What was the title of Pixar’s short film that first featured Mater before Cars 2?

Mater and the Ghostlight was Pixar’s short film that first featured Mater before Cars 2.

Mater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 short connected to Pixar’s Cars. It follows Mater as the residents of Radiator Springs try to frighten him with stories about a mysterious blue ghostlight. The short uses the character’s love of pranks and storytelling to create a supernatural-style comedy within the Cars setting.

The short was released with the home-video version of Cars rather than as a separate theatrical feature. It helped extend Mater’s role after the first film and established him as a character who could carry stories independently from Lightning McQueen.

Mater later became central to Cars 2, where his accidental involvement in international espionage drives much of the plot. Other Mater-focused shorts were released afterward, including the Mater’s Tall Tales series. The ghostlight short is distinct from that later collection.