Disney Pixar Cars

Now, as I write this review, let me make it clear that I'm an actual subscriber... with no kids... and I don't exactly fit in the "boys ages 5-9" category. When you subscribe to Cars Magazine, you'll find yourself fully immersed in the world of the beyond-incredible films and shorts. It's a delight to read and an absolutely awesome publication. I'll give you a tour of all the features of the magazine and its many pros and its few cons.

Each issue usually begins with either a "Close Up" or a "Road Trip". Close Ups are interesting, well-put-together profiles of various Cars characters. The folks at Pixar have a story for every vehicle, even if they have less than a minute of screentime, and it's a fun collage and fact-listing of the charries. If you've spent a lot of time looking at Meet The Cars or the Character Bios online, you won't learn anything new, but it's awesome all the same. Road Trips are one of my fave features -these are usually interviews or articles on what's going on in the "World of Cars". Such as a recent interview with Rob Gibbs, director of the Tall Tales shorts and an article on Cars Land. They're really good at being informative and entertaining, although they aren't in every issue.

Usually following this are the games, which are prevalent in every issue, multiple times an issue. The games are fun, though the majority are simple enough for a 5-9-year-old. Though I must say, some of the games were challenging enough to have me stumped! :)

The magazine's other major section is the comics. There usually range from 2-3 comics per issue, the first two usually longer and the third shortest. They're really well-written and on-canon with the Cars series. Some of the highlights include extensions of Mater's Tall Tales and new stories about some of the lesser-known characters, plus new stories of familiar characters (such as Francesco and Holley). They're one of the highest points of the publication!

Then there's Cars World, which delves into fascinating factoids about vehicles, racing, and car technology. I've learned a lot from Cars World that I never would've known!

And finally, there's Cars Club, the place where kids can send in their Cars artwork and creations.

The rest of the magazine is usually heavily populated with games, crafts, coloring pages, and a pull-out poster in every issue. From a physical standpoint, the flaw with the posters and some of the craft stuff is that cutting out or removing the pages will damage your magazine. Most children's magazines will have something on the back of the "removable" stuff to keep from messing up the rest of the magazine, but unfortunately, there are a lot of super-cool posters that I won't be able to take out without losing a couple of games pages in the process. I hope they address this issue in the future, and, by the time you read this, it may have been. Bottom line, the magazine's a ton of fun! If you have a Cars-centric kid in your household, then they'll most likely enjoy it. If you're a Cars-centric teen/adult, then just keep in mind that it IS meant as a children's magazine; I enjoy it primarily because I'm a Pixar geek and I enjoy kids' publications. If that's you, then you'll enjoy it. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth about the diecast-collecting hobby or the making of the movies, Cars Magazine isn't that (or at least isn't that yet!). The price isn't that great, but it'll make for some serious smiles when you pull Mater and Lightning out of your mailbox... whether you're nine or nineteen or ninety!

My little 3 year old grandson wanted mail just like his big brother and he picked this out. A great magazine for little ones and he loves that it has his name on the address. Great stories and puzzles to do with your children. You would not be dissapointed and neither will they.

Buy Disney Pixar Cars Now