Mater (Cars)
Encyclopedia
Sir Tow Mater or better known as Mater is the deuteragonist
in the 2006 animated Pixar
film Cars
and the main protagonist in its sequel
. He is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy
, and was inspired by a 1951 International Harvester
tow truck but bears more of a resemblance to a 1955–57 Chevrolet
or GMC; the actual inspiration may be the 1955–56 version since the hood which Mater recovers at the end of the film after a twenty-year absence lacks the "gunsights" of the 1957 model. Originally portrayed as a sidekick and friend to the film's main protagonist, Lightning McQueen
, the popularity of the character eventually made him the central character in Cars spin-off media like the Cars Toons
series, the Mater and the Ghostlight
short and the Cars Mater-National
video game, and one of the two central characters in the film Cars 2
. He also appears as the main deuteragonist
in other media related to Cars. His name comes from "tomater", a slang term for Tomato
.
The original vehicle on which Mater's appearance was based currently sits at the "Four Women on the Route" diner and souvenir store in Galena
, Kansas
.
, as shown in a flashback; however, over the years, he has rusted into a patchwork light brown/orange color, with some of the blue still showing through. He is missing his hood and his left headlight (in the short Mater and the Ghostlight, he trembles so much, his right headlight comes loose). In the credits he managed to fish his hood (which has more of its original color on it than the rest of Mater does) from a cliff up in Tailfin Pass, but then sneezed, causing it to fall back down the cliff. His license plate number is A113
; the passenger locomotive which nearly crashes into McQueen before his initial entry into Radiator Springs bears the same number on its identification plates. His final personality was based on his voice actor, Larry the Cable Guy, and he uses many of Larry's catchphrases, including "Git-R-Done" during the final race sequence and "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there" during the tractor tipping
scene, among others.
Mater speaks with a thick Southern
redneck
accent with a dash of hillbilly
twang
and frequently uses incorrect syntax. Mater is also capable of racing, as well as being the (self-proclaimed) world's best backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been."
In Cars 2
, Mater displays a vast knowledge of automotive parts and engines. He correctly answers a code question concerning the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
asked by British intelligence agent Holley Shiftwell, leading her to mistake him for an American agent she is supposed to meet. Later, when Shiftwell and her partner Finn McMissile show Mater a photograph of a mystery car's engine, he identifies it on sight and points out the spare parts being used to keep it running. His knowledge helps McMissile and Shiftwell capture Sir Miles Axlerod, the main villain of this film.
"Sir Miles" and "Sir Tow" had been more correct; first names only, as knighthood stipulates.
Cheerful, honest and loyal to a fault, Mater rushes to his best friend’s defense, which ultimately lands the off-duty Lightning in an international racing exhibition: the World Grand Prix. When Lightning invites Mater to come along as a member of his pit crew, Mater leaves Carburetor County for the first time ever. Not long after their arrival in Tokyo, Mater learns that the world outside of Radiator Springs is decidedly different and its newfangled ways may take some getting used to. But when he’s mistaken for an American secret agent, he falls into an intriguing adventure of his own. Caught between supporting his best friend on a globe-trotting racing competition and his new role in international espionage, Mater ends up in an explosive chase through the streets of Japan, Italy, and England alongside a team of British spies and international bad guys. Holley Shiftwell plays Mater's love interest; Mater is mezmerized by her beauty and falls for her immediately. During his intervention with the agents, Mater accidentally causes a miscommunication that costs McQueen to lose the first race in Japan, resulting McQueen to finally lash out at Mater, telling him that he doesn't want his help anymore and that his antics is the reason why McQueen doesn't take him along to his races. Saddened, Mater decides to return home, only to continue his 'mission' with the British agents.
During the chase, Mater learns of a conspiracy plot of the international bad guys known as the Lemons (led by a wanted weapons designer named Professor Zündapp), who are planning to sabotage the Grand Prix by discrediting the dominating alternative fuel, Allinol, in order to turn all vehicles in the world against alternative energy and rely on gasoline, since they own the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. In order to do so, the Lemon cars activate EMP
weapons designed as Prix cameras to ignite the Allinol on every race car, to make it look like the Allinol have caused a crash. As the turfs going in Japan and Italy going well, all of the surviving racecars decide to avoid using Allinol in the final race in England, though Lightning admits that he will still use Allinol, prompting the Lemons to conspire to murder Lightning, much to Mater's shock.
