Cars is a Pixar media franchise owned by The Walt Disney Company. Created by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft and Jorgen Klubien, it began in 2006 with the release of the animated feature film of the same name, The film was followed by the sequels Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017). The now-defunct Disneytoon Studios produced the two spin-off films Planes (2013) and Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014).
The first two Cars films were directed by Lasseter, then-chief creative officer of Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Disneytoon Studios, while Cars 3 was directed by Brian Fee, a storyboard artist on the previous installments. Lasseter served as executive producer of Cars 3 and the Planes films. Together, all three Cars films have accrued over $1.4 billion in box office revenue worldwide while the franchise has amassed over $10 billion in merchandising sales within its first five years.
History The Cars franchise began with the original Cars. At the time, it was Pixar's least well received film by reviewers.
The short Mater and the Ghostlight was released as an extra on the Cars DVD on November 7, 2006. A series of shorts called Cars Toons were produced and aired on the Disney Channel to keep interest up. The brand had sold nearly $10 billion in merchandise by the time of the release of Cars 2 in 2011. Cars 2 became Pixar's lowest-reviewed film at that point in time.
In 2007, Cars Four Wheels Rally ride opened at Disney Adventure World.
In the summer of 2012, the 12-acre Cars Land theme area opened at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim as the main component of $1-billion park renovation.
A third film, Cars 3, was announced on October 8, 2015, and was released on June 16, 2017.
Three animated TV shows have been released that take place in the Cars universe: Cars Toons, Cars on the Road, and the upcoming Cars: Lightning Racers.
Films Film Release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by ProducerMain films Cars John Lasseter Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin & Jorgen Klubien John Lasseter, Joe Ranft & Jorgen Klubien Darla K. Anderson Cars 2 Ben Queen John Lasseter, Brad Lewis & Dan Fogelman Denise Ream Cars 3 Brian Fee Kiel Murray, Bob Peterson & Mike Rich Brian Fee, Ben Queen, Eyal Podell & Jonathan E. Stewart Kevin ReherSpin-offs Planes Klay Hall Jeffrey M. Howard John Lasseter, Klay Hall & Jeffrey M. Howard Traci Balthazor-Flynn Planes: Fire & Rescue Bobs Gannaway Bobs Gannaway & Jeffrey M. Howard Ferrell Barron
Cars (2006)
Cars is the seventh Pixar film. The story is about rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who gets lost on the way to California for a tiebreaker race in the Piston Cup, a famous race worldwide, and ends up in a little town called Radiator Springs on Route 66, that had been bypassed and forgotten when Interstate 40 was built. He accidentally wrecks the road and is sentenced to fix it. During his time there, he meets Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), who becomes his best friend, and falls in love with Sally (Bonnie Hunt). He also comes across Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), who used to be a famous racecar called the Hudson Hornet until a career-ending crash in 1954, and who resents Lightning for reminding him of his own past.
After Lightning fixes the road, Doc secretly alerts the media about Lightning's presence to get rid of him, but Sally makes Doc realize how much Lightning has helped Radiator Springs. Doc convinces most of the Radiator Springs residents to become Lightning's pit crew, and reassumes his Hudson Hornet identity and acts as Lightning's crew chief. Lightning is about to win the race, but helps The King (Richard Petty) cross the finish line after Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) causes him to crash. Chick wins the Piston Cup after being in third on the last lap, but is later booed by everyone, while Lightning receives praise for his sportsmanship.
Despite his loss, Lightning is offered to be the new face and sponsor of Dinoco, but he declines and decides to stay with Rust-eze, his current sponsor. He does, however, arrange for Mater to ride in the Dinoco helicopter just as he promised. The film ends with Lightning setting up his racing headquarters in Radiator Springs, thereby putting it back on the map.
Cars 2 (2011)
Cars 2 is the twelfth Pixar film. The story starts with Lightning McQueen competing in the World Grand Prix, organized by Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard), a three-race event taking place in three countries: Japan, Italy, and England, with his racing rival being Italian formula car Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro).
Along the way, Mater is mistaken for an American spy by British spy Finn McMissile (Michael Caine), and falls in love with junior agent Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). The three uncover a plot to sabotage the World Grand Prix, which is seemingly led by Professor Zündapp (Thomas Kretschmann) and a group of lemon cars. When the event reaches its conclusion in London, Mater deduces that Axlerod is the mastermind behind the plot, as he started the event in the first place to turn the world against alternative fuels and profit from his ownership of the world's oil reserves, while also taking revenge for the lemons' blistered reputation.
With the plot foiled, Mater is knighted by the Queen of the United Kingdom (Vanessa Redgrave), and a new race is held in Radiator Springs. Mater is invited by Finn and Holley to go on another mission, but he declines. While his weapons get confiscated, he gets to keep the rocket engines he acquired, as the two agents take off in Siddeley (Jason Isaacs), the British spy jet.
Cars 3 (2017)
Cars 3 is the eighteenth Pixar film. The story focuses on Lightning McQueen, now a veteran, dealing with a new generation of race cars taking over the world of racing. Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) is an arrogant high-tech racer who leads the next generation. As everyone begins to ask him if he might retire, Lightning struggles with keeping up with these racers and during the final race of the season, he suffers a violent crash.
