Exclusive Pic And Review Of The New Pixar Car Toons Short: Tokyo Mater By George 'El Guapo' Roush on December 09, 2008 I have a confession to make. I'm not the biggest fan of the "Cars" movie. I love all of the Pixar films and shorts, but for some reason I couldn't connect with these characters and I'm not sure why. It's not to say Cars was a bad film, because the word "bad" doesn't exist in Pixar's dictionary, rather it was a movie I couldn't get into. So be it. But the follow up shorts, however, are hilarious. And the fourth in the series (the first three El Materdor, Mater the Greater, and Rescue Squad Mater, were all shown on the Disney Channel. Toon Disney and ABC Family.) may be the best one yet. The following mini-review may contain slight spoilers, but no, I won't ruin the ending. All of these shorts were directed by John Lasseter, who I think could be Walt Disney's clone minus the mustache. Tokyo Mater lands our bumbling tow truck smack dab in the middle of Tokyo, where he's challenged to a drifting contest by a gang boss and his team of ninja cars. Helped out by "Dragon" Lightning McQueen, Mater must drift to the top of a building, capture the flag before his opponent and become "Tow-ke-O Mater, King of all Drifters." Check out this exclusive image below for a first look at the short. Click the pic to see the hi-res version. Even Mater himself gets upgraded in order to compete in the race. Presented in 3-D, the first thing I have to mention is the short's visual presentation. This Pixar short is as pretty looking as anything they've ever done. The animator's look like they had a fun time with this one, going crazy with all of the neon and flashing lights in the Tokyo setting. It really is a lot for the brain to absorb. So much so, we actually watched it twice. Small shout outs to Monster's Inc. and Wall-E are visible as well, if you look closely. The story is really funny with Mater put in unfamiliar territory. Lasseter pokes fun at the import mod scene with a ton of bright and colorful Japanese cars. Everything from a Hello Kitty looking vehicle to a pimped out Scion looking car with a gigantic sound system coming out the back, to the black and lowered import is represented on screen. The race itself is exciting and a lot of fun to watch as Mater tries to figure out exactly how to beat his opponent without losing control of his tricked out truck. Dragon McQueen appears to help Mater in the race by using his awesome Dragon powers (a nod to Pokemon and Dragonball). One of the best scenes is when Mater is being chased by the police, who happen upon a donut shop, but inside all you see are a bunch of cars doing donuts. It's really funny. This short will be shown for the first time in theaters December 12th in front of Bolt. It's another reason to go and see such a fantastic cartoon, so now you have no excuse not to take your kid and watch it. I'd like to personally thank Andrew and everyone at Disney for the opportunity to check out this fun and exciting Pixar short. Wanna stay in the loop? Then start your engines and drift on over to Twitter! Source: Latinoreview Comments ME TOO! Commented By: 420band on 2008-12-09 15:24:06 Couldn't get through it... Maybee it was Owen Wilson's voice work, maybee it was the geter-done guy but I cant sit through it.. And I love all the other PIXAR stuff... AND THERE MAKING ANOTHER ONE!? Why not make another INCREDIBLES that was the most fun I've had at the movies/dvd in a long time...It's still great to watch over and over! and had the perfect set up at the end for a sequel.... WUZ UP???????? does Bryan Byrd have anything to do with the rights or something..... Please someone give me an answer on this! ummmm... Commented By: eldudarino on 2008-12-09 18:09:48 i hate to do but my inner geek is forcing me to. but its Brad Bird not Bryan Byrd. Pixar Commented By: Jess Bean on 2008-12-09 20:12:47 Pixar totally RULES. Always have been on the top of their game! Jess /www.privacy.es.tc minority Commented By: Brice_J on 2008-12-10 00:03:44 i have to admit i have no idea why i'm in the minority with "cars." every fiber of the film's being connected with me. sentimentally sound with a strong message: connecting with others is more rewarding than winning an award. maybe too hard to swallow for the competitive crowd? maybe i'm one of the few who gave a hoot about the message in the first place? either way, i believe it's way more meaningful than "the incredibles" --prob the majority's fave pixar-- what with it's larger-than-life superheroes attempting your-everyday-life schtick. while these "cars toons" shorts look amazing, i am skeptical with the idea of a sequel.. yet excited at the same time! BRAD BIRD Commented By: 420band on 2008-12-10 09:50:52 O.K. My bad......The Iron Giant guy(Awesome Movie!) Try this... Commented By: Steph on 2008-12-15 15:19:19 I have a baby brother who just turned four and one of his favorite movies is Cars. I honestly wasn't that into it the first time I watched it at the theater but after watching it about 30 times it really grows on you. I guess you get closer to the characters and plot once you familiar with them and have all the little toy cars of them all over the house. Car\'s Movie Great for any Age ! Commented By: life should be in cartoon on 2008-12-20 23:20:46 I was more than likely the first in line with my daughter age 6 to watch this movie in theature, and I absolutely loved it ~ I love cartoons with a good moral message, and this was definately one~ can't wait to see the new one hopefully its as good as the first !