Eventually, Mater and the British agents get captured by the Lemons in Porto Corsa, where the second race has took place. They are then taken to London to witness Lightning's demise. Feeling somewhat remorseful of his antics during the Grand Prix and remembering a comment made by McMissile earlier about being laughed as a fool, Mater finally admits to McMissile and Shiftwell that he's not a secret agent. The Lemons intend to fire their EMP weapons on Lightning, only to find that he has escaped the beams (though it is later revealed that Sarge replaced Lightning's Allinol fuel with Fillmore's organic fuel to prevent the radiation, since he has become skeptical on Allinol after what happened in Japan and Italy). As a backup plan, the Lemons place a bomb on Mater's air filter to kill McQueen, since they know he cares much about him. Mater learns this out after escaping to warn the rest of the pit crew about the conspiracy plot. Eventually, McQueen returns for a pit stop, and is glad to see Mater again, feeling sorry for hurting his feelings, but Mater, unwilling to kill McQueen, tries to drive away, with McQueen in pursuit.
The chase remained until the bomb is out of range from Zündapp's detonator, and at an empty intersection, Mater finally stops and reveals the conspiracy plot to McQueen with the help from McMissile and Shiftwell. After helping Finn McMissile and Holley finish off Professor Zündapp and the rest of the Lemon cars, they tried to diffuse the bomb from Mater's air filter, only to find that the bolts cannot come out and it's voice-activated, and none of the Lemon Cars (not even Zündapp) can deactivate it. It was then Mater realized the true identity of the mastermind of the plot: Miles Axelrod, the car responsible for creating the World Grand Prix and the Allinol. Mater then realized that Axelrod came up with these ideas to give alternative energy a bad name to the world and gave Zündapp and the Lemons to do the tasks, as he secretly hates real alternative energy fuel.
At first, Mater is unable to take action, stating of his foolish personality, but McQueen cheers him up to take a stand to prove his point. Without hesistation, Mater and McQueen race to the Buckingham Palace, where Mater angrily confront Axlerod of the plot, pointing out the bolts in the picture of the unseen mastermind and the leaking oil incident back in the pre-race party in Japan. Axlerod initially attempts to deny this, calling Mater insane and delusional, but upon being threatened of the bomb, he is forced to deactivate it with a voice command to prevent killing himself, thus proving Mater's suspicions correct. Mater also confirms that Axlerod's engine matches the one in the photo, and Axlerod is arrested on the charges of conspiracy to crime, arson, embezzlement, and murder. Amazed that Mater has actually foiled a criminal conspiracy plot, McQueen announces to Mater that he can come to all of his races from now on as much as he likes. Following the arrest of Axerlod and the lemons, as well as an investigation over the Grand Prix and the Allinol, Mater gets knighted by the Queen of England for his actions before returning to Radiator Springs with Lightning and their friends.
At the end of the movie, McMissile and Shiftwell pay a visit to Radiator Springs to personally thank Mater for his help. They also point out during their investigation that Allinol was actually gasoline designed to ignite by EMP beams to discredit real alternative energy, just as Mater earlier suspected. They also wish to pick Mater up for a new mission (citing his superficial charm), to which Mater respectfully declines, stating that Radiator Springs is where he belongs. Understanding Mater's point, Shiftwell promises that she will be back soon after her mission since he still owes her their first date. Finn also allows Mater to keep his own rocket boosters, much to Mater's delight.
Sheriff admonishes him for "mocking the Ghostlight," a character of urban legend amongst the cars. The Ghostlight is described as a "glowing orb of blue, translucent light" that haunts Radiator Springs, and hates nothing more than the sound of clanking metal – a sound frequently made by Mater's rickety shell. Sheriff continues to tell the story of a young couple lost in the area, whose only remains were "two out-of-state license plates." He then concludes with an overly cheerful "Well, g'night." The population of Radiator Springs then leaves within seconds, leaving a very nervous Mater by himself.
