Based on the 1960s Japanese-manga-derived animated TV series of the same name, SPEED RACER follows the adventures of the title character (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who sits behind the wheel of the lightning-fast Mach 5 vehicle. Aided by his family, which includes Pops Racer (John Goodman) and Mom Racer (Susan Sarandon), and his devoted doe-eyed girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed racks up victory after victory, but still lives in the shadow of his late older brother, Rex (Scott Porter), who died in a race. When Speed garners the wrath of Royalton Industries, he must team up with the enigmatic Racer X (Matthew Fox) to defeat the ruthless corporation.

Written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, the masterminds behind the MATRIX films, SPEED RACER replaces the gritty techno patina of that blockbuster series with a polished, brightly hued virtual reality. Though the eye-popping visuals threaten to eclipse the acting, the fine cast gamely makes the most of their green-screen environment, particularly the likable Hirsch, who won acclaimed for his decidedly different INTO THE WILD role, and LOST's always-noble Fox. Adding to the movie's giddy mood are Paulie Litt and his chimp companion, who provide comic relief as Speed's playful younger brother, Spritle, and Chim Chim, respectively. While definitely a case of style over substance, SPEED RACER is a movie meticulously designed to appeal to families and kids, especially the Spritle-like young ones.

DVD Features:

Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
(unspecified) English
Additional Release Material:
Featurette - Explore the cars and tracks used in the film and see how the heart pounding races were created without a single real car

Emile Hirsch: Actor, DANGEROUS LIVES OF ALTAR BOYS (2002)
Susan Sarandon: Oscar winning actress, DEAD MAN WALKING
John Goodman: American Film/TV Actor
Christina Ricci: American Actress
Matthew Fox: Actor, LOST
Hiroyuki Sanada: 
 Rain: Korean pop star and actor, SPEED RACER
Richard Roundtree: American actor, SHAFT (1971)
Roger Allam: Actor
Benno Furmann: Actor, THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR (2001)
Kick Gurry: Actor, GARAGE DAYS (2003)
Paulie Litt: Actor, SPEED RACER
Nicholas Elia: Actor in WHITE NOISE (2005);

Larry Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director
Andy Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director

Joel Silver: American Producer
Grant Hill: PRODUCER/UPM
Andy Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director
Larry Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director

Andy Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director
Larry Wachowski: Screenwriter/Director

Michael Giacchino: Composer, THE INCREDIBLES (2004)

Zach Staenberg: Editor
Roger Barton: Editor, PEARL HARBOR (2001)

"[T]he film is triumphantly visual....[SPEED RACER] bubbles with invention, staying true to its ambition of being a living cartoon."
"The stylised kitsch images have pop-art colours to make THE WIZARD OF OZ look drab, the pictures overlaid in sliding or zooming collages."
3 stars out of 4 -- "The bright, candy-colored universe the Wachowskis fashion out of digital and green screen wizardry is often psychedelic in the extreme."