FILM · 2006 · USA
Cars
- Directed by
- John Lasseter
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Studio
- Pixar
291 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.
Summary: TMDB
239 Interesting Facts About Cars
- #002
Contains a major spoiler — show
In Radiator Springs, every third blink of the traffic light is half a second slower, confirming Fillmore's observation.
- #003
Even with a bank of computers four times faster than those used for The Incredibles (2004) and 1,000 times faster than those used for Toy Story (1995), rendering each frame of this film took an average of 17 processor hours.
- #004
The character Doc Hudson is based on real-life NASCAR pioneer Herb Thomas, who drove Hudson Hornets to Grand National championships in 1951 and 1953. In 1954 he lost the championship to Lee Petty, the father of Richard Petty ("The King"). Crashes in 1955 and 1956 effectively ended Thomas's career.
- #005
The production wanted to use a little-known version of the song "Route 66" that appeared as the B-side of one of Chuck Berry's singles. They approached Berry's record label, which knew nothing about such a version. After searching its vaults, the label realized Pixar was right.
- #006
Lightning McQueen occasionally sticks his tongue out when he is thinking. This is a trait of writer and director John Lasseter that the animators gleefully incorporated into the film.
- #007
Luigi's license plate reads 445-108, the latitude and longitude of the main Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.
- #008
It was the last Pixar film to be released on VHS and the first to be released on Blu-ray.
- #009
The film is dedicated to the memory of Joe Ranft, who died in a car accident in 2005 and for whom this was the last Pixar film he worked on, as was also the case with Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) and Sony Animation's first film Open Season (2006), on which he designed the characters. It also marks the last Pixar film in which a character was voiced by him. Joe's brother Jerome Ranft would later voice Red in Tales from Radiator Springs (2013) and Cars 3 (2017), as well as Jacques in Finding Nemo (2003), a character who would appear in Finding Dory (2016), and would later appear in Up (2009).
- #010
Paul Newman regarded his performance as Doc as the best he had given since The Verdict (1982). Newman was known as a talented race car driver, owner and enthusiast.
- #011
Doc Hudson's being forced out of racing in 1955 has some basis in history. Hudson Hornets were a popular and successful choice for stock car racing in the early 1950s because of their low center of gravity, which gave them excellent stability on the dirt tracks used at the time. However, Hudson used old flathead technology in its engines, and by 1955 GM, Ford and Chrysler had developed more powerful overhead-valve V8 engines. As a result, Hudsons were no longer considered competitive.
- #012
The Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story (1995) can be seen in the crowd scene right next to the "Elvis" car.
- #013
When the film was released on DVD, it sold five million copies in two days.
- #014
The Michael Schumacher Ferrari, voiced by Michael Schumacher, speaks to Guido in Italian, saying: "Spero che il tuo amico si riprenda. Mi dicono che siete fantastici." This means "I hope your friend recovers. I was told that you are fantastic."
- #015
It was the last film produced by Pixar before Disney officially acquired the company.
- #017
Contains a major spoiler — show
In June 2017, Entertainment Weekly reported that during the voice cast recording sessions for this film, director John Lasseter spent a great deal of time with Paul Newman in the recording booth, and Newman entertained him with stories about his life and his many years as a race car driver. Lasseter said: "In a way he mentored me about racing, because car racing was his real-life passion, and I made sure that every time he came into the recording booth we recorded everything. Between takes he would tell me stories about great races, and you could hear the passion in his voice." Those recordings ultimately became what made it possible for Newman's Cars character, Doc Hudson, to reappear in Cars 3 (2017), even though the film was released eight years after Newman's death. Lasseter explained: "When we started Cars 3, we went back to every recording we made on Cars 1, catalogued it, listened to all of it, and ended up with a lot of material we could use. Lines that were cut from the original film and never used, as well as some pieces taken from intermediate takes."
- #018
Lightning McQueen, a first-class "Piston Cup" racer, sports the traditional yellow "rookie stripe" on his rear bumper.
- #019
The film's animators prepared more than 43,000 sketches for the cars' designs.
