Few would put up too much of a convincing argument that Cars is Pixar’s best film. But when merchandising is brought into the equation, it’s easily its most lucrative, and it certainly has a legion of fans. With good reason too. If you can forgive the very flabby second act, the story of Lightning McQueen as he attempts to race his way to glory is really good fun, complete with some very clever characterisations of the cars themselves. It’s also a stunning looking film, and that’s where the Blu-ray disc comes in.

For even if you’re one of those who believes that Cars is the weakest Pixar movie, there’s little doubting just how wonderful it looks in high definition. Take the race sequence at the start. It’s a scene that could sell a thousand 1080p television sets on the spot, so amazing does it look. It’s matched by a cinema-standard surround sound mix that rewards every penny invested in home cinema hardware.

And, to be fair, the film itself is still pretty good. Cars is too long, certainly, and it’s lacking some of the charms of Pixar’s other movies. But it’s rollicking good fun, and perhaps has been harshly treated by some reviewers simply by comparison to other Pixar features. For compared with much of what everyone else is putting out, Cars is both superior family entertainment, and one of the best looking Blu-ray discs on the market. It’s hard to grumble too much about that. --Jon Foster