Lightning McQueen is a young hotshot racecar who only cares about winning and looking good while doing it. En route to the last race of the season, McQueen finds himself stuck in Radiator Springs, a small town long forgotten on the abandoned highway of Route 66. As he grows accustomed to the town’s eccentric inhabitants, the rookie racecar learns a lesson about life outside of the fast lane.

I don’t know how Pixar does it. And at this point I don’t particularly care, so long as they keep doing it. Even as a die hard fan (see my visit to their studio), I honestly wasn’t too blown away by the trailers leading up to CARS. I don’t know why I worried though, as the end result pretty much confirms that the studio can do no wrong. It’s not their best movie (for my money that would be THE INCREDIBLES), but if Pixar can make a flick about talking automobiles this entertaining and heartfelt, then the other animation studios are all in trouble.

Like its predecessors, CARS works mainly because of its focus on trivial elements like “characters” and “story.” Within the first half hour we’re introduced to nearly twenty memorable vehicles, each standing out in their own way. A lot of that credit goes to the perfectly utilized voice cast, especially Wilson, Newman and (as much as I hate to admit it) Larry the Cable Guy. Visually, CARS is no doubt the most impressive computer animated movie to date. When McQueen and Sally drive past a waterfall, or when Doc Hudson slides across the dusty race track, it’s absolutely unbelievable. Just the design for how the cars move is inventive and fun to watch on its own. Between the voices and the clever animation, you’ll actually start to identify with an automobile, which is quite an accomplishment.

CARS may be a little more geared toward kids than their previous films, but there’s still enough clever humor and universal themes for people of all ages (and both sexes). Just the feeling of nostalgic Americana and the sprawling vistas should enthrall adults as much as the humor that keeps their children’s’ attention. As far as the narrative goes, yes, the setup is similar to DOC HOLLYWOOD, but how things play out is a whole different story. While it’s a little predictable from the start, the requisite lesson that McQueen learns comes about naturally and gradually throughout, and much like the film’s message about life, it’s the journey along the way that’s truly special.

Video: 2.39:1 widescreen, enhanced for 16x9 TVs. CARS is one of the best looking films of the year, live action or animated, and it’s preserved here in a flawless transfer. Try not to throw up when McQueen and Sally go for their scenic drive.

Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround EX. There’s good separation throughout and a nice balance between the roaring racetrack and the more reserved sounds of Radiator Springs. The disc also comes with a handy THX optimizer to get the most out of your speaker setup.

Unlike most of the previous two-disc Pixar releases, CARS gets the single disc treatment. And while there’s not as much stuff, John Lasseter’s defense was that with limited time to work on the DVD, they chose quality over quantity, and that definitely shows. I’ve said this before in other reviews: I’d rather have a handful of good extras, than two discs worth of worthless EPK stuff. The only thing this disc is really missing is a commentary by Lasseter. This is obviously a very personal film for him and I know he has more than enough to say about it.

Mater and the Ghostlight (7:06): A brand new animated short made exclusively for the DVD, with the entire voice cast intact. The quality is on par with the movie, both production and story-wise…meaning, you’ll enjoy it thoroughly.

One Man Band (4:30): The short that played in front of CARS in theaters. It’s quite funny, especially the little girl, and it boasts a great score by Michael Giaccino

The Inspiration for CARS (16:00): An outstanding documentary focusing on John Lasseter’s personal influences in the creation of the movie, including his love for cars, Route 66 and his family. You get some peeks at his personal home movies as well as footage from the research trip the Pixar crew took. (And the “real” Mater is revealed.)

Deleted Scenes (10:25): Four cut sequences presented as storyboard animatics. All are entertaining (especially the one explaining how Ramone and Flo met), but it’s obvious why they were cut in the big scheme of things.

Epilogue (4:17): A full-size version of the coda featured during the end credits. The larger size and lack of scrolling text lets you appreciate the animation a lot more. And I have to say, the throwback to the previous Pixar films and the nod to John Ratzenberger put a smile on my face for hours..

There’s also some Previews and an awesome Easter Egg I completely missed until somebody from Pixar pointed it out to me. (Hint: It involves waiting.)

Saying CARS is not Pixar’s best movie, is like saying Guernica is not Picasso’s best painting. It’s still great, and it’s still better than all the other “art” that’s out there. While the disc isn’t as packed full as their previous releases, for parents or fans of the studio this is still a no brainer, must-own DVD. Trust me, any movie that can get me to love a character played by Larry the Cable Guy is a freaking miracle.

Extra Tidbit: To give you an idea of just how long it takes to make one of these movies, when Larry the Cable Guy was cast as the voice of Mater, he was still an unknown comedian whose collar was not yet blue.