- #020
In the end credits sequence, car versions of characters from Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and A Bug's Life (1998) are shown at the drive-in. There Mack points out the car versions of characters voiced in those films by John Ratzenberger (Hamm, the Yeti and P. T. Flea), giving the impression that the person voicing them is "one great actor" — until he realizes they used the same actor in all the films, prompting "What kind of a cut-rate production is this?" (which is itself modestly voiced by Ratzenberger). Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Dave Foley were also brought back to reprise their roles as car versions of their characters. Two more cameos were originally planned, one from The Incredibles (2004) and one from Finding Nemo (2003). The Incredibles cameo would have had Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter reprising their roles as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl as cars, with John Ratzenberger reprising The Underminer as a drilling tank. In Finding Nemo, Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres would have reprised their roles as Marlin and Dory as submarines, and John Ratzenberger would have reprised his role as the school of moonfish as submarines. The Incredibles cameo would also have played between the Toy Story cameo and the Monsters Inc. cameo, while the Finding Nemo cameo would have played between the Monsters Inc. cameo and the A Bug's Life cameo.
- #021
The crowd scene at the end of the Piston Cup race features 105,000 individually animated cars, including 13,000 cars just entering the stadium.
- #022
The neon lights at Flo's V-8 Café blink in the firing order of a Ford Flathead V8.
- #023
The Rust-eze brothers are played by the real-life brothers Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi. They were the hosts of Car Talk, a Radio Hall of Fame program, and used the tagline "Don't drive like my brother!" to close the show.
- #024
The design of the Cozy Cone Motel is based on two Wigwam Motels on Route 66, located in Holbrook, Arizona and Rialto, California. These were two of seven motels that once had individual teepee-shaped cabins. Another motel from the chain survives in Cave City, Kentucky. The name "Cozy Cone" was inspired by the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois, which claims to be the birthplace of the corn dog.
- #025
It was the first film to win the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
- #026
In the sky scenes, all of the jet contrails are tire tracks.
- #027
One of the number 84 race cars is white and bears the Apple logo. Apple, as a company, released the Macintosh, which revolutionized Apple, in 1984. Pixar had previously been owned by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
- #028
Jeremy Piven, who voices Lightning McQueen's agent Harv, also plays Vincent Chase's agent on Entourage (2004). The UK version featured outspoken Top Gear (1978) presenter Jeremy Clarkson as the voice of Harv.
- #029
The voice of the King's wife is provided by Lynda Petty, Richard Petty's real-life wife.
- #030
As the jets fly over Los Angeles International Speedway, Pixar Animation Studios (shot from a satellite photo) can be seen in the landscape below.
- #031
The fictional town of Radiator Springs was inspired by various real-life places along historic Route 66. In 2001, a creative team from Pixar that included John Lasseter and Joe Ranft toured parts of Route 66 in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Their guide along the way was writer and Route 66 historian Michael Wallis. Wallis voiced the Sheriff in the film.
- #032
When Bessie the road paving machine spits on the cars pulling her (twice in the film, once at the end), she makes laughing sounds despite having no visible eyes, suggesting she may have limited intelligence.
- #033
Seen from above, the hills around Radiator Springs resemble the hoods and fenders of classic cars (complete with trim).
- #034
The brand of the whitewall tires Lightning McQueen gets from Guido and Luigi is "Fettuccini Alfredo."
- #036
At one hour and 57 minutes, this was Pixar's longest film until Incredibles 2 (2018) surpassed it by one minute. Without credits, Incredibles 2 runs 1 hour 49 minutes, while Cars runs 1 hour 52 minutes.
- #037
While driving on the highway, the birds from Pixar's For the Birds (2000) briefly appear on a telephone wire. They are the only non-car characters in the entire film.
- #040
The film's original title was "Route 66." The name was changed to "Cars" to avoid implying a connection to the Route 66 (1960) television series.
- #041
PIXAR STUDIO TRADEMARK: (A113) The train Lightning passes is numbered A113, after an animation room at the California Institute of the Arts where many Pixar animators studied. Mater's license plate also bears the same number.
- #042
The film's premiere was delayed by a year by Pixar boss Steve Jobs because it served as a good bargaining chip in negotiations with Disney.
- #043
The license plate of the Volkswagen Microbus Fillmore, voiced by George Carlin, is "51237." That is Carlin's birth date, May 12, 1937. It is pure coincidence, but 51237 is also the ZIP code of George, Iowa.
- #046
The film features many recurring character names from Isaac Asimov's short story "Sally," which also centers on robotic sentient cars.
- #047
The insects seen in the film are Volkswagen Beetles from the 1960s. "Bug" is the popular nickname for that model of car.
