Martin et la lumière fantôme : le premier court-métrage Cars

Mater and the Ghostlight: the first Cars short film

1046 words | Reading time: 6 minutes

MovieMater and the GhostlightRadiator Springs

The very first Cars short film does not belong to the Cars Toons: it precedes them. Released in 2006 as a bonus on the movie's DVD, Mater and the Ghostlight runs about 7 minutes and bears the signature of John Lasseter, with Dan Scanlon as co-director. In it, Mater pranks all of Radiator Springs, moves Red's flowers and bursts out of a pile of tires to scare Guido and Luigi, until the Sheriff tells him the legend of a supernatural blue orb. When night falls, the prankster is in turn chased by a light. This article retraces the short and its punchline.

Summary

The very first Cars short film

Mater and the Ghostlight is the very first short film from the Cars universe, released in 2006 as a bonus feature on the movie's DVD. Directed by John Lasseter, with Dan Scanlon as co-director, and approximately 7 minutes long, it stars Mater. A unique aspect: it's the only Cars short that is not part of the Cars Toons series — it precedes them.

The main street of Radiator Springs at night, the residents gathered beneath the lit Radiator Springs Curios sign
Radiator Springs at night, the setting of this seven-minute short directed by John Lasseter and released in 2006.

🍿 Seven minutes of DVD bonus material goes down in one sitting, no reason to leave the couch: prop our Cars cushions behind your back before you start John Lasseter's short.

When Mater plays pranks on all of Radiator Springs

Mater spends his day pranking the residents: he moves Red's flowers, pops out of a pile of tires to scare Guido and Luigi, dresses up as a "cone vampire" to frighten Sally, tries (in vain) to scare a sleeping Lizzie, repeatedly pulls out Fillmore's gas cans, and makes Lightning McQueen jump. In short, the village prankster is on a rampage.

Mater, all smiles, creeps up on Lizzie asleep in front of the Radiator Springs Curios shop covered in Route 66 signs
Mater tries to scare Lizzie, dozing in front of her shop: it is the only one of his pranks that fails.

The legend of the ghostlight

When Mater mocks McQueen by mentioning "the ghostlight," the Sheriff reprimands him and tells the legend: a blue, supernatural orb of light that haunts Radiator Springs. It's blamed for the disappearance of a young couple — who allegedly left behind only two out-of-state license plates — and it supposedly hates the sound of clanging metal above all else.

🔵 According to the Sheriff, the blue orb said to haunt Radiator Springs hates the sound of clanging metal above all else; at your window, our Cars curtains take care of keeping that kind of glow outside.

Brown Cars Tow Truck from Radiator Springs - Mater "Race Team Mater" Edition

The spirit of Radiator Springs

Brown Cars Tow Truck from Radiator Springs - Mater "Race Team Mater" Edition

Mater, the star of the short: the famous tow truck to park in your Cars collection.

€18.90 See Mater
The Sheriff, a black police car, in the foreground at night in front of the lit Radiator Springs Curios sign
It is the Sheriff who scolds Mater, then tells him the legend of the blue orb said to haunt Radiator Springs.

The prankster gets a taste of his own medicine

As night falls, Mater is in turn terrified by a mysterious light that chases him through town. The verdict comes: it was just a simple lantern attached to his tow cable by Lightning McQueen and Guido — a prank orchestrated by his friends to give him a taste of his own medicine.

🚗 One lantern hooked to Mater's tow cable was all it took to send him panicking across the whole town; on your rug, our Radiator Springs toy cars replay the chase in slow motion.

Mater on a deserted road at night, a lantern with a blue flame hanging above his cab
The short’s punchline: the ghost light was only a lantern hooked onto his tow cable by Lightning McQueen and Guido.

Why this short matters

As the first short in the franchise, Mater and the Ghostlight establishes the comedic tone of Cars and foreshadows the future Cars Toons, where Mater would become the big star. To place this short in chronological order, also see our Cars saga viewing guide.

Lightning McQueen and Mater side by side in front of Flo’s neon-lit V8 Café, at night
The franchise’s first short, it sets the tone of Cars humour before Mater becomes the star of the Cars Toon.

Summary table

Element Detail
Original Title Mater and the Ghostlight
Type Short film (Cars DVD bonus)
Year 2006
Director John Lasseter (co-directed by Dan Scanlon)
Duration approx. 7 minutes
Central Character Mater
Distinguishing Feature The first Cars short — predates the Cars Toon series

Also read: all Cars Toons characters (the guide by short film).

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is "Mater and the Ghostlight"?
    The very first short film from the Cars universe (2006), released as a bonus on the movie's DVD, centered on Mater.
  • When was it released?
    In 2006, with the DVD release of the first Cars movie.
  • Is it an episode of Cars Toons?
    No: it's the original Cars short, preceding the Cars Toons series (it is not part of it).
  • Is the ghostlight real?
    No: it's a prank. The "light" was just a lantern attached to Mater's tow cable by Lightning McQueen and Guido.
  • Who directed this short film?
    John Lasseter, with Dan Scanlon as co-director; Lasseter also directed the first Cars movie.
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