is surprisingly disappointing, especially when you consider the quality of previous Pixar shorts such as Boundin’ and the old chess player. The deleted scenes, though, make up for the short snafu, as the four deleted scenes (presented as animatics) are so entertaining that you’ll wish Pixar would complete them some day. You know, if budgets were no object and time stood still.
Still, at the end of the day (or is it “end of the race”?), Pixar went full speed ahead with Cars, elevating it from obscure teaser trailer to entertaining movie, and packing a few good bonus features into a surprisingly small one-disk package. Considering Cars was one of the best animated films of 2006, the minimal fanfare surrounding its release is somewhat surprising, but those who pick up this DVD will be plenty entertained. Consider Cars a DVD that’s off the beaten path but a whole lot of fun, much like the deserted town re-created in the film itself.
— Jonas Allen