- #050
Lightning McQueen's body shakes much more than Mater's because McQueen is a race car with a stiffer suspension, meaning bumpy roads jolt him more aggressively than normal cars with softer suspension.
- #051
Lightning McQueen was designed to be a smug, arrogant but lovable character. To that end, the animators looked to real people such as Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and Kid Rock as reference points.
- #053
As Mack leaves the track after the first race, he passes under road signs showing the following towns: Bell Housing, Spark Gap, East Honkers, Ragtop, Skid Mark Ln, Truckville, Wingnut City, Kingpin and Pothole City.
- #054
The two lost tourists are both "minivan"-type vehicles. Appropriately, their names are Van and Minny.
- #055
Chick Hicks's sponsor is Hostile Takeover Bank (HTB).
- #056
During the final race, Guido (Guido Quaroni) says the following to Chick Hicks's crew in Italian: "Con chi credi parlare? Ma con chi stai parlando". This means: "Who do you think you're talking to? Who are you talking to?"
- #057
The regulations that D. O. T. Mack begins relaying to Lightning McQueen require drivers of commercial motor vehicles carrying property to stop driving after reaching the end of their fourteenth consecutive hour on duty. The fourteen-hour limit was designed specifically to reduce fatigue-related crashes on the nation's highways.
- #058
Contains a major spoiler — show
Guido's surprisingly fast performance during the race reflects the often record-breaking tire-change times that are a specialty of Ferrari mechanics in Formula 1.
- #059
The mountain range behind Radiator Springs resembles Cadillac Ranch. This is an installation near Amarillo, Texas, consisting of a row of half-buried Cadillacs facing nose-down. The map refers to the Cadillac Range.
- #060
Within five years of its release, the film earned 8 billion dollars in commercial sales.
- #061
Van and Minny actually appear in the film before reaching Radiator Springs; they are the first two cars that flee from Lightning as they slide from the caravan toward the highway.
- #064
Contains a major spoiler — show
Cars is seen at the drive-in movie theater during the end of the film: from left to right: front row - Mater, Sally, Lightning, Sarge, Fillmore; second row - one of the Ferraris, Doc, Sheriff, Flo, Ramone, Guido, Luigi and Lizzie; there are rows further back - Mack, Junior, Red, Mr. and Mrs. King and the Twins; if you look closely, at the very back by the fence, you see Frank and the tractors; note that more tractors appear with each cut back to the audience shot.
- #065
Some of the parked vehicles have license plates bearing abbreviations of earlier Pixar films: TS (Toy Story (1995)), Inc. (not Monsters, Inc. (2001) but The Incredibles (2004)) and FN (Finding Nemo (2003)).
- #066
Above the door of the courtroom is a Latin quotation: "The road of justice is paved by truth".
- #067
During the "Our Town" montage, the "Rust-eze" logo appears in the front window of the "Rusty Bumper" store. Rust-eze is Lightning McQueen's sponsor decades later.
- #068
Sheriff's car is equipped with curb detectors. These were popular in the forties and fifties, because the spring-loaded devices made a scraping sound when you parked the correct distance from the curb. They lost popularity in the sixties when they came to be considered lame. They are also known as "curb feelers", which is also the name of a store in the scene of Radiator Springs' comeback.
- #070
Guido speaks three English words throughout the entire film: "okay" and "pit stop" (although he pronounces the latter as "peet stop").
- #071
Luigi's Italian dubber is stand-up comedian Marco Della Noce. His performance in this film is generally based on one of his routines, a Ferrari Team mechanic. Also, since Guido speaks Italian throughout the film, in the Italian version he was made to speak with a thick Modena accent (Modena is Ferrari's home) to create the effect.
- #072
The design of the "Los Angeles International Speedway" is based on three venues located in Southern California. The exterior resembles the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the speedway's seating area and interior architecture closely resemble the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and the track layout recalls the California Speedway in Fontana.
- #074
Although car number 43 is a clear reference to Richard Petty, and Petty voices the character and uses his nickname "The King," the car character's actual name is "Strip Weathers." It is used only once, in the film's opening scenes, when the television commentators ("Bob Cutlass" and "Darrell Cartrip") discuss the three-way tie heading into the season's final race.
- #075
Fillmore (George Carlin) is a version of Al Sleet, the hippie weatherman from a popular sketch Carlin performed in the 1960s and 1970s.