As he reaches his garage he is first frightened by a "lightning bug" (a tiny flying Volkswagen Beetle
with bright headlights). As he relaxes, a bright blue glow suddenly appears behind him and he goes into a blind panic, driving around in a frenzy, first going along the main road, then going through the tractor field, past Frank, then around Willy's Butte, and doing a lock-strafe move after that, until he is exhausted. The Ghostlight however was revealed to be a glowing blue lantern to Mater's towing cable hung up by McQueen and Guido.
The short ends with Mater finally collapsing on the road before finally realizing that it's just a blue lantern. It was then the rest of the folks surround him and laugh at him, revealing the joke as retribution for the pranks he did to them (with his best friend Lightning laughing the loudest and throwing in a "Gotcha!"). The credits roll and after them there is a closing shot where the frightened Mater finds he has a huge construction vehicle behind him, snarling and carrying the license plate "Banshee." Mater does not realize who it is through and warns it of the Screaming Banshee before driving off, bidding the confused Banshee good night.
, Mater is a playable character in both the Arcade Mode and in the "Tractor Tipping" and the "Rustbucket Race-O-Rama" levels, does commentary for the race in "Radiator Springs Grand Prix" and "Radiator Springs GP", and teaches McQueen how to drive backwards in "Mater's Backwards Lesson". Mater is also a playable character in both the Story and Arcade Modes of Cars Mater-National
. The Cars Race-O-Rama
video game introduces new rivals to Mater: Bubba, Tater and Tater Jr., all of them tow trucks. However, Tater and Tater Jr. later befriend Mater.
Deuteragonist
In literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
in the 2006 animated Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
and the main protagonist in its sequel
Cars 2
Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
. He is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy
Larry the Cable Guy
Daniel Lawrence Whitney , better known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy, is an American comedian, actor, and former radio personality....
, and was inspired by a 1951 International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
tow truck but bears more of a resemblance to a 1955–57 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
or GMC; the actual inspiration may be the 1955–56 version since the hood which Mater recovers at the end of the film after a twenty-year absence lacks the "gunsights" of the 1957 model. Originally portrayed as a sidekick and friend to the film's main protagonist, Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen, typically referred to by his surname McQueen, and occasionally called "Stickers" by his girlfriend Sally , is an anthropomorphic racecar and the main protagonist in the 2006 animated Pixar film Cars, and the deuteragonist of its sequel Cars 2...
, the popularity of the character eventually made him the central character in Cars spin-off media like the Cars Toons
Cars Toons
Mater's Tall Tales is an American animated short television series by Pixar featuring the characters Mater and Lightning McQueen from the film Cars. The series' first broadcast was on October 27, 2008, on Toon Disney, Disney Channel and ABC Family...
series, the Mater and the Ghostlight
Mater and the Ghostlight
Mater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar computer-animated short created for the DVD of Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006 in Australia and in the United States on November 7, 2006...
short and the Cars Mater-National
Cars Mater-National
Cars Mater-National is a title for video game consoles and handhelds released on October 30, 2007 by Play THQ. It is the sequel to the Cars video game based on the Cars film from Pixar...
video game, and one of the two central characters in the film Cars 2
Cars 2
Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
. He also appears as the main deuteragonist
Deuteragonist
In literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
in other media related to Cars. His name comes from "tomater", a slang term for Tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
.
The original vehicle on which Mater's appearance was based currently sits at the "Four Women on the Route" diner and souvenir store in Galena
Galena, Kansas
Galena is a city in Cherokee County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,085.-History:The city was named after the lead ore galena found here in 1877. The city was originally platted by the Galena Mining and Smelting Company and was to be known as Cornwall...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Characterization
Mater's color was originally baby blueBaby blue
Baby blue is a tint of blue, one of the pastel colors.The first recorded use of baby blue as a color name in English was in 1892.-Bubbles:Bubbles is a pale tint of baby blue....
, as shown in a flashback; however, over the years, he has rusted into a patchwork light brown/orange color, with some of the blue still showing through. He is missing his hood and his left headlight (in the short Mater and the Ghostlight, he trembles so much, his right headlight comes loose). In the credits he managed to fish his hood (which has more of its original color on it than the rest of Mater does) from a cliff up in Tailfin Pass, but then sneezed, causing it to fall back down the cliff. His license plate number is A113
A113
A113 is an inside joke present as an Easter egg in animated films created by alumni of CalArts, referring to the classroom number used by graphic design and character animation students at the school that was used by John Lasseter and Brad Bird among others. Brad Bird first used it for a license...
