Air Mater (2011)

Directed by: Rob Gibbs | 5 minutes | action, animation, comedy, family | Original voice cast: Larry the Cable Guy, Keith Ferguson, Stacey Keach, Jonathan Adams

For those who already have Takel’s strong stories, ‘Air Mater’ offers little new: nevertheless this episode is a nice addition to the DVD and blu-ray of ‘Cars 2’. The same structure is followed: Mater is doing something in Radiator Springs, which prompts Lightning to ask him about it. Thereupon, Mater tells an apparently ‘strong story’, to which Bliksem firmly claims that this cannot really have happened after all. Mater then takes revenge by showing that Lightning was there himself. And then something happens that shows that Mater was telling the truth.

In ‘Air Mater’, Mater teaches Guido to fly. He explains to Lightning how it is possible that he knows everything about flying. One day he had to tow a car to Propwash Junction, a village inhabited by airplanes. Impressed by a couple of stunt flying, Takel’s eye falls on a flying school, where a sign reads that everyone can learn to fly there. Mater immediately accepts this challenge and steps… er, drives… inside. Reluctantly (that board still had to be replaced!) the flight instructor gets to work. Against all odds, Mater proves to be a natural talent and he is soon deployed as the fourth stunt flyer in the air show (including ‘Top Gun’-like music), when a Falcon Hawks is injured.

‘Air Mater’ is especially suitable for younger Pixar fans because of its predictable structure. They will feast on the wacky adventures of the wacky Mater and the tough Lightning, who plays a heroic role. Note the wink at the end of the upcoming Disney feature film ‘Planes’.