- #076
When Mater and Lightning McQueen tip over the cow tractors, the tractors emit an electronic "Moo!" sound when they are turned upside down. The electronic "Moo!" is taken from Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow, a Kenner toy introduced in 1978; when you moved its tail like a pump handle, Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow raised its head and made an electronic "Moo!" sound.
- #077
The television studio covering the Piston Cup race contains forty-four different monitors, meaning there had to be forty-four different versions of the same shot.
- #078
Cars is the first Pixar film to use a technique called "ray tracing," which simulates the properties of light rays interacting with objects, materials and colors. This produces things like more realistic reflections and a more realistic sheen on transparent materials such as car finishes.
- #079
Fillmore takes his name from the famous Fillmore Auditorium, or Fillmore West, a highly popular music venue in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a focal point of music and art for the counterculture or "hippie" movement.
- #080
The real-life basis for the center of Radiator Springs is located in Seligman, Arizona.
- #081
Contains a major spoiler — show
The film draws many parallels with Doc Hollywood (1991). A young talented person needs to be in a different city for an important event. On the road they damage a small town and are sentenced to community service to help the town. They fall in love with a local who is not originally from the small town. They fall in love with the town and its people. In the end they help the town, set off toward their goal, but return to the small town and the woman they left behind.
- #083
The fictional track, the Southern Motor Speedway (M. S. S.), is based on Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR held races for its first series.
- #085
Doc Hudson's features were based on Paul Newman's features.
- #086
To build the cars, the animators used design and lighting software very similar to what automotive designers use.
- #089
Lizzie looks like a Ford Model T, which were called "Tin Lizzies" when they were first produced.
- #090
In the sequence where Mack takes Lightning McQueen to California, a brief shot shows that as they pass some telephone lines, the birds from Pixar's short film For the Birds (2000) can briefly be seen and heard.
- #092
The film was conceived in 1999. It was initially to be called "The Little Yellow Car" and was to be about an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world, and the Pixar team even agreed that the film would be the one after A Bug's Life (1998). However, the project was abandoned when Pixar wanted to work on Toy Story 2 (1999).
- #094
In McQueen's first dream sequence, the walking robots he attacks are actually car spark plugs on legs.
- #096
The rock formations surrounding Radiator Springs, shaped over the years as recognizable hood ornaments, are labeled "Ornament Valley" on the map. This is a reference to "Monument Valley," a large area of natural rock formations spanning Arizona and Utah, though it is not actually near Route 66.
- #098
The model for Ramone's shop is a real old-time Conoco Service Station in Shamrock, Texas, on the old Route 66.
- #099
In the opening race scene, the animators added pieces of rubber coming off the cars as their tires wore down.
- #100
The premiere was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
- #101
With Joe Ranft's death in a car accident on August 16, 2005, at the age of 45, this film and The Incredibles (2004) became the only two Pixar films in which he voiced more than one character at once. In this film he voiced both Red and Peterbilt Jerry, and in The Incredibles he voiced both the Universal Man and one of Syndrome's guards.
- #103
The California Governor Hummer Humvee is an obvious caricature of then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was also the first private owner of a Hummer Humvee (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) in the United States.
- #104
Bob Costas's portrayal and voice work were unusual, given that NASCAR and auto racing were not activities he was associated with or had ever sought out. In addition, Costas's work had primarily been with NBC Sports, a direct competitor of ABC Sports and its parent company Disney's ESPN.
- #107
WILHELM Scream: used by one of the cars in McQueen's dream scene.
- #108
The cars race for the "Piston Cup." From 1972 to 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series. It was sponsored by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston.
- #110
Sally tells Van and Minni that her motel offers "a free Lincoln Continental breakfast," a combination of "continental breakfast" and the luxury car "Lincoln Continental."
- #112
It is the first Pixar film rated G since Finding Nemo (2003).
- #113
Contains a major spoiler — show
Characters from A Bug's Life (1998) appear as cars in three scenes. First, they arrive in town while chasing Sheriff McQueen. Second, they appear when Sally shows McQueen the Wheel Well Motel. Finally, Flik appears in the post-credits scene.
- #114
In 1954, Disney (which would eventually own the Cars franchise) launched the TV anthology series The Magical World of Disney (1954), one of whose original sponsors was the Hudson Motor Car Company, the builders of the Hudson Hornet.
- #115
Given that most of the roads on the signs pass through Nashville, the city Mack drives through after leaving the track appears to be Nashville, Tennessee. It is also likely that Mack passes through Nashville on Interstate 40 after leaving Bristol (where MSS is based).
