Cars

This article is about the movie. For other uses, see Cars (disambiguation).

Cars
Director(s)	John Lasseter Joe Ranft (Co-Director)
Composer(s)	Randy Newman
Theatrical Release	June 9, 2006
Premiere Day	May 26, 2006 (Lowe's Motor Speedway)
Producer(s)	Darla K. Anderson Thomas Porter (Associate)
Story	John Lasseter Joe Ranft Jørgen Klubien
Screenplay	Dan Fogelman John Lasseter Joe Ranft Kiel Murray Phil Lorin Jørgen Klubien
Editor(s)	David Ian Salter
Company	The Walt Disney Company Pixar Animation Studios
Next	Cars Toons Cars 2 (2011)

"Life's a journey. Enjoy the trip."

—Tagline, Cars

Cars is a feature film released by The Walt Disney Company and Pixar Animation Studios on June 9, 2006. It is the first film in the Cars series, as well as the first installment of the overall series, being released only three days after Cars: The Videogame and Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures. The events in those games take place after the events of the movie. The film stars Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Michael Wallis, and revolves around a rookie race car named Lightning McQueen, who, on the way to the most important race of his life, finds himself stranded in the forgotten town of Radiator Springs, where he learns that winning isn't everything in life.

Story

The three-way tie.

Cars opens with the Dinoco 400, the final race of the Piston Cup racing season at the Motor Speedway of the South, where thirty-six race cars are competing for the coveted Piston Cup trophy. Among these cars is Lightning McQueen, a gifted but self-centered rookie who is focused on the perks of winning over the fun of racing. His main rivals include seven-time Piston Cup champion Strip "The King" Weathers, who is looking forward to win an eighth Piston Cup before his retirement, and Chick Hicks, a dirty racer that has cheated himself to more second-place finishes than any other car. Lightning's arrogance leads him to refuse changing tires after having avoided a massive pile-up caused by Chick earlier in the race, gaining a massive lead on the other competitors, which ultimately backfires when his rear tires blow out and he is left desperately inching for the finish line. Chick, The King, and Lightning all cross the finish line at the exact same time, resulting in the first three-way tie in Piston Cup history, as the three racers were all previously tied with 5,013 points each. Race officials ruled that a tiebreaker race is set to happen at the Los Angeles International Speedway in one week, and both Chick and Lightning make a bet in which the first one to arrive gets Dinoco all to himself.

A gang of tuner cars messing around with Mack as he falls asleep.

With the intention of beating Chick, Lightning convinces his transporter, Mack, to stay up all night and drive from Motor City all the way to Los Angeles without any stops for resting. Although Mack tries his best to keep Lightning's promise, he ends up falling asleep on the highway, and a gang of tuner cars show up and start to mess with him. Unbeknownst to them, their harassment causes one of Lightning's souvenirs to fall off a shelf, open the door of his trailer, and accidentally release a sleepy Lightning in the middle of the highway. Lightning wakes up to an oncoming truck's horn before managing to barely dodge him, and begins searching for Mack, when he quickly notices a red truck with yellow lights turning right to a deserted road. Lightning pursuits it only to realize it is not Mack but a Peterbilt with similar design. He turns around and races back to the Interstate with the intention of trying to find Mack, however, he is completely unaware that the road he currently turned right into was the historic Route 66.

Sheriff about to chase after Lightning McQueen for speeding.

As Lightning is racing down the road at very high speeds, he passes by and accidentally awakens Sheriff, the local police officer, who begins to chase after him. Sheriff's exhaust pipe makes a noise similar to a gunshot, in which Lightning mistakes for Sheriff trying to shoot at him. Scared, Lightning drives into a small town called Radiator Springs, accidentally crashing into piles of oil cans, stacks of tires, and flowers, before knocking the statue of Stanley, the town's founder, off its pedestal and dragging it down the town's main road, ripping it up. After Lightning is finally catched by Sheriff, he is arrested for vandalism and put at the Radiator Springs Municipal Impound. Meanwhile, Mack arrives at the Los Angeles International Speedway without Lightning inside of his trailer, causing the latter's disappearance to be reported by various news channels around the world.

Lightning McQueen and the residents of Radiator Springs at the courthouse.

