Disney and Pixar hope to take another victory lap as their latest CG-animated family film, Cars, arrives on home video today, complete with a new animated short starring the popular Mater character (voiced by Larry The Cable Guy). Meanwhile, a collection of classic animation featuring the likes of Casper the Friendly Ghost, Wendy the Good Witch, Hot Stuff the Little Devil and Ritchie Rich comes to disc for the first time with The Complete Harveytoons Collection.
Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Lasseter (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life), Cars is set in a world populated by talking autos and revolves around Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie racecar who takes a detour to the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs and discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line. Voiced by Owen Wilson (The Wedding Crashers), Lightning slows down long enough to get to know the townspeople, including a 1951 Hudson Hornet voiced by film legend Paul Newman, a snazzy 2002 Porsche voiced by Bonnie Hunt and a rusty tow truck voiced by stand-up comic Larry The Cable Guy. Also lending their voices to the production are Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond and John Ratzenberger, as well as racing superstars Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Darrell Waltrip and Michael Shumacher.
The DVD includes the new short film Mater and The Ghostlight, as well as the Academy Award-nominated Pixar short One Man Band, which accompanied Cars in theaters. Other DVD bonus features include four deleted scenes, a special sneak peek at the upcoming Disney/Pixar feature Ratatouille and a behind-the-scenes featurette titled Inspiration for Cars, which provides a look at how the story was born. The disc carries a suggested retail price of $29.99. The movie can also be downloaded from the iTunes Music Store today.
The Complete Harveytoons Collection is a four-disc set offering 312 digitally restored Harveytoon cartoons originally created in the 1940s and ’50s and featuring the likes of Casper the Friendly Ghost, Herman & Katnip, Baby Huey, Little Audrey, and Richie Rich. Distributed by Classic Media, the set is essentially 52 episodes of The Harveytoons Show, which Fox Kids aired in 1998. While some challenge the ‘complete collection’ claim, the release promises 200 minutes of cartoon nostalgia and lists for $39.98.
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