Mater the trusty tow truck

We’ve written previously about some of the real automobiles created by Eddie Paul for Pixar/Disney’s latest animated blockbuster movie Cars. First there was the incredibly cute Sally Carrera Porsche, and now there’s Mater the trusty tow truck, Mater (voiced by LARRY THE CABLE GUY in the movie). Mater was the last of the real metal and rubber vehicles created to match the animations, and rolled out of Eddie’s studio last week. Not a bad likeness heh?

Pixar’s remarkable animation has seen it become a household name with several of the biggest grossing animations in history, including The Incredibles, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 1 & 2, Finding Nemo and Monsters. Cars already looks likely to score higher at the box office than all of the above – traliers can be seen on-line here.

In the movie, Lightning McQueen (voiced by OWEN WILSON), a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters -- including Doc Hudson (voiced by PAUL NEWMAN), Sally (voiced by BONNIE HUNT), and Mater who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

The all-star vocal cast also includes free-wheeling performances by Tony Shalhoub, Michael Keaton, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Katherine Helmond, and John Ratzenberger. Delivering more fun and authenticity to the cast for "CARS" are vocal performances from some of the all-time greatest names from the racing world including the legendary Richard Petty, plus "drive-on" roles by Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Darrell Waltrip, and Michael Schumacher.