Mater and the Ghostlight

Voices of: Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Wallis, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Cheech Marin, Paul Dooley
Directed by: John Lasseter, Dan Scanlon
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Short, Comedy
Length: 7 minutes
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Mater plays pranks on the residents of Radiator Springs, so they tell him the story of the Ghostlight.

Review:

Tim: Mater and the Ghostlight is a fairly decent little short. There's not a lot that can be covered in 7 minutes, but this film does a solid job of telling a complete story. The film starts out with Mater playing a series of pranks on the residents of Radiator Springs. This is entertaining, as it lets us see the playful side of Mater while remaining true to his character. The residents get fed up with the pranks and decide to play one of their own.

I watched this with my five year-old son and I had a moment where I worried if it would be a little frightening. Thankfully, it wasn't. The audience is let in on the joke fairly early, so you spend more time laughing than being afraid. The message is buried a bit in the shenanigans, but it does suggest it's not nice to play tricks on people. Mater is a good sport, which helps.

The animation is solid. I've always been a fan of the way the world of Cars is depicted. You have such bright colors and cute designs of the different cars. This movie continues that.

I will say that I loved that the cast was involved in this one. Later, they would make "Cars Toons" that replaced Owen Wilson's voice with a cheap substitute. It was great to hear Wilson here, as well as Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, and most especially, Paul Newman. This would be the last time he played Doc Hudson (and overall, his penultimate acting gig before his death in 2008). He doesn't say much, but it was nice to hear his voice.

This is a quick, easy short. It helps expand the world of Cars. Mater and the Ghostlight is worth the short amount of time it takes to watch.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Cars Toons, Tales from Radiator Springs