- #116
The code name used for this film during production was "Surgery."
- #117
It is John Lasseter's first directing work since Toy Story 2 (1999).
- #118
The voices of Rust-eze owners Dusty and Rusty were provided by real-life brothers Ray Magliozzi (Dusty) and Tom Magliozzi (Rusty), also known as "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers" from the humor-filled auto repair talk show "Car Talk." Tom appears as a 1963 Dodge Dart, which he owned for years and referenced many times on his show. In the film, each of them says the warning "Don't drive like my brother," the sign-off slogan of their radio program. Although Tom Magliozzi died in 2014, both brothers are credited with reprising their roles in Cars 3 (2017).
- #119
In the film, the famous Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story (1995) actually has a name. It is called Todd.
- #120
Contains a major spoiler — show
After the credits, there is a short scene showing Van and Minny still looking for the interstate highway. A small blue car (a fly) flies alongside them. It runs toward the camera and leaves a blue "nose-print" on the lens. The car was designed after the Volkswagen Beetle model, also known as the "bug."
- #122
Contains a major spoiler — show
Apple products exist in the Cars universe. In this film, The King (Richard Petty) passes an Apple car, and the Apple car is number 84, because the Apple Macintosh was released in 1984; also, in Cars 2 (2011), Finn McMissile (Sir Michael Caine) says that Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) designs iPhone apps, and in Cars 3 (2017), Lightning (Owen Wilson) says "does it have a phone?" referring to iPhones, and the Apple car from this film appears in the opening race, and when later generations arrive, a new-generation Apple racer appears.
- #123
Cars was the first Pixar film made after John Lasseter was appointed Creative Director of both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar.
- #124
In the Argentine dub, Doc Hudson and Chick Hicks are voiced by Turismo Carretera (the Argentine stock car racing series) legends Juan María Traverso and Marcos Di Palma, respectively.
- #125
This is the second film in which Bonnie Hunt has a song, the first being "Life Is a Highway" in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).
- #127
The Italian name for "tire" is "gomma" (rubber), and Italy in fact has many tire shops called "Casa della gomma" (house of rubber).
- #128
This film marks Doc Hudson's only present-day appearance in the series. He appears in flashbacks in Cars 3 (2017), using unused footage recycled from Paul Newman's original performance.
- #130
One of the race cars has a picture of the Jackalope from Boundin' (2003). The model and style of that car were used for Stanley, the car who founded Radiator Springs and is honored there with a statue.
- #131
It is the third Pixar film shot in the 2.35:1 format, after A Bug's Life (1998) and The Incredibles (2004).
- #132
When Michael Schumacher's Ferrari stops at Guido and Luigi's tire shop at the end of the film, two other cars are beside it, both Maseratis. Maserati is another famous Italian car brand with a history of rivalry with Ferrari.
- #133
This is George Carlin's second involvement with sentient-vehicle media, after he narrated the first four seasons of the US version of Thomas & Friends (1983).
- #134
When Frank chases Mater and Lightning McQueen, he focuses his pursuit on the latter, who is red, because Frank is based on a bull that is said to (mistakenly) attack anything red.
- #135
This is Michael Keaton's first voice role in a fully animated theatrical film.
- #136
In the credits, Mia and Tia are shown working at Flo's.
- #137
The scene in which Lightning McQueen rides in Mack and "Life Is a Highway," performed by Tom Cochrane and Rascal Flatts, plays takes place on Interstate 40 through New Mexico and Arizona.
- #138
The snowman from Knick Knack (1989) appears in the snow globe Lizzie shows McQueen.
- #140
John Lasseter is the son of a car parts manager.
- #142
This is the last film to feature a character voiced by Joe Ranft. He died on August 16, 2005.
- #143
During the Route 66 song, each time the lyric "Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino" is sung, bumper stickers bearing the corresponding names are shown in that order. The first time, with Chuck Berry's version, Lizzie slaps Lightning's bumper while shopping at the Curios shop, and the second time, with John Mayer's version, Fred shows them from the right, rear and left sides at the end of the title sequence.
- #144
In the Peterbilt scene, the designs on his trailer were designed by John Lasseter's sons.
- #145
The character "Fillmore" was once going to be named "Waldmire" after Bob Waldmire, a self-proclaimed hippie artist known among Route 66 fans for his detailed pen-and-ink maps and postcards of the route. Although Waldmire's family owned the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois, Bob, by then a vegan, did not want his name attached to a character that would become a Happy Meal toy.
