Mater has been the star of the Cars universe of films and shorts following the release of the original film. The shorts that followed, Mater’s Tall Tales, were brief stories that placed the titular character in outlandish situations, while the follow-up feature film placed him in the middle of a spy plotline. For those wondering when the other characters from Radiator Springs would return, we have your answer – in a new series of Cars shorts, the first of which is arriving sooner than you think.
Called Tales From Radiator Springs, the new series of shorts will reunite the original feature film’s cast, akin to the Toy Story Toons and television specials. The first short (revealed by EW) is titled The Radiator Springs 500 1/2, and has Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) challenged to a race by Baja Racers, who were inspired by the vehicles in a famed race that takes place in Mexico.
Director Rob Gibbs (director of many of the Mater’s Tall Tales), who co-directed the upcoming short with Scott Morse (storyboard artist on Brave, and writer for several Cars shorts), spoke to EW about his inspiration for the film’s story:
“We kind of played it up like a western…These off-road racers come to town, like gunslingers looking for the hottest gunslinger in Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen. They challenge him to a race, like someone would challenge someone to a duel.”
Ironically, we have not seen Lightning win many races on-screen, so the character has another chance to impress us with his driving abilities!
The 6-minute long The Radiator Springs 500 1/2 will debut this spring exclusively on the Disney Movies Anywhere service, which can be used on your computer, iPhone, or iPad. Apparently, work on the second short in the series is already underway and it is scheduled to arrive in 2015.