The next morning, Lightning awakens to the greeting of a rusty tow truck named Mater, who informs him that he is in Radiator Springs, describing it as the cutest little town in Carburetor County. Lightning almost tricks Mater into setting him free by opening the gate and removing his parking boot until Sheriff arrives to escort Lightning out of the impound and to the courthouse. Doc Hudson, the town's judge and doctor, almost pardons him for wrecking the road, until the town's attorney, Sally, convinces him to sentence Lightning to perform community service, with the latter having to pave the road with Bessie, the town's road-paving machine.

Lightning McQueen crashing into a cactus patch.

After an attempt to finish the road as fast as possible, spilling melted tar all over the cracked road, the residents feel insulted, and Doc, to everyone's surprise, challenges Lightning to a race on the condition that; if Lightning wins the race, Doc can fix the road and then he can leave, but if Doc wins the race, Lightning has to remove the melted tar from the cracked road and start to, correctly, pave the road. The race is held at Willy's Butte and, when the checkered flag is waved by Luigi, the owner of the local tire shop, Lightning rockets off at high speeds while Doc simply stands still at the starting line. Confused, the residents watch as Doc slowly drives out of the starting line with Mater on his side, while Lightning attempts to make the final turn, but his unfamiliarity with racing on dirt tracks causes him to lose control, fall off a cliff, and crash right into a cactus patch. Doc crosses the finish line, while Mater tows Lightning out of the cactus patch. Lightning is hooked up to Bessie and starts to pave the road all over again.

Sheriff telling Mater to keep an eye on Lightning McQueen if he tries to escape that night.

When the townsfolk wake up in the morning, they are surprised to find out that the road is halfway done, and are impressed by the quality of it. However, Doc notices that Lightning is missing, and finds him practicing on how to take corners at Willy's Butte, where he gives him advice about steering on dirt tracks. Lightning callously brushes off his advice, deeming Doc as a "crazy old grandpa car". He returns to racing around Willy's Butte and takes Doc's advice of "turning right to go left" - quite literally - and sails off a cliff, falling into another cactus patch. Meanwhile, Sheriff informs Mater that he will be off duty for the day, and tasks the tow truck with keeping an eye on Lightning.

Frank chasing after Lightning McQueen and Mater.

Mater does as he is told until night falls, where the two sneak off to go tractor tipping in Frank's fields. However, their shenanigans capture the attention of Frank, a large combine with a deadly spinner blade at his front, resulting in a high speed chase, with the two just barely escaping the field and returning home, but accidentally breaking the fence gate that surrounds the field. On the way back to town, Lightning realizes that, for the first time, he has made a friend, and the two discuss various things, including how Lightning has a crush on Sally, who overhears and offers Lightning a free motel room, where Lightning spends the night.

An old newspaper article mentioning the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.

The following day, after complaining to Doc about his community service, Lightning angrily kicks a can into Doc's garage, which creates a loud noise. Checking to see if he broke anything, Lightning discovers that Doc turns out to be the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, a three-time Piston Cup champion and the current record holder for most wins in a single season. Doc, however, catches him, and when Lightning questions why he kept his racing history a secret, he is thrown out of the garage.

Radiator Springs in the 1960's.

Lightning then races to Flo's V8 Café to inform the other townsfolk of his new discovery, but they do not believe him, claiming that an old car like Doc could've never been a professional race car. Sally invites Lightning to a drive, and the two race up to the Wheel Well Motel in Tailfin Pass, where Sally tells Lightning about the history of Radiator Springs, and how it was once a popular town, but upon the construction of the Interstate, the town was erased off the map and had became forgotten ever since.

Doc Hudson turning left on a dirt track.