; the passenger locomotive which nearly crashes into McQueen before his initial entry into Radiator Springs bears the same number on its identification plates. His final personality was based on his voice actor, Larry the Cable Guy, and he uses many of Larry's catchphrases, including "Git-R-Done" during the final race sequence and "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there" during the tractor tipping
Cow tipping
Cow tipping or cow pushing is the purported activity of sneaking up on a sleeping, upright cow and pushing it over for fun. As cattle do not sleep standing up, cow tipping is a myth.-Myth and reality:...
scene, among others.
Mater speaks with a thick Southern
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
redneck
Redneck
Redneck is a historically derogatory slang term used in reference to poor, uneducated white farmers, especially from the southern United States...
accent with a dash of hillbilly
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
twang
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
and frequently uses incorrect syntax. Mater is also capable of racing, as well as being the (self-proclaimed) world's best backwards driver. He attributes his skill to his rear-view mirrors and his own philosophy: "Don't need to know where I'm going, just need to know where I've been."
In Cars 2
Cars 2
Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
, Mater displays a vast knowledge of automotive parts and engines. He correctly answers a code question concerning the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia is a 2+2 coupe and convertible marketed from 1955 to 1974 by Volkswagen – combining the chassis and mechanicals of the Type 1 , styling by Luigi Segre of the Italian carrozzeria Ghia, and hand-built bodywork by German coach-builder Karmann.The Karmann Ghia was...
asked by British intelligence agent Holley Shiftwell, leading her to mistake him for an American agent she is supposed to meet. Later, when Shiftwell and her partner Finn McMissile show Mater a photograph of a mystery car's engine, he identifies it on sight and points out the spare parts being used to keep it running. His knowledge helps McMissile and Shiftwell capture Sir Miles Axlerod, the main villain of this film.
"Sir Miles" and "Sir Tow" had been more correct; first names only, as knighthood stipulates.
Cars
Mater runs "Tow Mater Towing and Salvage." Mater is the first to befriend and support Lightning throughout his adventure in Radiator Springs. During the film, Mater shows Lightning how to do "Tractor-Tippin'" and how to drive backwards without crashing by using rearview mirrors, which Lightning uses to counter Chick Hick's dirty racing in the Piston Cup race. In the end, McQueen gives Mater an opportunity to fly in a Dinoco helicopter like he always wanted, saying to Sally that Mater is his new best friend.Cars 2
Mater returns as the main protagonist. In the now popular tourist destination of Radiator Springs, the rusty old tow truck Mater has a number of roles, including proprietor of Tow Mater Towing and Salvage, grand storyteller and the heart and soul of the town. But Mater’s favorite title is best friend to Lightning McQueen. Mater values each and every dent he’s earned on his escapades with Lightning over the years, and anxiously awaits further fun with his friend when Lightning returns with his latest Piston Cup.Cheerful, honest and loyal to a fault, Mater rushes to his best friend’s defense, which ultimately lands the off-duty Lightning in an international racing exhibition: the World Grand Prix. When Lightning invites Mater to come along as a member of his pit crew, Mater leaves Carburetor County for the first time ever. Not long after their arrival in Tokyo, Mater learns that the world outside of Radiator Springs is decidedly different and its newfangled ways may take some getting used to. But when he’s mistaken for an American secret agent, he falls into an intriguing adventure of his own. Caught between supporting his best friend on a globe-trotting racing competition and his new role in international espionage, Mater ends up in an explosive chase through the streets of Japan, Italy, and England alongside a team of British spies and international bad guys. Holley Shiftwell plays Mater's love interest; Mater is mezmerized by her beauty and falls for her immediately. During his intervention with the agents, Mater accidentally causes a miscommunication that costs McQueen to lose the first race in Japan, resulting McQueen to finally lash out at Mater, telling him that he doesn't want his help anymore and that his antics is the reason why McQueen doesn't take him along to his races. Saddened, Mater decides to return home, only to continue his 'mission' with the British agents.
