A series of shorts that's part of the Cars franchise. It's actually comprised of two subseries, "Mater's Tall Tales" and "Tales from Radiator Springs". Most of the shorts debuted on TV (on different networks), while some of them debuted on DVDs/Blu-rays, one debuted in theaters, and one of them debuted online. But I never saw any of them in their original debuts. Some of them I'll be watching on Pixar Short Films Collections (volumes 2 and 3), and I'll check out some others on Disney+. Because the shorts aren't exclusive to TV, I'm putting my reviews on a page in my short films section, but I'll also link to this page from my TV microseries section.

See also Mater and the Ghostlight.

Mater's Tall Tales

tek's rating:
1. Rescue Squad Mater (2:49), on Toon Disney
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2008, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the fourth Tall Tale that I watched.) I originally wasn't planning on watching all of Mater's Tall Tales (just a few of them), but eventually I decided I might as well. In this one, Mater tells Lightning McQueen about how he used to be a fire truck. In the flashback, he saves McQueen from a fire, which McQueen doesn't remember. (This sets the tone for most of the shorts, in which Mater says McQueen was there during the events he describes, which seems impossible, given that they take place before McQueen ever came to Radiator Springs. But there's usually some little indication that there may be a nugget of truth in his stories.) Anyway, it was a reasonably amusing short.

tek's rating: meh and three quarters
2. Mater the Greater (3:49), on Toon Disney
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2008, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the fifth Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about how he used to be a daredevil. We see a bunch of stunts he performed, which mostly don't go very well. Finally he says McQueen performed a stunt, too, which of course McQueen doesn't remember. I must say, this was one of the shorts I originally thought I wouldn't bother with, and while I found it mildly amusing, it's the episode I like the least. Still, I guess I'm glad to have seen it instead of skipping it.

tek's rating: ¾
3. El Materdor (3:34), on Toon Disney
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2008, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the sixth Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about how he used to be a bulldozer fighter in Spain, which is a pun that immediately earns the short some goodwill from me. And there are enough amusing touches that I ended up liking it more than most episodes I've seen, though it's still not my favorite.

tek's rating: ¼
4. Tokyo Mater (6:53)
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This was released theatrically with Bolt in 2008. I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the third Tall Tale that I watched, and one that I definitely wanted to see because I have a vague interest in drift racing and a more concrete interest in all things Japanese.) Mater tells McQueen the story of how he once went to Tokyo and got in a drift race. That's all I can think to say about it. I guess it was okay.

tek's rating: ¾
5. UFM: Unidentified Flying Mater (4:15), on Disney Channel
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2009, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the seventh Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about the time he met a UFO named Mator, with whom he had fun until Mator was captured by the government and taken to Hangar 18. Then Mater rescued him. I'd definitely say it was an interesting short.

tek's rating: meh and a half
6. Monster Truck Mater (4:14), on Disney Channel
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2010, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the eighth Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about the time he was a monster truck wrestler known as the Tormentor. We see him "wrestle" a bunch of monster trucks. I give the short props for mashing up monster trucks and pro wrestling, but otherwise I wasn't really into it. Which makes sense, because I'm not really into either of those things.

tek's rating:
7. Heavy Metal Mater (3:30), on Disney Channel
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This first aired in 2010, but I didn't see it until 2023, on Disney+. (It was the ninth Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about the time he became a dadgum rock star. It was kind of amusing I guess.

tek's rating: ¾
8. Moon Mater (4:04)
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Amazon; Disney+; Google Play; Vudu; YouTube

This was released in 2010 on a home media collection of "Mater's Tall Tales", before airing on TV in 2011. The collection includes the first nine shorts in the series. I watched on Disney+ in 2023. (It was the tenth Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen about the time he went to the Moon to give a tow to a stranded astronaut car (or "autonaut"), Impala XIII. He was flown to the Moon by a space shuttle named Roger. I really liked the animation on this one, and just found the story pretty cool.

tek's rating: ¼
9. Mater Private Eye (4:35)
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This was released in 2010 on the "Mater's Tall Tales" DVD and Blu-ray, before airing on TV in 2011. I watched it on Disney+ in 2023. (It was the eleventh and final Tall Tale that I watched.) It's a noir episode, and as such I was greatly looking forward to it. In fact it was the main reason I wanted to watch "Cars Toons" at all. I was definitely not disappointed by it (though it turned out to be only my second favorite Cars Toon). Mater tells McQueen how he used to be a private eye (and the flashback is in black & white). Tia begged Mater to find her carnapped sister, Mia. I don't want to reveal any more of the plot, but it's an amusing story. And I liked that the counterfeit tires which were part of the mystery were called "Lite Yeer".

tek's rating:
10. Air Mater (5:23)
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Amazon; Disney+; Google Play; Vudu; YouTube

This was originally released on the "Cars 2" DVD and Blu-ray in 2011, but I watched it in 2023 on the Pixar Short Films Collection volume 2. (It was the first Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells Lightning McQueen about the time he learned to fly, and joined a team of stunt planes in an air show. It's a reasonably enjoyable story, given how short it is. (I'd probably like it less if it were much longer.)

tek's rating: ½
11. Time Travel Mater (7:02), on Disney Channel
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Amazon; Disney+; Google Play; Vudu; YouTube

This premiered on TV in 2012. I first saw it in 2023 on the Pixar Short Films Collection volume 2. (It was the second Tall Tale that I watched.) Mater tells McQueen how he time traveled to the past, before Radiator Springs was founded, and met the town's eventual founder, Stanley. Mater even takes McQueen with him back in time, where McQueen introduces Stanley to Lizzie, whom Stanley later marries. McQueen still doesn't believe any of this happened, but... it really seems like it did. Anyway, I just think it's a really fun story, with some nice touches (like different eras being sepia-toned and black & white, and how the title card refers to the short as a "Pixar Laugh-o-Gram").

Tales from Radiator Springs

Hiccups, on Disney Channel
I probably won't watch this one.

Bugged, on Disney Channel
I probably won't watch this one.

Spinning, on Disney Channel
I probably won't watch this one.

tek's rating:
The Radiator Springs 500 ½ (6:09), on Disney Movies Anywhere
Cars Wiki; IMDb; Pixar Wiki
streaming sites: Disney+

This was released online in 2014. I first watched it in 2024, on the Pixar Short Films Collection volume 3. It starts out with everyone in Radiator Springs celebrating the founding of the town, when suddenly a pack of boisterous cars roll into town and insult its founder, Stanley. So Lightning McQueen challenges them to race. Mater describes the route they'll take, but McQueen and the other cars take a wrong turn. Meanwhile, the residents of Radiator Springs follow Mater on a leisurely drive along the proper route. It's a fairly fun and amusing short.