Longtime Pixar animator Rob Gibbs has been producing Mater's Tall Tales, a series of shorts featuring the rusty tow truck from Cars 2, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy.
Suite 101 recently chatted with Gibbs about his latest short, Air Mater, which features our hero joining an elite formation flying team. The short will be an extra on the Cars 2 Blu-Ray/DVD, which hits stores November 1st.
S101: Where did the idea for Mater's Tall Tales come from?
Rob Gibbs: "We were exploring a lot of ideas for shorts with the Cars characters. One of our animators, Bobby Podesta, suggested that the shorts be about Mater telling tall tales. That opened the door for endless possibilities. I don't think we could ever run out of situations to put Mater in."
S101: What was the inspiration to get Mater up in the air?
Rob: "We've taken Mater so many places, the air seemed like the next step. We loved the idea of Mater becoming a part of an elite formation flying team. One of the challenges was turning Mater into an airplane and a jet, while still keeping him Mater. In order to show Mater's progress, we designed him as an airplane, but keeping him rusty with a leather cap and goggles. When he becomes a Falcon Hawk, he has a shiny new paint job with awesome graphics."
S101: Since you're dealing with known characters, is there a fine line between not introducing anything that could interfere with the main story, but still continuing to develop their characters?
Rob: "At first, we set out to create ideas using only the characters that we had from the original Cars. But John Lasseter pointed out, there's no reason to continue these shorts unless we expand the world. So that opened up all sorts of possibilities to create new characters and fun environments.
"With Air Mater, we went through a lot of different steps. Our production designer started with sketches where Mater looked more like a jet then a tow truck. John Lasseter's input was, 'Don't lose Mater in the design'. It was a big challenge to make it believable that Mater could become a plane. With all the films, we get there eventually, but it's not always where we started."
S101: You've directed many Mater’s Tall Tales shorts. How were you assigned the project?
Rob: "It started out with developing short ideas for the Cars world. I drew the storyboards and worked with an editor to create story reels. From there, they thought it would be a good idea for me to direct them.
S101: What's the difference between directing shorts and feature films?
Rob: "The biggest difference with short films is that you have to setup the situation and pay it off quickly. In a feature you can go a little deeper in developing the story and characters. The attention to detail and quality of work is the same, though."
S101: Was directing this animated short any more demanding or challenging than your previous productions?
Rob: "Air Mater had different challenges then any of the other shorts that I've worked on. We had to design the world of Propwash Junction, not only from the ground, but what you see in the sky. Another challenge was getting a sense of movement in the sky without it being a cloudy day."
S101: I know there are a few Pixar employees with flight experience, and Brave director Mark Andrews knows an F-18 pilot. Did you pull in their knowledge to make Air Mater?
Rob: "Our lead story artist on Air Mater, Jim Capobianco, has extensive knowledge of planes and flying. Bob Pauley, our character designer, also knows a lot about planes. So much of the attention to detail came from their knowledge of airplane design. Even the language was heavily researched. Knowing we can't slip anything past John Lasseter keeps us on our toes to remain authentic."
S101: What's John Lasseter like to work with?
Rob: "Besides his nice collection of Hawaiian shirts, John's been a great mentor. He knows everything there is to know about animation and filmmaking, and watching him direct has helped me develop my craft.
S101: Is there a sequence in Air Mater you're particularly proud of? Why?
Rob: "So many of the aerial shots that showed off Propwash Junction. Pay particular attention to the corn!"
S101: What's your favourite character in the Cars universe, and why?
Rob: "I've worked more on Mater then any of the other characters, but Guido the fork lift is always fun to have around. He even appears in Air Mater."
S101: What's your favorite 'tall tale' and why?
Rob: "Heavy Metal Mater is awesome because of the music and how over the top it goes. Mater Private Eye was fun because of the dialogue and homage to film noir. However, the most recent one always becomes my new favourite, so, right now, that's Air Mater."
S101: What's your favourite character in Disney and in Pixar animation?
Rob: "In Disney animation, I have always admired Pinocchio but one of my favourite characters is Thumper from Bambi. But Boo from Monster's Inc. shares a special place in my heart."
S101: Your daughter Mary was the voice of Boo in Monsters, Inc. What's she doing now?
Rob: "She's 15, and in her second year of high school. She has been doing cheer leading and gymnastics and recently started playing ice hockey. You can also hear her voice in the Monsters Inc. ride at Disneyland."
S101: Any final thoughts on Cars 2 and Air Mater?
Rob: "What I enjoy so much about Cars 2 and Air Mater, is how we've put our characters in exciting situations and brought them to new worlds."
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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