During the chase, Mater learns of a conspiracy plot of the international bad guys known as the Lemons (led by a wanted weapons designer named Professor Zündapp), who are planning to sabotage the Grand Prix by discrediting the dominating alternative fuel, Allinol, in order to turn all vehicles in the world against alternative energy and rely on gasoline, since they own the largest untapped oil reserves in the world. In order to do so, the Lemon cars activate EMP
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
weapons designed as Prix cameras to ignite the Allinol on every race car, to make it look like the Allinol have caused a crash. As the turfs going in Japan and Italy going well, all of the surviving racecars decide to avoid using Allinol in the final race in England, though Lightning admits that he will still use Allinol, prompting the Lemons to conspire to murder Lightning, much to Mater's shock.
Eventually, Mater and the British agents get captured by the Lemons in Porto Corsa, where the second race has took place. They are then taken to London to witness Lightning's demise. Feeling somewhat remorseful of his antics during the Grand Prix and remembering a comment made by McMissile earlier about being laughed as a fool, Mater finally admits to McMissile and Shiftwell that he's not a secret agent. The Lemons intend to fire their EMP weapons on Lightning, only to find that he has escaped the beams (though it is later revealed that Sarge replaced Lightning's Allinol fuel with Fillmore's organic fuel to prevent the radiation, since he has become skeptical on Allinol after what happened in Japan and Italy). As a backup plan, the Lemons place a bomb on Mater's air filter to kill McQueen, since they know he cares much about him. Mater learns this out after escaping to warn the rest of the pit crew about the conspiracy plot. Eventually, McQueen returns for a pit stop, and is glad to see Mater again, feeling sorry for hurting his feelings, but Mater, unwilling to kill McQueen, tries to drive away, with McQueen in pursuit.
The chase remained until the bomb is out of range from Zündapp's detonator, and at an empty intersection, Mater finally stops and reveals the conspiracy plot to McQueen with the help from McMissile and Shiftwell. After helping Finn McMissile and Holley finish off Professor Zündapp and the rest of the Lemon cars, they tried to diffuse the bomb from Mater's air filter, only to find that the bolts cannot come out and it's voice-activated, and none of the Lemon Cars (not even Zündapp) can deactivate it. It was then Mater realized the true identity of the mastermind of the plot: Miles Axelrod, the car responsible for creating the World Grand Prix and the Allinol. Mater then realized that Axelrod came up with these ideas to give alternative energy a bad name to the world and gave Zündapp and the Lemons to do the tasks, as he secretly hates real alternative energy fuel.
At first, Mater is unable to take action, stating of his foolish personality, but McQueen cheers him up to take a stand to prove his point. Without hesistation, Mater and McQueen race to the Buckingham Palace, where Mater angrily confront Axlerod of the plot, pointing out the bolts in the picture of the unseen mastermind and the leaking oil incident back in the pre-race party in Japan. Axlerod initially attempts to deny this, calling Mater insane and delusional, but upon being threatened of the bomb, he is forced to deactivate it with a voice command to prevent killing himself, thus proving Mater's suspicions correct. Mater also confirms that Axlerod's engine matches the one in the photo, and Axlerod is arrested on the charges of conspiracy to crime, arson, embezzlement, and murder. Amazed that Mater has actually foiled a criminal conspiracy plot, McQueen announces to Mater that he can come to all of his races from now on as much as he likes. Following the arrest of Axerlod and the lemons, as well as an investigation over the Grand Prix and the Allinol, Mater gets knighted by the Queen of England for his actions before returning to Radiator Springs with Lightning and their friends.
At the end of the movie, McMissile and Shiftwell pay a visit to Radiator Springs to personally thank Mater for his help. They also point out during their investigation that Allinol was actually gasoline designed to ignite by EMP beams to discredit real alternative energy, just as Mater earlier suspected. They also wish to pick Mater up for a new mission (citing his superficial charm), to which Mater respectfully declines, stating that Radiator Springs is where he belongs. Understanding Mater's point, Shiftwell promises that she will be back soon after her mission since he still owes her their first date. Finn also allows Mater to keep his own rocket boosters, much to Mater's delight.