When Lightning and Sally return to Radiator Springs, they are greeted by Mater, who warns them about a horde of tractors that subsequently come stampeding through the town, as a result of Mater and Lightning breaking the fence gate that surrounds Frank's field the night before. The townsfolk try their best to get all of the tractors back to where they belong, and when one of them starts cruising off to Willy's Butte, Lightning follows the tractor, but to his surprise, Doc is also there, with his old racing tires, as he practices taking a lap around the Willy's Butte oval. Lightning compliments Doc on his skills, but Doc grumpily dismisses it. At Doc's garage, he reveals a newspaper article about a crash that ended with his career back in 1954 and relates how the sport had turned its back on him after a rookie racer replaced him upon his return, making him feel unwanted and making a promise to himself to never return to the racing world again. Despite Lightning claiming that he's nothing like the cars who shunned him, Doc asks him if there was a time when he cared about someone other than himself. As Lightning tries to answer but fails, Doc tells him that the townsfolk look out for each other, and that he doesn't wish for them to depend on someone they can't count on. Lightning angrily retorts that Doc is no better, since that he has spent half of his life in Radiator Springs, hiding the truth about his past from his own friends. Furious and astounded at Lightning's accusation, Doc tells him to finish fixing the road and leave.

The residents of Radiator Springs saddened by Lightning McQueen's “departure”.

At sunrise the following day, the residents of Radiator Springs awaken to find the road completed and Lightning nowhere to be seen, and sadly discuss his absence. Lightning rolls up and questions what is this about, and the townsfolk inform him that he is free to leave and arrive at his race. Lightning, however, calls upon his new friends to stay an extra day in the town.

Mack and Lightning McQueen reunite at Radiator Springs.

Lightning surprises Sally with a new paint job from Ramone, the owner of the local paint shop, and the Radiator Springs inhabitants enjoy a "cruise night" for the first time in a long time. However, it is interrupted when Kathy Copter, a helicopter that works for the RSN, shines a bright light on Lightning, and a large group of press cars invade the town and swarm around Lightning. Despite his protests, he is taken away by Mack, and Kori Turbowitz, one of the members of the press, thanks Doc for calling them. A heartbroken and angry Sally calls out Doc for his selfishness, having discovered that it was him who informed the media of Lightning's whereabouts. Seeing how disappointed the rest of the townsfolk are in losing their new friend and visitor in years, Doc sadly realizes that their friendship with Lightning meant far more to them than what he initially thought.

The residents of Radiator Springs serving as Lightning McQueen's pit crew.

The race takes place the next day, and when Lightning arrives, he only has Mack as part of his pit crew as his other pit crew members quit after Lightning mistreating them. Nearly fifty laps into the race, Lightning cannot get his mind off of his new friends and Radiator Springs, but is surprised to find that they come to the race to serve as his pit crew. The race then truly begins for Lightning, with him managing to acquire a huge lead towards the last lap. However, Chick, who refuses to place behind The King one last time, performs a PIT maneuver on the seven-time champion, causing him to flip into the infield, taking visibly large amounts of damage in the process.

Lightning McQueen helping The King cross the finish line.

At the same time, Lightning is reminded of Doc’s crash. Not wanting The King to face a similar fate, he brakes to a complete stop just short of the finish line, allowing Chick to win the race and the Piston Cup. Everyone's attention is on Lightning, however, and they watch with interest as he slowly backs up to The King, and pushes him to the finish line, helping him finish his last race with dignity.

Tex offering the Dinoco sponsorship to Lightning McQueen.

Because of this, Lightning is considered by many to be the true winner of the race. Chick appears on stage to collect his Piston Cup, but then gets booed because his actions towards The King. After being thanked by Weathers' wife, Lightning is approached by Tex Dinoco, who offers him the coveted Dinoco sponsorship. Lightning declines the offer, however, instead opting to stick with the friends he has gained through Rust-eze's sponsorship. He does have one request: for Mater to be given a ride in Rotor Turbosky, Dinoco's helicopter, as it was the tow truck's dream to once ride in a helicopter.

Lightning McQueen and Sally watch as Mater flies above them while inside of a helicopter.

Back in Radiator Springs, Sally is overlooking the town up at the Wheel Well Motel when she is approached by Lightning, who informs her that he has decided to make the town his official headquarters, and that the town has been placed back on the map. These changes would later revitalize the town's presence and popularity. Lightning and Sally then enjoy a race back to town.

