Hot Wheels: World Race (2003)

I've watched this movie since I was really young, i never really knew a lot of what was going on at the time but it's always a great watch. It has a lot of nostalgia tied to it and it's story is actually pretty good for something based on something as arbitrary as hotwheels cars.There's a few issues mainly with some of the animations and the dialogue but the movie was made in 2003 with 3D rendering that probably was a bit to get used to especially for a movie about Hotwheels cars. that aside it doesn't remove really a whole lot from the film itself. The main story is really great, the action is fast paced how much of racing should be and it really does well with the characters where a lot of them are extremely likable. It even has some great visuals with the orange colored track similar to what hotweels sets used and the acceleration wheels which they also used. It's also an entertaining watch and is worth giving it a try even with it being as old as it is.

They have this listed as a TV series. I saw it on DVD as a movie, and a pretty long one at that for a cartoon feature. The plot, if you can call it that, is that Doctor Tesla has discovered Highway 35, a series of inter-dimensional racetracks that lead to the Wheel of Power. It's the new millennium's version of Speed Racer. The good doctor believes the Wheel "is a source of immeasurable power". He proceeds to recruit a group of international drivers who he arms with high tech cars in the hopes they will navigate the route to get him the Wheel. There's more but whatever. It's a good enough excuse to send a bunch of hot cars on layouts that could be on Mars (and that do look suspiciously like high-end Hot Wheels layouts). The graphics are really well done and there's dimension to the various drivers, once you watch it enough to be able to tell them apart with their helmets on. Hot Wheels has (incredibly) blown this great marketing opportunity, as it is virtually impossible to pick up Highway 35 cars anywhere. But my 3 year old loves it, so take a ride on Doc Tesla's Highway 3-5. 9 out of 10, docked a point only for running too long. Beware of the absolutely dreadful "Acceleracers" sequels to this wonderful animation.

My 5 & 3-year-old sons can't get enough of this movie. Mainframe has really done their homework on Hot Wheels culture. Having the drivers race entirely on that distinctive orange track is brilliant, and the cars move just the way you would expect them to. If you've ever thrown a Hot Wheels car into a cop turn on the kitchen lino, you'll know what I mean.The Reboot-style CG may be oh-so-1994 to animation snobs, but this film looks incredible. Desert Moon nails it when he mentions the sensation of speed, and the well-used screen shudders. The camera angles that Mainframe come up with will make your head spin.And there's even a STORY behind all the action. A brisk story on the surface, but one with thought invested in it. There are themes in this movie that will RESONATE with parents (again, see Desert Moon's review). The only other production house that tells a story this well FIRST, then wraps it in kick-ass animation AFTER, is Pixar.Dinky cars will never get a better treatment than this. HIGHLY recommended.Trivia point: Look closely at the one team's bird-like helmets. Are the creators giving a nod to G-Force? Anyone else remember that 80's flatoon?

I was pleasantly surprised at the evident effort that went into the design of this film: although it is pretty obviously computer generated, it has something of a hand-drawn look. The action is pretty much constant, and there is just enough story to hold it together. My six-year-old "Hot Wheels" fan, (recently graduated from Thomas the Tank Engine), ate it up.Plot summary: a sort-of-mad scientist opens a portal to "Highway 35," a futuristic orange-paved race track built ages ago by the "Accelerons." The scientist picks a handful of racing pros and at least one 16-year-old skater dude. The racers travel through volcanoes, ice-caves, deserts, and other assorted dangers in search of the "Wheel of Power."