- #146
The character Sally Carrera was inspired by Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Café in Stroud, Oklahoma. Lasseter and his team met Welch during one of their trips along Route 66, and the Rock Café has many souvenirs celebrating the film's success.
- #147
It was the last Pixar film to carry the credit "Created and Produced at Pixar Animation Studios, Emeryville, California" until The Good Dinosaur (2015).
- #148
One of the cars that puts Mack to sleep had a "WINGO" license plate and green sun visors on its windshield. The spoiler even somewhat resembles Dale Gribble's hat. "Wingo" was Dale's catchphrase in the FOX animated series King of the Hill (1997).
- #149
The Castilian Spanish dub had cameo voice roles for many sports figures, including newsreaders and presenters such as Antonio Lobato, Inmaculada Galván, Pedro Piqueras, Hilario Pino and Iñaki Gabilondo, and athletes such as Fernando Alonso, Pedro de la Rosa, Marc Gené, Daniel Sordo, Nani Roma, Emilio de Villota, Sr., Emilio de Villota, Jr. and Antonio Albacete.
- #151
As of 2022, this is Pixar's most recent original film scored by Randy Newman.
- #153
In the German dub, Fillmore is called "Bully" because the VW Bus he is modeled on is known in Germany as the VW Bully.
- #154
It is the only film in the series that does not feature Jeff Gorvette.
- #155
It is the only Cars film to use the classic Walt Disney Pictures logo in the Pixar style.
- #157
Dinoco, the sponsor of the racing car King and the sponsor Lightning McQueen wants to win, also appears in Toy Story (1995). When Andy and his mother stop for gas on the way to Pizza Planet, they fill up at a station named Dinoco.
- #158
Owen Wilson had previously been cast in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, until the film's production was reworked and John Goodman replaced him.
- #159
Contains a major spoiler — show
Until Incredibles 2 (2018), it was the first and, so far, only Pixar film to use profanity, and also the only G-rated Pixar film to do so. This does not include the use of "son of a building block" in Toy Story (1995), which is in fact a pun also used for Toy Story 3 (2010), where the same term is "ascot".
- #161
Blu-ray 3D is the last Pixar Animation Studios film to carry the IATSE credit.
- #162
It is the only film in the series to be released on VHS.
- #163
It is the only Pixar film of the 2000s that does not feature any humans.
- #164
It is the only Pixar film released in June before Disney acquired the company.
- #166
In the teaser trailer, while all the cars are racing, a red car with the number 57 is pushed by a green race car. On its side you can see the logos for Toy Story 2 (1999) and A Bug's Life (1998).
- #167
In the scene where McQueen pulls Bessie after hitting the cactus a second time, Guido flinches when he starts repairing the slow leak in the rear tire. If you watch closely, you will see Guido make a cheeky gesture with his eyes.
- #168
Rascal Flatts is the first country group to release a Disney soundtrack.
- #169
The original idea was about an electric car living in a gas-consuming world.
- #170
Fred, the rusty old car seen in the racing scenes and the end credits sequence, was voiced by Pixar writer and director Andrew Stanton. Stanton co-directed A Bug's Life (1998) and directed Finding Nemo (2003), WALL-E (2008) and Finding Dory (2016).
- #171
One of racer Claude Scruggs's Piston Cup sponsors is "Leak Less," the trademark of the drip pans used to catch oil leaks.
- #172
The film is dedicated to Joe Ranft (1960-2005).
- #174
The morning show team of RadioAlice, the local favorite radio station, voices several minor characters in the film, including Kori Turbowitz, Not Chuck, Traffic Copter and Reporter #9.
- #175
During the final race in California, the flamingos, trees and pool from Knick Knack (1989) appear in front of one of the trailers.
- #176
It is the first Pixar film since A Bug's Life (1998) to not feature the Luxo Jr. Ball or the Luxo Jr. Lamp.
- #177
Mater's license plate is a reference to Pixar. First, his plate reads "A113," with "Feb" on the upper left and "86" on the upper right, a reference to Pixar's founding in February 1986. The classroom number at CalArts was A113.
- #178
Bob Peterson was considered to voice Chick Hicks, a role he took over in Cars 3 (2017).