Cast

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Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen Paul Newman as Doc Hudson Bonnie Hunt as Sally Larry the Cable Guy as Mater Tony Shalhoub as Luigi Cheech Marin as Ramone Michael Wallis as Sheriff George Carlin as Fillmore Paul Dooley as Sarge Jenifer Lewis as Flo Guido Quaroni as Guido Richard Petty as Strip "The King' Weathers Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks Katherine Helmond as Lizzie John Ratzenberger as Mack Joe Ranft as Red and Peterbilt Jeremy Piven as Harv (US) / Jeremy Clarkson (UK) Bob Costas as Bob Cutlass Darrell Waltrip as Darrell Cartrip H.A. Wheeler as Tex Lynda Petty as Lynda 'Mrs. The King' Weathers Tom and Ray Magliozzi as Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze Richard Kind as Van Edie McClurg as Mini

Andrew Stanton as Fred Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Junior Michael Schumacher as Michael Schumacher Ferrari Jay Leno as Jay Limo Mario Andretti as Mario Andretti Sarah Clark as Kori Turbowitz Mike "No Name" Nelson as Not Chuck Jonas Rivera as Boost Lou Romano as Snot Rod Adrian Ochoa as Wingo E.J. Holowicki as DJ Lindsey Collins as Mia Elissa Knight as Tia Frank Welker as Frank Steve Purcell as the Tractors and Frank Larry Benton as Larry Douglas Keever as R.M. A.J. Riebli, III as Albert Hinkey Tom Hanks as Woody Tim Allen as Buzz Light Car Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski John Goodman as Sulley Dave Foley as Flik Bob Scott as Brian Park Motors Scott Clark as Sven. Jess Harnell as Todd Marcus Billy Oilchanger, and Floyd Mulvihill Jack Angel as Chuck Armstrong Rodger Bumpass as Claude Scruggs Bill Farmer as Winford Bradford Rutherford, Lee Revkins and Ryan Shields Jim Ward as Chief Chick and Derek "Decals" Dobbs John Cygan as Richard Clayton Kensington Michael Bell as Houser Boon Brian Fee as Al Oft Dan Scanlon as Dan Sclarkenberg Craig Good as Skip Ricter Sonoko Konishi as Chuki Teddy Newton as Chuck Manifold Kathy Coates as Kathy Copter Andrea Boerries as Andrea Jan Rabson as T.J. Artie Kempner as Artie Bob Peterson as Wide Chick Pitty Bob Bergen as Tim Rimmer Andrea Boerries as Andrea Marco Boerries as Marco Axelbender

In addition, there are also some additional voice credits, although it is unknown what roles the actors play.

Susan Blu Torbin Xan Bullock Richard Cawood

Jennifer Darling Teresa Ganzel Erik Langley Danny Mann

Mickie McGowan Laraine Newman

Stephen Schaffer Ken Schretzmann Jay Ward

Characters

Main characters

Lightning McQueen Mater Sally Doc Hudson Sheriff Luigi Guido Flo Ramone Sarge Fillmore Red Lizzie Stanley Tractors Frank Chick Hicks Strip "The King" Weathers Mack

Supporting characters

Rusty Rust-eze Dusty Rust-eze Tex Dinoco Fred Mia and Tia Lynda Weathers Harv Snot Rod Boost DJ Wingo Not Chuck Dexter Hoover Bessie Jerry Recycled Batteries Albert Hinkey Vroomaroundus Bugus Barney Stormin Al Oft Mini Van Kori Turbowitz

Bob Cutlass Darrell Cartrip Brian Park Motors Chuck Manifold Ferrari F430 Costanzo Della Corsa Antonio Veloce Eccellente Mario Andretti Winford Bradford Rutherford Sage VanDerSpin Claude Scruggs Greg Candyman Murray Clutchburn Ryan Shields Lee Revkins Todd Marcus Billy Oilchanger Chuck Armstrong Crusty Rotor Rusty Cornfuel Aiken Axler

Ernie Gearson Kevin Racingtire Floyd Mulvihill Davey Apex Slider Petrolski Brush Curber Ralph Carlow Dirkson D'Agostino Manny Flywheel Haul Inngas Misti Motorkrass Eugene Carbureski James Cleanair Ruby "Easy" Oaks Kevin Shiftright Darren Leadfoot Mac iCar Ponchy Wipeout Johnny Blamer Dale Earnhardt Jr. Rotor Turbosky

