"Radiator Springs 500 1/2."

Radiator Springs 500 1/2 Preview. The "Cars" franchise is alive and kicking. Director Rob Gibbs brings the cars of Radiator Springs to life with this tale of a challenging race based on the real Baja 1000 race in Mexico, "Radiator Springs 500 1/2," the first release in the Pixar animated short series "Tales from Radiator Springs."

Disney/Pixar is releasing a series of shorts available only on Disney Movies Anywhere! Nothing has been released yet except for this, and the studio is keeping tight-lipped about what will happen in future shorts. We also don't know when they will appear.

Director Rob Gibbs.

Mater appears and participates in the race. There's lots of off-road action in this one, and we see a lot of the outskirts of Radiator Springs for the first time. The short is 6:20 in length, a full theatrical short.

Probably the best thing about these shorts is that Owen Wilson returns to voice his character, Lightning McQueen. The animation is up to par, done by the Vancouver studio that shut down after this. John Lasseter was deeply involved, "Cars" being his baby from Pixar.

Since Pixar isn't releasing any films this year, these shorts are the only new material coming out of the studio until the middle of next year.

There are new off-road vehicles in this short, so perhaps you collectors of the cars of "Cars" (I know you're out there!) will have something new to get in the stores at some point.

This is only available to viewers in the US, apparently. Kind of ironic on a channel named "Disney Movies Anywhere!," but it is what it is.


From the youtube page:

Race into summer with the premiere of Radiator Springs 500 1/2 an all-new adventure, now available for free on Disney Movies Anywhere! This Disney Pixar short is the exciting first installment in the "Tales from Radiator Springs" series.  

Featuring Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen and directed by Rob Gibbs ("Mater's Tall Tales"), Radiator Springs 500 1/2 tells the story of a "leisurely drive" planned in honor of Radiator Springs' town founder, Stanley, which 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.

2020