On DVD: Race to See Speed Racer (But Not for the Special Features)

Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer. He's a demon on ... DVD!

Talk about a movie that got royally screwed at the box office. Okay, maybe screwed isn't the word. But it was ignored and overlooked by the movie-going masses, resulting in an overwhelming (and fundamentally wrong) belief that the film deserved it and wasn't very good to begin with. Add in some studio tinkering with the numbers and you find yourself with a reputation far worse than this little gem deserves. So when it came time to call dibs on some of this month's movies, this one was at the top of my list.

Sadly, for a Speed Racer-loving adult like myself, there's not much at all to the single-disc DVD edition* I have here. Two (albeit fairly in depth) special features are all there is to be found, and frankly neither did very much for me because this disc is not in any way geared towards adults. No, Speed Racer is a family film and despite its definite appeal to nerds, geeks and, well, those who indulge in the occasional illegal substance, the DVD's primary focus is on entertaining little boys obsessed with car racing.

And for those little boys, these special features are pretty darned fantabulous. The first is a cute short film called Spritle in the Big Leagues. It's one of those classically styled kid-themed "making of" pieces in which actor Paulie Litt (Spritle Racer, Speed's kid brother) keeps escaping from the trailer in which the Wachowski Brothers have him locked between scenes (presumably to keep him out of trouble), only to wander around the set meeting all the people working behind the scenes. It's a cute introduction to the basics of CG animation, prop making and handling, and even a visit to the animal trainers to learn about the chimps used in the movie. What makes this a little more watchable for adults and child alike is the pop-up-video format, in which random facts pertaining to what's being talked about at the moment keep "popping" up on screen.

The second feature is more bizarre and definitely oriented towards little boys. It is an introduction to the various racing teams in the film and their cars. Crafted in the format of a technical show, like the kind you'd find on cable, the host details the various racing styles while explaining what's so special about each team's car. Unfortunately for adults, it takes all of three seconds to realize that everything discussed is entirely fictional and has no basis in any kind of real-world physics.

The announcer/host continually discusses in all seriousness the various Dr. Seuss-like contraptions that propel these vehicles to such obscene speeds as well as what parts keep the vehicle from being torn apart. The only thing adults may find interesting are the occasional discussions of the layouts of various racing tracks, which look even more insane when laid out here than they do in the movie itself. Kids are going to find all this technical mumbo jumbo riveting, but adults will most likely find themselves incredibly bored by the explanations of made-up jargon and devices.

While the video and audio representation of this fine family film are stellar -- and for that reason alone this DVD will stay in my collection -- the special features lead me to believe that we might be seeing a Wachowski-esque double-dipping special edition in the future. That is, if enough people finally discover this film on DVD. Speed Racer is available now from Warner Home Video.

* Editor's note: A Three-Disc Special Edition + Digital Copy is also available on Blu-ray from Warner Home Video. And you can watch Speed Racer via download and On Demand. Download links: iTunes, Amazon.com.

Official Speed Racer site

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