Minor characters

Gray Roger Wheeler Luke Pettlework Dinoco Girls Chief Chick Chick Hicks' Hauler Wide Chick Pitty Bruiser Bukowski Trunk Fresh Hauler Trunk Fresh Pitty Nitroade Hauler Nitroade Pitty Ernest B. Raykes Piccolo Perry Leak Less Hauler Stacy Earl Filter Mood Springs Pitty Mood Springs Hauler N2O Cola Pitty Chief No Stall Shirley Spinout No Stall Hauler Chief RPM Petrol Pulaski RPM Hauler Octane Gain Hauler Octane Gain Pitty Jerry Drivechain Wells Runabout Senior Trax Nebekenezer Schmidt Shiny Wax Hauler Easy Idle Pitty Vitoline Pitty Ponchy Wipeout's Pitty

Ben Doordan Bumper Save Hauler Vinyl Toupee Hauler Sidewall Shine Hauler Shifty Drug Hauler Charlie Checker Race Official Tom Tow Marco Axelbender Richard Clayton Kensington Axle Accelerator Marlon "Clutches" McKay Bernie Banks Artie Chuck "Choke" Cables Nelson Blindspot Hooman Bert Tim Rimmer Andrea Matti Cora Copper Oliver Lightload Gil Chet Boxkaar Ben Crankleshaft Paul Valdez Marilyn Timothy Timezone Mildred Bylane Edwin Kranks Dustin Mellows Greta Hank "Halloween" Murphy Valerie Veate Nick Stickers Derek "Decals" Dobbs Percy Hanbrakes Milton Calypeer Miles "Meattruck" Malone The Convoy Brothers Milo Johnny and Jamie

Wilmar Flattz Barry Diesel Polly Puddlejumper Bud Vern Benny Brakedrum Coriander Widetrack Syd VanDerKamper Marty Brakeburst Matthew "True Blue" McCrew Kit Revster Donna Pits Jonathan Wrenchworths Swift Alternetter Bennie Caliper Timothy Twostroke Todd Bertha Butterswagon Clayton Gentlebreeze Larry R.M. Duff Wrecks The Autobahn Society AlphaNumeros Hamm Buzz Light Car Woody Flik P.T. Flea P.T. Flea's Circus Troupe Sulley Mike Wazowski Yeti Leroy Traffik Murphy Frank Pinkerton Charlie Cargo T.J. Patty Jay W. Christina Wheeland

Other characters

• Doreen
• Boomobile

Production

Development

Concept art of Lightning McQueen.

While Pixar was wrapping up production on A Bug's Life in the Fall of 1998, story development artist Jørgen Klubien began writing a story for a brand-new animated feature. The original script was called The Yellow Car, about an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world. Some of the original drawings and characters were produced in 1998. However, when John Lasseter reviewed the script, he did not think it was strong enough to support an entire animated feature, saying that a bigger, stronger character needed to be dropped into the small town setting that Jorgen had initially dreamed up with. Later, production resumed with major script changes, like giving Mater, Doc and a few other characters a bigger part.

In 2001, the movie's working title was Route 66 (after U.S. Route 66), but in 2002, the title was changed to prevent people from thinking it was related to the 1960 television series with the same name. Also, Lightning McQueen's number was originally going to be 57 (Lasseter's birth year), but was changed to 95 (the year Toy Story was released), the number seen in the final film.

Animation

A work-in-progress screenshot.

While many previously created anthropomorphic vehicles had eyes where their headlights would be, the decision was made to have the Cars characters' eyes on their windshields. Director John Lasseter made this decision because not only did it separate the Cars character designs from other existing anthropomorhic vehicles, but also because he felt it helped to create a more human-like point of view, feeling as though having eyes in the headlights area made them feel more snake-like.

Most vehicles in Cars also use tires for hands, although tow truck characters also use their tow-hooks for similar purposes, as well as the pitty characters use their forklift arms.

Setting

The Cadillac Range and the Radiator Cap.

The locations in Cars are largely inspired and based off of real-world places. The film's primary setting, Radiator Springs, is loosely based on Amboy, California in the Mojave Desert, a town that, like Radiator Springs, saw a decline in popularity following the opening of Interstate 40. The rock formations in the distance of the town are reminiscent of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, and also resemble the quarter panels and distinctive tailfins of late-50's Cadillacs.

