Cars 3 is a 2017 American 3D computer-animated auto racing sports comedy drama film that was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Brian Fee, the screenplay was written by Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson, and Mike Rich. The film is a direct sequel to Cars 2 and features the returning voices of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, and Larry the Cable Guy. They are joined by Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, and Lea DeLaria, in addition to about a dozen NASCAR personalities. In the film, Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of high tech race cars that he is still the best race car in the world.

As of October 31, 2017, Cars 3 has grossed approximately $152.9 million in the United States and Canada and $227.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $380.5 million against a production budget of $175 million. In North America, it was released alongside Rough Night, 47 Meters Down, and All Eyes On Me, and was projected to gross $55-60 million from the 4,256 theaters that were playing it during its opening weekend. It made $2.8 million from its Thursday night previews and $19.5 million on its first day. It went on to open to $53.7 million, finishing first at the box office and dethroning two-time first-place finisher Wonder Woman. Cars 3 had the lowest opening of the series, but nevertheless was the sixteenth Pixar film to debut at number one. The film was released cinematically on June 16, 2017, and overall has received generally positive reviews from film critics, with many critics considering it a significant improvement over its predecessor, as well as praising its emotional story and animation.

The Film Itself (4.5/5):

After the considerable piece of garbage that was put out and dubbed as Cars 2, Cars 3 is an all new, completely fresh take into the series that actually was right up with the first film of the series.  Revisiting some of the lessons learned from the first film and offering a new spin onto them as Lightning McQueen and crew become frustrated with the innovations in automobile technology, both my wife and myself found this movie to be really enjoyable.  There’s everything from the obviously expected good and clean humor among the characters to excitement, sadness, and the overall attempt to better oneself, coupled with the life lesson that you can really do anything that you set your mind to.

Picture Quality (5/5):

As one would expect with a Pixar release on Blu-ray, the presentation in 1080p absolutely shined as Cars 3 played out on my living room television.  Offering not only a crystal clear look into the continuation of McQueen’s career as one of the best racer cars on the circuit, but the Blu-ray release gives a presentation that features some beautifully done computer generated animation work that’s coupled with a clean and vivid color palette.

Audio Quality (5/5):

Packaged with a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 audio track, Cars 3 does exactly what it can to do to offer an all out immersive experience for those who are watching at home and are capable of making use of the technology.  Not only making use of each of the available channels, but doing so in such a powerful manner that the sound track for this film made itself known as key moments occurred during the storyline.  Some of the most notable sequences of the film were as the cars were driving down the racetrack and the audio tracks use of not only the rear channels, but the surround channels.  As the cars navigated the track, simply hearing the cars move about our living room really made it feel as if we were right there.

The Packaging (3/5):

Cars 3 comes packaged in your standard two-disc Blu-ray amaray case.  Within that case are two Blu-ray discs and one DVD disc, with one of the Blu-ray discs being dedicated to additional bonus features for the film.  Each of the three discs feature a different piece of artwork that is not only relative to the film but differs from that of the case art.  In addition to that, there is the standard digital copy redemption card that we’e seen with Disney releases as of late, as opposed to the standard digital copy redemption pamphlet as well as a slipcover that’s been made available during the initial print of the release that features artwork that matches that of the case.

  

Special Features (5/5):

There’s actually a lot of additional content that’s been provided with the Blu-ray release of Cars 3.  Not only are there a handful of items that have been included on the Blu-ray copy of the film, but there is a completely separate Blu-ray disc with additional features to allow views to explore the film further.  Included with this release is:

• Lou
• Miss Fritter’s Racing Skoool
• Ready For The Race
• Cruz Ramirez: The Yellow Car That Could
• Feature Audio Commentary
• Information
• Behind The Scenes
• Fly Throughs
• My First Car
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailers
• Promos

Technical Specs:

Video

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

Audio

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

English: DTS-HD HR 5.1

English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (320kbps)

French: Dolby Digital 5.1

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles

English, English SDH, French, Spanish

Runtime

Original Film: 102 minutes

Final Thoughts:

Overall, I was really excited to sit down and give Cars 3 a watch.  After the steaming pile that the last film was, there was a little bit of hesitation, but I was genuinely surprised with this movie and the story that it tells.  Not only is the overall story that’s given a solid one, but it’s executed and maintained very throughout.  The overall visual and audible experience that the Blu-ray release gives audiences really is a top notch experience, but then again, I wouldn’t expect any less from Disney and Pixar.  There’s a decent amount of additional content that’s been made available to allow viewers to explore the film further.  My only complaint with the Blu-ray release is packaging choice for the disc trays.  There really are better options than stacking those two discs together.  If you’re looking to add this film to your library, I would definitely recommend it as it is hands down a big improvement over the last film.  Cars 3 comes out on Blu-ray, 4K UHD and DVD on Tuesday, so be sure to grab it!

Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.