Just in time for the holiday season, two of Disney/Pixar’s beloved animated films have been released on Blu-ray. Now you and your family can enjoy all of the fun, excitement and laughs of Cars and Monsters, Inc. in stunning high definition. Both films are available in their own special set and come with a host of extra features that extends the value well beyond their retail prices.

Cars

Imagine a world completely populated by living cars. This world is just like present day United States with familiar city names like Los Angeles and familiar events like car racing, except that ingeniously picked vehicles represent their real-life counterparts, like the governor of California as an Austrian Humvee. This unique setting is where Cars takes place to deliver a heartwarming story that the whole family can enjoy.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is a hot-rod professional racer who has focused his entire life on winning the Piston Cup Championship. In fact, his tunnel vision has blinded him to friendship and teamwork, which makes him difficult to deal with.  McQueen believes that winning the hotly contested accolade will also guarantee him a big money endorsement deal. Unfortunately, his pompous opponent, Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton), has the same idea. When circumstances force a three-way race in Los Angeles between McQueen, Hicks and the longtime champion “The King” (Richard Petty), McQueen takes an unexpected detour into the city of Radiator Springs, where he meets Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). Together, the town teaches McQueen the value of family and friendship.

The level of detail in the Blu-ray version of Cars is simply stunning. At times, if it were not for the cartoony eyes drawn on the windshields, it’s easy to think the vehicles and scenery onscreen are real. Little details that may have been missed on the DVD version remarkably pop out here, like the little tracks the VW Bug flies leave on dirty windows. The effect is almost three-dimensional, and viewers will constantly marvel at the clarity.

Cars is available in a Blu-ray combo pack gift set which includes die-cast collectible models of Lightning McQueen and Mater that children and hobbyists will appreciate. The disc is also packed with a couple of Pixar shorts, as well as several featurettes and a never-before-seen deleted scene. If you’re a fan of Cars or know one, this is a Blu-ray you don’t want to miss.

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters, Inc. is probably the most family-geared film in Pixar’s library. What parent hasn’t had to contend with the “monster in the closet” when it comes to their child? Pixar has given parents an excellent tool to help allay children’s fears by exposing the creatures’ world and showing families that monsters aren’t as scary as they pretend to be.

In Monsters, Inc., the monster world has a power shortage resulting in rolling brownouts and efforts to conserve energy. Monsters, Inc. is the main utilities provider, but whereas the real world uses electricity to power everything, the monster world uses children’s screams, which is why monsters are hired to walk through closet doors that transport them into kids’ bedrooms around the world. The twist here is that monsters actually fear children as well, thinking that a child’s touch is somehow poisonous. This becomes a problem for number one scare technician Sulley (John Goodman) and his sidekick Mike (Billy Crystal) when a human child accidentally crosses over into the monster world.

The Blu-ray presentation is wonderfully detailed and breathes new life into the familiar story. It’s simply amazing to be able to make out the individual hairs in Sulley’s coat. The visual fidelity almost makes one want to reach through the television. Unfortunately, not everything on the disc retains the same high-definition quality. A few of the extras that are carryovers from the DVD version are in standard definition, and the difference is glaring. Still, younger viewers probably won’t care.

Monsters, Inc. is available in a 2-Disc Blu-ray set and comes loaded with several extras, including an introduction with director Pete Doctor, a round-table discussion with the filmmakers, and the Academy Award-winning short film For the Birds. There’s also an interactive game featuring Roz that challenges players to open 100 doors and complete whatever task is behind each one. It’s a fun way for parents to share time with the kids. Own the Blu-ray set of Monsters, Inc. today!