Mater and the Ghostlight
The short film follows Mater's day-to-day activities after things have returned to normal in Radiator Springs. Mater likes to play scary pranks on other characters until a blue light begins haunting him. His final prank is his most successful: Lightning McQueen sees a tow hook hanging from behind a stack of cans and, assuming that Mater is hiding behind it, approaches to foil the prank. Mater then jumps off of the roof of Flo's café, screaming behind McQueen, who then is startled and knocks over the pile of cans, revealing that the hook was actually from the sign of Mater's place of business, thus a decoy. Everyone starts to laugh at McQueen for falling such a smart trick, and Mater teases, "Whoa, Buddy. You look like you seen... the Ghostlight!"Sheriff admonishes him for "mocking the Ghostlight," a character of urban legend amongst the cars. The Ghostlight is described as a "glowing orb of blue, translucent light" that haunts Radiator Springs, and hates nothing more than the sound of clanking metal – a sound frequently made by Mater's rickety shell. Sheriff continues to tell the story of a young couple lost in the area, whose only remains were "two out-of-state license plates." He then concludes with an overly cheerful "Well, g'night." The population of Radiator Springs then leaves within seconds, leaving a very nervous Mater by himself.
As he reaches his garage he is first frightened by a "lightning bug" (a tiny flying Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
with bright headlights). As he relaxes, a bright blue glow suddenly appears behind him and he goes into a blind panic, driving around in a frenzy, first going along the main road, then going through the tractor field, past Frank, then around Willy's Butte, and doing a lock-strafe move after that, until he is exhausted. The Ghostlight however was revealed to be a glowing blue lantern to Mater's towing cable hung up by McQueen and Guido.
The short ends with Mater finally collapsing on the road before finally realizing that it's just a blue lantern. It was then the rest of the folks surround him and laugh at him, revealing the joke as retribution for the pranks he did to them (with his best friend Lightning laughing the loudest and throwing in a "Gotcha!"). The credits roll and after them there is a closing shot where the frightened Mater finds he has a huge construction vehicle behind him, snarling and carrying the license plate "Banshee." Mater does not realize who it is through and warns it of the Screaming Banshee before driving off, bidding the confused Banshee good night.
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales
Mater is the main character in the animated short series, A Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales. Each tale begins with Mater telling a story of something he has done in the past. In the story, Mater finds himself in an inescapable predicament. When McQueen questions Mater over whether the events in the story actually occurred, Mater responds, "Don't you remember? You was there too!", and continues the story including McQueen's sudden participation. The cartoons end with Mater leaving the scene, often followed by characters or references to the story that was being told, putting up a possibility that the story might be real.Video games
Mater appears in all Cars video games to date. In the sequel video game CarsCars (video game)
Cars is a video game based on and considered a sequel to the film of the same name. It is available Mac, Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS....
, Mater is a playable character in both the Arcade Mode and in the "Tractor Tipping" and the "Rustbucket Race-O-Rama" levels, does commentary for the race in "Radiator Springs Grand Prix" and "Radiator Springs GP", and teaches McQueen how to drive backwards in "Mater's Backwards Lesson". Mater is also a playable character in both the Story and Arcade Modes of Cars Mater-National
Cars Mater-National
Cars Mater-National is a title for video game consoles and handhelds released on October 30, 2007 by Play THQ. It is the sequel to the Cars video game based on the Cars film from Pixar...
. The Cars Race-O-Rama
Cars Race-O-Rama
Cars Race-O-Rama is a racing game that was released on October 12, 2009. Cars Race-o-Rama is the sequel to Cars Mater-National, which was released on October 27, 2007. The PSP and DS versions of the game were created by Tantalus Media in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia...
video game introduces new rivals to Mater: Bubba, Tater and Tater Jr., all of them tow trucks. However, Tater and Tater Jr. later befriend Mater.
In popular culture
- Real life replicas of Mater and Lightning McQueen are shown at Disney's California AdventureDisney's California AdventureDisney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
at Disneyland ResortDisneyland ResortThe Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...
in Anaheim, CA and Disney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood StudiosDisney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
and EpcotEpcotEpcot is a theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely international culture and technological innovation. The second park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1982 and was initially named...
(as plants due to the sequel, Cars 2Cars 2Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
) of Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL. In addition, unofficial replicas have been created by fans of the movie. - Mater made a cameo appearance in the MADMad (TV series)MAD is an American animated sketch comedy series created by Kevin Shinick and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Based upon the magazine of the same name, each episode is a collection of short animated parodies of television shows, movies, games, celebrities and other media using various types of...
episode "Trans-Bore-Mores".
External links
- IMCDb page of Chevrolet 3800s, which include Mater's appearances.