- #179
When Flo's Cafe catches fire, the spark plugs ignite in the firing order of a Chevy small-block V8.
- #183
The film comes from the producers of Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004).
- #184
According to a Chick Hicks YouTube video deleted by the user Ned Wheeler, Chick joined the Piston Cup racing series sometime before 1992. This means Chick Hicks debuted in the last few races of the 1991 season.
- #185
In 2013, the 3D Blu-ray Disc is the only release in the Cars series to carry an IATSE credit.
- #186
It is the only film in the series in which Mack does not call McQueen "boss."
- #187
It is the last Pixar film directed by John Lasseter to be scored by Randy Newman.
- #188
It is Pixar's last original film to be directed by John Lasseter.
- #189
Cars is Pixar's second franchise to have more than one sequel, after Toy Story (1995).
- #190
At Sally's Cozy Cone Motel, Sally has a cactus shaped like a car.
- #192
To help promote Cars (2006), Pixar made a State Farm Insurance commercial featuring the main character, Lightning McQueen. They did the same for Cars 2 (2011), but this time they had Mater sing the opening part of the jingle used in State Farm commercials, written by a then-unknown Barry Manilow. Coincidentally, one of the characters living in Radiator Springs (where Lightning spends most of the film) shares her name with State Farm's CEO, Ed Rust: Sally.
- #193
Piston Cup commentators Bob Cutlass and Darrell Cartrip are based on, and voiced by, the real sports commentators Bob Costas and Darrell Waltrip, whose names were "vehiclized" to create the corresponding characters (Cutlass is an Oldsmobile model).
- #194
Frank, the combine harvester bull, is the only character not featured on the film's poster.
- #195
The epilogue sequence shown in a small window during the end credits also appears on the DVD as a full-screen bonus.
- #196
Chris Pratt was considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
- #197
Each of Rust-eze's sponsors sends Lightning off with a warning: "Don't drive like my brother!" This is also the signature line of the popular NPR radio program "Car Talk," hosted by "Click and Clack," who voice the sponsors as well.
- #198
"Ornament Valley" is an obvious parody of the "Monument Valley" region on the Arizona/Utah border in the American Southwest, which has a similarly breathtakingly lovely badlands landscape of bright earth tones and oddly shaped plains eroded by weather.
- #199
Cars is the fourth computer-animated film shot in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, following A Bug's Life (1998), The Polar Express (2004) and The Incredibles (2004).
- #200
Doc was the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, a fact not addressed in the film.
- #201
Lightning McQueen's character development was based entirely on John Lasseter's own personal life, which he had been unable to attend to. It was then that, during his travels between countries, he learned the journey of life as a 'reward' and decided to include it in the film.
- #202
The film's original DVD release was the last Pixar DVD title to feature the THX trailer "Tex", before Pixar stopped using THX in home environments.
- #203
It is the only Cars film that contains profanity.
- #204
Lightning's racing sponsor is Rust-eze Medicated Bumper Ointment: New Rear-End Formula, a treatment for one's rear end.
- #205
When Fillmore starts playing an electric guitar version of the national anthem and Sergeant (Paul Dooly) says "Turn that Down", Fillmore replies, "Respect the classics, man - It's Hendrix!" While this is a clear reference to guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, it likely also carries a secondary meaning tied to the film's racing pun theme, since Hendrick Motorsports is a legendary NASCAR team founded and owned by the Hendrick family (and thus Hendrick), and more specifically by patriarch Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports is one of the most successful organizations in NASCAR history, with more than 270 Cup Series race wins and 13 Cup season championships (as of August 2021), including the entire careers of legends such as Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson.
- #206
At the truck stop, an advertisement promotes "Convertible Waitresses", meaning the waitresses are "topless".
- #207
"The King" is actually based on the famous racer Richard Petty and bears a strong resemblance to his famous Superbird. Similarly, when "The King" crashes during a final stretch, it mirrors Petty's famous crash at the Rebel 400. In this case, however, "The King" lands on his right side, whereas Petty's crash left him upside down.
- #208
This is the first time a Pixar film was released in the same year as a computer-animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios; that year's case was its release in the same year as The Wild (2006) (which also featured Richard Kind), something that happened with every subsequent Pixar film except Up (2009) and this film's sequel Cars 2 (2011), both of which were released in the same year as the film, up until Walt Disney Animation Studios' last two hand-drawn animated films, The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Winnie the Pooh (2011), and Strange World (2022).