The '32 Ford V8's logo

Another formation that overlooks Radiator Springs is the Radiator Cap, which has large "R" and "S" letters written on it. The design of the logo serves as a reference to the "RS" badge that was present on the first-generation "Rally Sport" Camaros. The logo of Flo's V8 Café is similar to the '32 Ford V8's logo, as well as the Ford V8 in the sixties, and third-generation Ford Explorers.

The nearby area of Ornament Valley is based off of Monument Valley, amd is made up of rock formations that resemble the front ends of American automobiles from the late 1930s to early 1940s. In Cars: Mater-National Championship, these formations are referred to as "turkeys".

The Motor Speedway of the South that appears in the beginning of the film is based on the real-life Bristol Motor Speedway, while the Los Angeles International Speedway is based on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the California Speedway.

Route 66 is also heavily based off of the real-life location of the same name, and many characters and places are based upon people and places from the real-life Route 66. Ramone's House of Body Art is based on the U Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, while the Cozy Cone Motel's design is based on the two Wigwam Motels along Route 66, and the "HERE IT IS" sign at Lizzie's Curio Shop that depicts a Model T is based after the Jackrabbit Trading Post. Additionally, Sheriff is voiced by Michael Wallis, an American historian and the author of Route 66: The Mother Road.

Release

Blu-ray cover of Cars.

Cars was originally set to release in theaters on November 4, 2005, but on December 7, 2004, it was pushed back to a release date of June 9, 2006. This was a result of a marketing decision made by Steve Jobs, who wanted to all Pixar films to be released theatrically during the summertime, with DVD and home video sales occuring during the holiday season.

Cars was released to DVD on November 7, 2006. On November 6, 2007, Cars was released on Blu-ray, and a release of the Blu-ray Combo Pack was released on April 12, 2011. It was the first Pixar movie to get a Blu-ray. It received a Blu-ray 3D on October 29, 2013, the same month Monsters University was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D.

Car Finder Game

Lightning McQueen's profile.

When Cars saw a Blu-ray release in 2007, an additional bonus feature was included, which was a game titled "Car Finder Game". The game is played by watching the entire film, broken up into three chapters: Motor Speedway of the South, Radiator Springs, and Los Angeles International Speedway. At the bottom of the screen, there is a bar with artwork of five different Cars characters. Whenever one of the five appears on screen, the player must press their icon in order to unlock their bio and specifications, as well as the snapshot that they took.

Reception and rating

In its opening weekend, Cars grossed $60.1 million, lower than previous Pixar films such as The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. It maintained the number one spot in the United States for two weeks, before being surpassed by Click and Superman Returns the following weekends. It grossed $461,981,522 worldwide (ranking #6 in 2006 films) and $244,082,982 in the U.S. (the third highest-grossing film of 2006 in the country, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Night at the Museum). While Cars was the highest-grossing animated film of 2006 in the United States, Ice Age: The Meltdown overtook it in worldwide totals.

The film has 75% on the RottenTomatoes.com Tomatometer, making it one of three Pixar films lower than 90%, along with Cars 2 and Brave.

The general consensus among critics was that Cars was weaker in comparison to the previous Pixar films. "The movie is great to look at and a lot of fun," says critic Roger Ebert, "but somehow lacks the extra push of the other Pixar films." ReelViews wrote that the film's "only real drawback is its failure to inspire awe with its visuals and to thoroughly transport with its storytelling."

Although the movie was rated G in the United States, it was rated PG in the United Kingdom.

Errors

Main article: Cars/Errors

Deleted elements

Main article: Cars/Deleted elements

References in later media

• Cars: The Videogame: Many of the buildings and environments featured in Radiator Springs. Motor Speedway of the South and Los Angeles International Speedway both return as racing arenas. Tractor tipping is also a minigame.
• Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures: Many of the minigames are based around scenes from the movie.
• Mater and the Ghostlight: The Ghostlight returns, which was previously mentioned by Mater when Kathy Copter shines her light down on Lightning.
• Cars: Mater-National Championship: Tractor tipping is a minigame featured in this game.
• Rescue Squad Mater: The character "Nurse Kori" in this short is based on the character from the movie, Kori Turbowitz.
• Mater the Greater: The stadium where Mater performs most of his tricks is the Motor Speedway of the South.
• The World of Cars Online: Many locations from Cars make re-appearances in this game.
• Cars 2: A direct sequel to Cars.
• Cars: Fast as Lightning: One of Lightning's paint jobs, "Retro Look", references his appearance in Cars.

