Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Disney Pixar Movie •••½ Picture •••• Sound ••••½ Extras •••

Pixar's affectionate tribute to Route 66 has been given a bare-bones DVD release. (There's probably a two-disc special edition waiting down the road a piece.) Bright, clean images with spot-on contrast boast jet-black tires, shiny chrome, and rich primary colors. The vehicles seem three-dimensional, and they really draw your eye, yet the backgrounds are just as well defined. And the sound mix is one of the best I've heard, with the always active surround channels contributing to the action rather than distracting from it. The few extras include a piquant early Pixar short, a brief but hilarious new Cars adventure, four excellent deleted scenes, and a preview for Pixar's coming feature, Ratatouille. There's also a moving 17-minute documentary with scenes of the real Route 66, prompting director John Lasseter to lament the loss of a slower way of life to the speedy Interstates. [G] English, Dolby Digital EX and Dolby Surround; letterboxed (2.35:1) and anamorphic widescreen; dual layer.

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