With enough track and speed to fuel any young car-lover's imagination, Hot Wheels: World Race zestfully celebrates the 35th anniversary of Mattel's popular racecar collectibles. Fresh from acing his driving test, teenage s... more »urfer Vert Wheeler gets recruited--along with a handful of world-famous racers--to drive a parallel dimension known as Highway 35. Their sponsor is a mysterious scientist, creator of uncommonly powerful and cool-looking vehicles. Their mission: to capture the Wheel of Power, "the greatest source of energy the world has ever known!" (Cue echo machine.) It's a dangerous, heart-thumping journey through surreal desert, volcano, jungle, ocean, and urban courses. To its credit, World Race provides clean entertainment: no one swears, no one dies, and stiff competition turns out to be a healthy exercise in team building. This 110-minute show is crafted in dizzying CGI format and amplified by hard rock music throughout (Smash Mouth provides the end theme). (Ages 5 and older) --Liane Thomas« less
Our boys (ages 4 and 7) LOVE this movie!! They want to watch it every weekend. The story takes you on an adventure with a teenage boy getting his drivers license and getting to drive in the World race with several other characters. The race courses are very imaginative and the boys especially like that some of the courses actually look like the Hot Wheels orange track. Great movie!
Movie Reviews
Haven't you heard...I am a team of one...
Corrie Getz | Cranberry Twp, PA United States | 05/09/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anybody reconize that quote...it's from Vert, the cool hotwheel guy. I have more because I have seen the movie about a million times...my 3 year old is obsessed. It is though a good movie, tied in with the racing are lessons about teamwork, friendship and loyalty. The animation on it is great, the dialoge is clean and kid-friendly and dude, it's hotwheels. II think I may be losing my mind though because I am starting to talk along with the movie."
Order This One!
Ian & Elizabeth's Mom | Union City, CA USA | 11/07/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"OK parents for all of you who have patiently waited for espisode 3,4 and 5, the waiting is over. The DVD is the complete movie it contains all 5 episodes plus bonus features. Yeah!!! For anyone still collecting cars, according to Mattel, all the cars should be available by Christmas and the deadline for submission has been extended. Enjoy"
Much better than expected!
Ian & Elizabeth's Mom | 01/23/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"OK, I'm a 32 year-old male who grew up with Hot Wheels. Not surprisingly, my three boys (ages 3, 5, & 7) love to play with them and have more of them than I care to admit. We have a couple of the Hot Wheels books, and they are simply dreadful. They seem as if they were written by someone for whom English is a second language. Considering this, I had low expectations for the movie, of which I knew nothing about until we rented it.I was pleasantly surprised, and even found myself getting into it a little bit. The animation was quite impressive, with movement of the cars especially realistic. Animation of fast-moving things like cars is usually quite poor, but not in this case. Anyway, this movie basically puts to screen what every little kid who plays with Hot Wheels imagines. It shows people actually driving those outrageously designed cars! On tracks with loops and jumps, just like the playsets! What could be better?It is true that the storyline has a number of fantastical and highly unrealistic content. But please remember, this is aimed squarely at little kids, so realism isn't really something the target audience is expecting. It also seems quite long, but even my three year-old was entertained the entire time, even on the third viewing. There is even a light moral to the story and a sub-plot about family loyalty.Definitely worth the purchase price."
An exciting Hot Wheels adventure - for all ages!!!
Jukebox Graduate | Parma, Ohio USA | 08/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
""Vert" Wheeler is an average young adult, an expert surfer and skateborder who has just gotten his driving license (with a perfect score, no less!).
When he returns how he finds a mysterious car (the Deora) in his driveway. The enigmatic Dr. Tezla, manufacturer of the finest racing vehicles in the world, recruits him, along with more of the world's greatest drivers, to compete in the World Race!
The drivers will race down the mysterious Highway 35, an super-track built by an ancient race called the Accelerons. What lies at the end of this race is what Dr. Tezla craves: The Wheel of Power, a source of limitless, clean energy.
Five racing teams with 35 total drivers and 35 vehicles compete for mastery of Highway 35, the ultimate raceway that challenges man and machine in an alternate dimension of speed, power and performance.
This movie delivers 110 minutes of fun entertainment, with plenty of thrilling moments as well as a positive moral message here and there (that's not delivered too heavy-handed). The movie, while filled with action and adventure, includes virtually no physical violence. It's a great video for children (assuming they like cars!).
Artisan did a good job with this DVD. The movie is offered in both full screen and widescreen versions, each sporting a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix. Bonus features are an interactive garage that provides details on the 35 racers and vehicles, as well as six fun music videos. The interactive garage features three "hidden" easter eggs, with character/car information for Gelorum, Dr Tezla & Gig, and Zed-36.
The adventures of many of these characters is continued in the Hot Wheels Acceleracers series, although with some mixed results.
See my reviews of those titles for more details.
"
I like it too
Jamie S. Anderson | Crosby, MN | 10/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this DVD because my 3 year old son (of course) loves the toy cars and he needed a video besides the Blue's Clue's and Dora types. I bought this particular video based on a review I read saying there wasn't any real violence and it taught teamwork skills. In my opinion the makers of the film did a fair job with the no violence though there was one man on man fight where one kicked the other and one pushed the other down a hill. Also, there was a part where a robot was obviously trying to hurt a human with a large chunk of ice. My son makes me put my hand around his face at that part but still wants to watch. Otherwise, honestly, I really enjoy the movie myself! As I put in the video for the first time my husband and I both got stuck there in front of the TV watching it too. It catches your attention right away! I did think it got long after the first two hours though and found myself waiting to get to the end. I have still watched it a few times since though. It is all my son wants to watch anymore!!"