Staff

Main article: Cars/Staff

Media

Opening Race - The score that plays at the Motor Speedway of the South File:Opening Race.ogg

Bessie - The score that plays as Doc introduces McQueen to Bessie File:Bessie.ogg

Tractor Tipping - The score that plays while McQueen and Mater are tractor tipping File:Tractor Tipping.ogg

McQueen and Sally - The score that plays during McQueen and Sally's drive File:McQueen and Sally.ogg

The Big Race - The score that plays at the Los Angeles International Speedway File:The Big Race.ogg

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Cars/Gallery.

Title in other languages

Languages	Names	Meaning
Polish and Czech	Auta	Cars
Portuguese (both Brazil and Portugal)	Carros	Cars
Russian and Ukrainian	Тачки	Cars
Serbian	Аутомобили	Cars
Bulgarian	Колите	Cars
Greek	Αυτοκίνητα	Cars
Bosnian	Automobili	Cars
Swedish	Bilar	Cars
Hungarian	Verdák	Cars
Turkish	Arabalar	Cars
Croatian	Auti	Cars
Danish	Biler	Cars
Lithuanian	Ratai	Cars
Estonian	Autod	Cars
Canadian French	Les Bagnoles	Cars
Romanian	Mașini;;	Cars
Persian	ماشین ها	Cars
Hebrew	מכוניות	Cars
Vietnamese	Vương quốc xe hơi	Cars
Malayalam	കാർസ്	Cars
Georgian	მანქანები	Cars
Thai	สี่ล้อซิ่ง ชิงบัลลังก์แชมป์	Cars
Hindi	कार्स	Cars
Arabic	سيارات	Cars
Chinese	赛车总动员	Cars
Korean	카	Cars
Japanese	カーズ	Cars
Chinese (Mainland China)	汽車總動員	Cars
Italian	Cars - Motori ruggenti	Cars - Roaring engines
French	Cars : Quatre Roues	Cars: Four Wheels
Latin Spanish	Cars: Una aventura sobre ruedas	Cars: An adventure on wheels