Four months later, a recovering Lightning mourns the late Doc Hudson and travels to the new Rust-eze Racing Center, now under the management of Sterling (Nathan Fillion). Sterling assigns Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) to train him on the simulator, which Lightning accidentally destroys after losing control. Cruz's unconventional training methods and lack of racing experience frustrate Lightning, as they race on beaches and a demolition derby. Cruz reveals that she had always wanted to be a racer but never found the confidence to do so. In Thomasville, they encounter Doc's old crew chief Smokey (Chris Cooper), who trains Lightning and explains to him that Doc found happiness in mentoring him. Smokey's training methods inspire Cruz as well.
At the Florida 500, Lightning begins racing, but remembers Cruz's racing dreams and has her take his place in the race. Using what she has learned on the road, Cruz finds the confidence to catch up to Storm. She wins the race along with Lightning and begins racing for Dinoco, whose owner, Tex, purchases Rust-eze. Under the merged Dinoco–Rust-eze brand, Cruz becomes a racer, sporting #51, and Lightning decides to continue racing, with a new paint job in memory of Doc Hudson, but trains Cruz first for the season.
Future Regarding a possible Cars 4, Cars 3 producers Kevin Reher and Andrea Warren told CinemaBlend that "[i]f there's a good story to tell I mean our heads kinda break after having gotten this one done, like oh my God, what could you do the further adventures of? But like any sequel, from Toy Story 4 to Incredibles 2, as long as there's a good story to tell, it's worth investing; we do love these characters, we love them as much as the public does." Regarding which character would be the main protagonist in the movie, Reher and Warren stated that "if Cruz is a breakout character, kind of like Mater was", "she [would] be involved in a 4". Owen Wilson stated at a Cars 3 press event that possible stories have been discussed for a Cars 4, though he would personally like for a fourth Cars movie to delve into aspects of the thriller genre, akin to Cars 2. In an interview with Screen Rant, Lea Delaria expressed interest in reprising her role as Miss Fritter while promoting the release of the short movie Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool with the Cars 3 DVD and Blu-ray release.
In December 2023, it was revealed that Pixar is working on new media related to the franchise. During an interview at the 2023 Porsche Rennsport Reunion Event, the creative director of the saga, Jay Ward, revealed that they are developing new projects related to the franchise: "There are more Cars things brewing, I can't say much more yet. Cars has got a life that will keep going. I am working on some real fun projects right now that you will see in a couple of years. It takes us a while to make them."
Cars television series
Cars Toons
Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales (2008–2012) Mater's Tall Tales is a series of short animated films featuring Mater, Lightning McQueen, and their friends. The first three shorts premiered on October 27, 2008, on Toon Disney, Disney Channel, and ABC Family. Not exclusive to television, the episodes have also been released on DVDs/Blu-rays or as in front of theatrical films. A total of 11 episodes have been released with Time Travel Mater (2012) being the most recent.
All shorts in the series follow the same tall-tale formula: Mater tells a story of something he has done in the past. When Lightning questions Mater over whether the events in the story actually occurred (or in some episodes asks him what he did next), Mater always claimed that Lightning was also involved and continues the story including Lightning's sudden participation. The shorts end with Mater leaving the scene, often followed by characters or references to the story that was being told, suggesting that story might be real.
Cars Toons: Tales from Radiator Springs (2013–2014) Tales from Radiator Springs is a series of short animated films featuring the various residents of the titular location. The first three two-minute episodes - Hiccups, Bugged, and Spinning - premiered on March 22, 2013, on Disney Channel, and have been available online since March 24, 2013. A fourth short in the series, titled The Radiator Springs 500 ½, was released in spring 2014 on the digital movie service Disney Movies Anywhere. It premiered on August 1, 2014, on Disney Channel. The short has a running time of 6 minutes rather than the usual two-minute running time.
Cars on the Road (2022)
On December 10, 2020, during Disney's Investors Day event, Pixar announced that an animated series starring Lightning McQueen and Mater traveling the country while meeting friends, new and old, was in development. On November 12, 2021, it was announced that the show would be titled Cars on the Road, and that Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy would reprise their respective roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater. It was released on Disney+ on September 8, 2022, as part of Disney+ Day.
Cars: Lightning Racers (2027) On August 8, 2025, a new series titled Cars: Lightning Racers was announced for Disney Jr., executive produced by Travis Braun and Frank Montagna. It will follow Lightning McQueen on new adventures in Radiator Springs alongside Mater and new friends, thrill-seeking drag car Pipes and mud-loving monster truck Miles. The films' original cast members returning to reprise their roles include Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. It is set to premiere in 2027.
Cars short films Mater and the Ghostlight (2006)
Mater and the Ghostlight is a 2006 Pixar animated short created for the DVD of the 2006 film Cars, which was released on October 25, 2006, in Australia and the United States on November 7, 2006. The short, set in the Cars world, tells a story of Mater being haunted by a mysterious blue light.