Tokyo Mater (2008)
A routine tow lands Mater in Tokyo, where he is challenged to a drift-style race against a nefarious gang leader and his posse of ninjas. With the help of his friend, 'Dragon' Lightning McQueen, and some special modifications, Mater attempts to drift to victory and become Tow-ke-O Mater, King of all Drifters.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
Strong and Moving!
Admirable film.
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
"Tokyo Mater" is a 7-minute animated short film from 8 years ago and actually the longest installment from the "Mater's Tall Tales" mini-series. The others only run 3-4 minutes roughly. Unfortunately, length does not equal quality here as this one is not particularly great. Then again, neither are the others. I myself am not a big fan of the "Cars" franchise, but I love Japan and the style of life the people there have. None of that was included convincingly in here. There is stupid racing action and the references are all mediocre at best. I can only imagine that you have to be a gigantic "Cars" fan in order to be able to appreciate this little film here. Even in comparison to the other "Tall Tales", it is still quite a stinker. I do not recommend the watch.
My 2 year old son loves this film! It's - what - 5 minutes long? About 6th in a series that include Mater being a Matedor, being a fire truck, befriending a UFO etc.The set up is the same each time, Mater will start telling a 'tall tale' that involves him and a rather bemused Lightning McQueen.This tale, in my opinion (and my sons!) is the best so far. Mater tows a Japanese car back to Japan and is then 'Modified!' to be a drift racer. He insults another car and must race to the top of Tokyo tower at midnight to become 'King of the Drifters' or suffer the indignity of being stripped of all modifications and becoming .... STOCK! Fun, non-stop excitement and an excellent sound track.