Cars 3 4K/BD + BD Screen Caps

THE MOVIE — 3.5/5

The Cars franchise has to be one of the more lackluster ones under the Disney brand and easily under the Pixar banner. I enjoyed the first one but always felt it was lackluster yet still fun for the family. The sequel, however, was terrible not only for a lame plot but making Mater the main character. Now we get what is presumably final entry completing the trilogy. And although it’s nothing amazing and still on the lower end compared with other Pixar films, it’s at least entertaining.

Cars 3 opens up with Lightning McQueen, a 7-time champion, facing the idea of growing old, is overrun by the latest rookie named Jackson Storm (ARMIE HAMMER), a car who is the latest national sensation. Determined to get back into form, following a devastating crash, McQueen goes to his sponsor’s, Rust-eze, state-of-the-art facility, owned by Sterling (NATHAN FILLION) and begins training under the exuberant Cruz Ramirez (CRISTELA ALONZO).

But being impatient, McQueen pushes the limit to the point Sterling loses faith Lightning can ever race again but makes the agreement that if McQueen wins, he may determine his faith, lose and he must retire and peddle Sterling’s merchandise. So with Ramirez’s help, Lightning goes back to the basics eventually arriving in Thomasville, Georgia, the hometown of his late mentor, Doc Hudson (PAUL NEWMAN), where he hopes to find Doc’s own mentor, Smokey (CHRIS COOPER). There, he does meet up with Smokey and together train like never before and finding ways to outrun Jackson considering Lightning is unable to get to the elusive 200+ mph speed.

Will Lightning McQueen win the race? Will he accept the idea of aging? I think you can guess, though the answer to that first question was absolutely horsesh*t. Or is it carsh*t? Either way, how the finale unfolds was awful and, even by animation standards, contrived. For further insult, one last idea to get the writer’s out of the box they created was equally terrible.

The voice casting is mostly fine though Owen Wilson seems to be just going through the motions at this point with the character; Chris Cooper makes for a wise mentor and Nathan Fillion smarminess comes through in spades. And of course, Larry the Cable Guy returns and thank heavens his involvement is kept at a minimum, perhaps 5-minutes of screen time.

However, outside of my issues with the ending, Cars 3 is at least still enjoyable although I have to wonder what kind of interest anyone under the age of 25, let alone 10, will get out of a rather depressing story about aging and looking to the past. I have read some reviews from parents stating their kids were bored and I honestly can see why as it is a fairly talky movie and humor that doesn’t seem to transcend all generations, usually a staple with Pixar movies.

SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5

This release comes with a title-embossed and reflective slip cover. Inside is the code for a Digital Copy.

DISC 1 (UHD):
No features included.

DISC 2 (BD):
Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Director Brian Fee, Producer Kevin Reher, Co-Producer Andrea Warren and Creative Director for the Cars franchise Jay Ward.

Lou (6:43; HD) is a Disney/Pixar short that I assume played before Cars 3 in the theater.

Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool (2:48; HD) – This is a commercial by the school bus at the Derby racing scene. Fine, at least she’s not as annoying as Mater…

Ready for the Race (5:40; HD) – This is a promotional video hosted by some girl from the Disney Channel on how to make the two main characters as realistic as possible.

Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could (7:46; HD) is a look at the newest addition to the Cars family and how she was drawn and the voice acting from Cristela Alonzo. 

DISC 3 (BD):
Behind the Scenes:

• Generations: The Story of Cars 3 (11:20; HD) looks at core of the story and characters and running theme of the changing, adapting and growth of the characters.
• Let’s. Get. Crazy (7:41; HD) is on the demolition derby scene and inspiration from the real world.
• Cars to Die(cast) For (5:21; HD) – This is on vast numbers of diecast car toyline for the franchise that number in the thousands.
• Legendary (11:22; HD) – This featurette is on the research for ghost racing tracks in the south.
• World’s Fastest Billboard (5:30; HD) covers the graphics seen in Cars 3.

Fly Throughs (TRT 2:43; HD) are just looks of three of the key locations in the film.

• Thomasville (1:10)
• Florida International Speedway (0:37)
• Rust-eze Racing Center (0:56)

My First Car (TRT 5:30; HD)

• A Green Car on the Red Carpet with Kerry Washington (1:53)
• Old Blue (1:21)
• Still in the Family (2:16)

Deleted Scenes (26:17; HD) – Here we get five scenes that failed to make the cut, all not finished of course. Includes an introduction by the director.

Lastly, we get several Trailers (North America, Japan, International, Global) and a couple of Promos.

4K VIDEO – 5.0/5, BD VIDEO – 5.0/5

These CGI animated movies greatly benefit with whatever new format comes along, this was true with Blu-ray and again now on 4K. Cars 3 does look absolutely amazing, presented in its original 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and a 2160p high-definition transfer. Colors, courtesy of the HDR10, are fantastic and detail wonderfully sharp throughout. If there was one (slight) drawback, I did notice some minor banding in one instance but otherwise reference quality work once again by Disney-Pixar.

The 1080p HD transfer meanwhile is no slouch either also providing bright colors and great detail; it might not be as remarkable compared with its 4K counterpart, but it is still something to behold.

4K AUDIO – 5.0/5, BD AUDIO – 5.0/5

OVERALL – 4.0/5

Overall, Cars 3 is a fine conclusion to what I have found to be a lackluster series for Disney/Pixar that really shouldn’t have been a series to begin with. But as it is, and outside of the ridiculous and contrived finale, I did find this mostly entertaining though I have to wonder what kind of enjoyment younger viewers will have. The 4K release offers up excellent video/audio transfers and a so-so selection of bonus material.