Hi Bryan Here…..

I liked two things from Cars 2.  It looks really good and crisp.  And Bruce “man-god” Campbell lends his voice to one of the cars.  That’s it.  I don’t understand why Pixar lowered the bar with this one.  Cars 2 actually should have been called “The Mater Show” since the film it 95% about him, which is just terrible on every level.  Maybe it’s because I find Larry the Cable Guy just an untalented guy.  The first Cars film has always been my least favorite of all the Pixar films, but that’s not saying much, because every Pixar film is AWESOME.  AWESOME until this sequel.  However this is one of the best looking Pixar films ever to grace blu-ray.  And the 3D is top notch after the first big scene of the film.  But does that make it worth the buy?  You be the judge.

THE FILM

I will say that I did like how the sequel to Cars changed genres from heart warming grass roots Americana to a hi-tech top secret spy thriller.  But sadly it was poorly executed and did not have any heart.  It seemed like it was geared only to kids under 13.  What a let down.  Now I know the directors John Lasseter and Brad Lewis are very fond of actual cars and they talk about their love for vehicles on the disc, but I just can’t get into this movie.  Mainly, because it is just a disaster.  So this spy thriller is set against a large foreign racing tournament as Lighting McQueen is racing for top spot, but his best friend, Mater mistakenly gets identified as a spy on a mission of  an evil conspiracy led by a band of disgruntled Lemon cars who are seeking revenge for being discarded in the “do not want” pile.  Throughout the entire film, Mater does not know he is a real spy.  It’s almost like he is Mr. Magoo.  Just aimlessly and bumbling around accidentally foiling crimes.  All of that with the voice of Larry the Cable Guy.  It’s like nails on a chalkboard.  It’s not all terrible.  Bruce Campbell is a voice of one of the cars as well as Michael Caine.  And Pixar actually pays a little bit of tribute to old spy films which is cool.  But the disc really shines with its video and audio presentation.

THE AUDIO/VIDEO

The video is presented in 1080p with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio.  The 1st scene is a cool scene, but it takes place at night, so it is a bit darker than the rest of the movie and the 3D just doesn’t come across that well nor does the video.  There are a few flaws here and there.  But as soon as that scene is over, somebody must have flipped a switch and BAM the video is perfect.  The detail and tones are so dynamic.  The colors pop vibrantly and blacks unlike the first scene are very deep and inky.  A lot of the backgrounds seem real and the 3D just pops.  Great depth and some fun fly out at you moments.  Really great job Pixar on the video.  The audio comes with an impressive 7.1 DTS-HD mix.  Simply superb.  My speakers got a full workout all the while not sounding to abrasive.  The dialogue was clear and crisp, the bass as the cars zoomed by was AWESOME, and the score and ambience was stellar.  This video and audio presentation is definitely demo worthy.

THE EXTRAS

• ‘The Pacific’, (8 mins). See how Pixar made the water effects, the design of the lemon cars, and some shots of the oil derrick.  Pixar is awesome.
  
• ‘Emeryville’, (20 Mins).  See a unique car show, how the toy was made, and the trailer.
  
• ‘Radiator Springs, (10 mins).  Here is a deleted opening scene to the film with Lasseter talking to us about it.
  
• ‘London’, (15 Mins). Pixar traveled to London and did their research to bring us backgrounds for the film.  Plus some cool stuff on the genre of spy thrillers.
  
• ‘Paris’, (12 Mins). A deleted scene of an endurance race and some info on the team going to Paris and doing research for backgrounds for the film.
  
• ‘Munich’, (8 mins). A deleted scene from Germany and Oktoberfest.  
  
• ‘Prague’, (3 Mins). ‘Another alternate opening to the film with some homage to old spy films.
  
• ‘Porto Corsa’, (14 Mins). Some design features and set designs when they travelled here.  Pretty spectacular.
  
• ‘Tokyo’, (18 Mins). An extended scene in Tokyo, plus a really cool feature on how Pixar studied to make the Japanese cars accurate.  Really cool.
  
• ‘Sneak Peek: The Nuts and Bolts of Cars Land’, (7 Mins). Of course Disney theme parks are doing a Cars themed attraction, and this is where you can find and see all about it.