Trivia

• Many references to other Pixar properties are made; the birds from For the Birds appear sitting on telephone wires during the montage of Mack and McQueen's journey to the Los Angeles Speedway, the sponsor Dinoco and the character Todd are based on the respective gas station and Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story, Syd VanDerKamper's flamingos are a reference to Knick Knack, Knick from Knick Knack appears in a snow globe owned by Lizzie, car-themed versions of Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Monsters, Inc. are shown in the end credits, Bud's rear has a picture of the jackalope from Boundin', and one of the trucks at the Top Down Truckstop has Mr. Incredible's "i" logo on it. The tires of Piston Cup racers are Lightyear tires, which alludes both to the tire manufacturer Goodyear, and to Buzz Lightyear. They also bear the inscription "Section 4 Gamma Quadrant", the location where Buzz is seen in the video game in Toy Story 2.
• Cars is the second Pixar film to have a post-credits sequence. The first is Finding Nemo.
• This is the first Pixar film to be directed by John Lasseter, since Toy Story 2.
• At the tie-breaker race at the Los Angeles International Speedway, while three fighter jets pass over the stadium, Pixar Animation Studios can be seen among the nearby buildings, although the real studio is located at Emeryville, near San Francisco, not at Los Angeles.
• On average, it took 17 hours to render each frame of the film. In addition, it was the first Pixar film to use ray-tracing to accurately create the reflections on the cars.
• The plot of Cars bears a striking resemblance to that of Doc Hollywood.
• Many famous celebrities, particularly from the automobile racing world, make a cameo appearance in Cars, which include Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher, Bob Costas, Darrell Waltrip and Jay Leno; references to Schwarzenegger and Elvis, are also made.
• This film is set in the 2006 Piston Cup season.
• This film demonstrates Pixar's most extensive use of product placement seen in any of its films thus far, with automobile brands, both current and defunct.
• In Lightning's dream about Lightning Storm, a car gets zapped and emits the Wilhelm scream. The Wilhelm scream is a sound effect used in many movies.
• This is the last Pixar film to have a fullscreen format for its US home release, as well as Pixar's longest film, spanning 1 hour and 56 minutes until 2018 with the release of Incredibles 2 which has a total runtime of 1 hour and 58 minutes.
• The film is also the second Pixar film to have an entirely non-human cast, after A Bug's Life.
• This was the final Pixar film Joe Ranft worked on, as he died in a car accident the year before, while the film was still in production.
• This is the only Cars film, to have a VHS release (though rare), and the first to have a Blu-ray release.
• In The Simpsons, there were some references about Cars. In the episode "Beware My Cheating Bart" (S23E18), at the cinema entrance is the title of a movie called Cars 3: Merchandise. In the episode "The Ned-liest Catch" (S23E22), one of the characters, Milhouse, mentions Cars. He says "I sleep under my bed every night because I'm scared of cars from Cars. If gasoline is their food, then why they have teeth?"
• Throughout the film, McQueen goes through fourteen different paint variants, including when he gets different amounts of dust and dirt on his bodywork.
• There are 60,000 cars seated in the audience at Motor Speedway during the opening race scene, plus 700 in the infields and aisles. In Los Angeles International Speedway, despite Darrell mentioning the race having an attendance of nearly 200,000 cars, there are really 100,000 plus 1,500 in the infields and aisles and 13,000 entering the stadium.
• In the scene when Mack first gets on the road to California, there are a total of 21,566 lights in four different shots.
• Cars was the first Pixar film to use “ray tracing,” a technique which allows the cars to reflect their environments realistically.
• All of the jet trails in the film’s sky scenes are actually tire marks.
• Animators drew over 43,000 sketches of cars during the visual development phase of filmmaking.
• The filmmaker team went on a rambling tour of Route 66 during pre-production where they examined everything from roadkill to clouds to roadside icons.
• This is unfortunately the last Pixar film to have THX Certified and THX Optimizer for its US home release.
• John Lasseter took racing lessons at Infineon Raceway in California as part of his research for the project.
• The 1952 Walt Disney Studios short, “Susie, the Little Blue Coupe,” served as the impetus that sparked the idea for Cars decades later.
• For Cars’s UK release, Jeremy Piven was replaced as the voice of Lightning McQueen’s never-seen agent Harv by Top Gear co-host Jeremy Clarkson. “The King” was also voiced by different racers in some international releases, as Richard Petty isn’t as well known outside of the United States. In Germany, The King is voiced by Formula One champ Niki Lauda, while in Spain he is Formula One’s Fernando Alonso.
• Lightning McQueen, Mater, and Chick Hicks are all original Pixar designs, but most of the other characters are based on existing cars. Among them are Doc Hudson (1951 Hudson Hornet), Ramone the body paint specialist (1959 Chevy Impala), tire salesman Luigi (1959 Fiat 500), hippie Fillmore (1960 Volkswagen Microbus), military surplus store owner Sarge (1942 Willys Jeep), and Mack, the truck that drives Lightning around (Mack Superliner). Sally, as a 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera, is the only Radiator Springs character modeled after a contemporary car.
• Cars marks the final film of Paul Newman, who in addition to being an actor/entrepreneur/philanthropist also became a racing enthusiast after starring in the 1969 racing drama Winning. Cars is also the highest-grossing film of Newman’s career (not adjusted for inflation).
• This is the only Cars film not to have either the opening or closing logo cuts in from black.
• To help get a handle on the character of rookie racing sensation Lightning McQueen, directing animator James Ford Murphy "put together a series of little bios of great personalities that were really cocky but really likeable." Among the people he pulled inspiration from were sportsmen Muhammad Ali, Charles Barkley, and Joe Namath, plus musician Kid Rock.
• The mountain range surrounding Radiator Springs is inspired by the real-life Cadillac ranch, an outdoor art installation located outside Amarillo, Texas that consists of heavily spray-painted Cadillacs, half-buried face down in the ground.
• Due to the sequel being directed by John Lasseter again but being composed by Michael Giacchino instead of Randy Newman and Lasseter's exit from Disney and Pixar in 2018, Cars is the last Pixar film directed by John Lasseter to be composed by Randy Newman.

External links

• Cars on the Disney website