Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 14, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Disney•Pixar is bringing its first short film in Disney Digital 3-D to cinemas. “Tokyo Mater” was created alongside other shorts in the Cars Toons series, inspired by the successful 2006 film Cars and directed by Academy Award winner John Lasseter. From January 22, it will be shown before “Bolt”. Cinemas screening “Bolt” in 2D will show a 2D version of Tokyo Mater.
The short-film series centres on Lightning McQueen’s loyal friend Mater, a rusty tow truck with heart and humour. In “Tokyo Mater”, Mater finds himself in the Japanese capital during a routine towing assignment, where the ruthless leader of a ninja gang challenges him to a drifting race. With help from his friend “Dragon” Lightning McQueen and a few modifications, Mater attempts to win and go down in history as Tow-ke-O Mater, king of the drifters.
All the Cars Toons shorts were directed by John Lasseter (“Cars”, “Toy Story 2”, “A Bug’s Life”, “Toy Story”) and co-directed by Victor Navone, whose animation credits include “Cars”, “The Incredibles”, “Finding Nemo”, “Monsters, Inc.” and “Toy Story 2”, and Rob Gibbs, story artist on “Cars”, “Finding Nemo”, “Monsters, Inc.” and “Toy Story 2”. Producer Kori Rae previously served as associate producer on “The Incredibles” and “Monsters, Inc.” In earlier episodes shown on Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Family, Mater appeared as a fire truck in “Rescue Squad Mater”, as a daredevil in “Mater the Greater”, and as a bulldozer fighter in “El Materdor”.
About BOLT:
Life is one continuous adventure for Bolt. The superdog tirelessly fights for good, chases deranged villains, fearlessly confronts every danger and repeatedly saves his owner Penny—at least while the cameras are rolling. Bolt is the star of a television series and, naturally, only has supernatural powers on screen. The problem is that Bolt knows no world beyond the television studio and firmly believes that his superpowers are real.
This misconception gets him into trouble when he takes his owner’s fictional kidnapping at face value and escapes from the studio. Bolt finds himself in New York City, far from his safe Hollywood world. He must now make the long, difficult journey home and back to Penny. Since he cannot rely on his supposed powers during the trip, he needs help. Together with the grumpy alley cat Mittens and his biggest fan, the television-obsessed, overenthusiastic hamster Rhino, he sets off on a dangerous odyssey across the United States. Thanks to his companions, Bolt discovers that a real dog does not need superpowers to be a hero. BOLT is a warm-hearted and eccentric animated adventure full of action, slapstick and humour, marking the directorial debut of Chris Williams and Byron Howard.
From January 22, 2009, superdog Bolt and the supporting short TOKYO MATER will delight film fans young and old—in selected cities in the breathtaking visual format of Disney Digital 3-D.
