In Pixar’s Cars, Lightning McQueen’s tow-truck friend is named Mater.
Mater is a rusty tow truck from Radiator Springs who quickly becomes McQueen’s closest local friend. He is energetic, loyal, and often comic, but the story also shows that his apparent simplicity does not prevent him from recognizing friendship and courage.
The name is a shortened form of “tomato,” reflecting Mater’s rural Southern speech and the character’s deliberately informal personality. Larry the Cable Guy provides Mater’s voice, using a recognizable comedic style that helped make the character one of the franchise’s most popular figures.
Mater appears in all three main Cars films and has a major role in Cars 2. In that film, his honesty and unusual way of thinking help uncover a larger conspiracy, even though international espionage is far outside his ordinary life in Radiator Springs. He also stars in the short-form series Mater’s Tall Tales.