Pixar certainly hasn’t held back on producing Cars Toons – they’ve put out enough to warrant a separate DVD release – but, for the most part, those shorts have been based entirely around Mater’s fanciful adventures. Last year’s Tales from Radiator Springs mini-shorts shifted the focus to the larger cast of characters; now, Pixar is expanding them to a full-fledged series of short films, beginning with The Radiator Springs 500 ½.
Directed by Rob Gibbs and Scott Morse, the first six-minute short will debut this spring exclusively on Disney Movies Anywhere, a new streaming service for Disney, Pixar, and Marvel titles. Here’s the synopsis:
A “leisurely drive” planned in honor of Radiator Springs’ town founder, Stanley, turns precarious as Baja pros descend on the town and challenge Lightning McQueen to an off-road race. Meanwhile, the townsfolk, led by a Stanley-costumed Mater, enjoy the planned “leisurely drive” to retrace Stanley’s original frontier route. Thinking they’re on the same course, a wrong turn sends McQueen and the Baja pros on a treacherously wild bid for survival. The misunderstanding leaves the racing professionals in awe of the “legend” of Stanley: the Original Off-Road Racer.
It’s worth noting that this is the final short to be produced in full at Pixar Canada. Entertainment Weekly notes that a second short in the Tales from Radiator Springs series will follow in 2015.
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Last modified: March 14, 2014