- #209
A scene cut from Cars shows McQueen losing his engine in a nightmare during the race.
- #210
It is the only film in the series that did not come out in the same year as an Illumination Entertainment film.
- #211
Scenes from the film were used in a road safety commercial broadcast on American television in 2008. Oddly, the final scene in the commercial was flipped, so that the "Lightyear" text on The King's tires appeared reversed. This was done because the scene takes place behind a curtain bearing the Piston Cup logo seen from behind (reversed). Viewers seeing the scene out of context were more likely to notice the reversed Piston Cup on the curtain than the reversed Lightyear on the tires.
- #212
Lightning McQueen's name comes from Pixar employee Glenn McQueen and from actor Steve McQueen, a passionate racing fan and driver.
- #213
This is Lou Romano's shortest role. He sneezes only three times and says, "You going on vacation?"
- #214
It is the eighth computer-animated feature film with no humans in it, following A Bug's Life (1998), Dinosaur (2000), Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie (2002), Shark Tale (2004), Robots (2005), Chicken Little (2005) and Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006).
- #215
Harv's sarcastic reference to the town where McQueen is as "Radiation Stinks" is actually a humorous and respectful nod to the "no nukes" hippie counterculture that Fillmore represents.
- #216
The film features a song titled "Our Town" performed by James Taylor. Paul Newman (Doc Hudson) starred in the film Our Town (2003).
- #217
Owen Wilson had previously appeared in another Disney animated film, Kingdom of the Sun, which was ultimately scrapped and reworked into The Emperor's New Groove (2000), with Wilson replaced by John Goodman.
- #218
Luke Wilson and Dane Cook were considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
- #219
Michael J. Fox was considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
- #220
Larry the Cable Guy reprised the role of Mater in the tie-in video game Cars: The Video Game (2006).
- #222
As a Disney Club exclusive film, this is the last fully animated film to be released on VHS (and the last full CGI film overall and the only film of 2006 overall). It is also the last major Hollywood film to be released on VHS.
- #223
It is the second Pixar film to have a post-credits scene, after Finding Nemo (2003).
- #224
It is the only film in the series that does not feature Lloyd Sherr, who replaced George Carlin as the voice of Fillmore.
- #225
It was Michael Wallis's first film.
- #226
It is Pixar's third film in which a director or co-director has a significant role rather than appearing only in additional voices; the other two, in which Joe Ranft played Red, were Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004).
- #227
It was the first Pixar film made after the hiring of Bradford Lewis; both Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004) included him, but both had already entered production before Pixar hired him.
- #228
The original name planned for "Ramones house of body art" was "Ramone Impalas".
- #230
The on-screen race graphics introducing The King, Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen mark every car except Chick. This is a likely indication of the fact that Chick is a bit of a loser.
- #231
Contains a major spoiler — show
Chick Hicks is the first and currently only main antagonist in a Pixar film to later redeem himself; this proved to be the case in Cars 3 (2017).
- #232
When everyone learns that McQueen is missing, famous talk show host Jay Leno appears as his own caricature, Jay Limo.
- #234
It is Cheech Marin's third animated theatrical Disney film, after Oliver & Company (1988) and The Lion King (1994).
- #235
Near the end of the film, Sheriff arrests four cars for speeding. These are the same four cars that tried to keep Mack awake near the beginning of the film. Mack nearly running off the road because of this resulted in Lightning McQueen getting lost.
- #236
It is the second Pixar film to contain no humans, after A Bug's Life (1998).
- #237
Because Cars 2 (2011) was again directed by John Lasseter but composed by Michael Giacchino instead of Randy Newman (who would later return for Cars 3 (2017), with Lasseter serving only as executive producer), and because Lasseter later left Pixar and Disney Animation in late 2018, this marks the last directorial collaboration between Lasseter and Newman on a Pixar feature film.
- #238
Cheech Marin (Ramone) and Tony Shalhoub (Luigi) both appeared in Spy Kids (2001) and some of its sequels.
- #239
The Twins opening their eyelid headlights works as a visual pun on several levels: (1) by briefly revealing their lit headlights, they are "flashing" McQueen. (2) "The Twins" is a jokey term for a woman's breasts. (3) "Headlights" is likewise a slang term for the same thing, while "high beams" refers to larger "endowments."
- #240
In a deleted scene from the Cars epilogue, The King is seen shouting: "I found this map, you know you guys are on the map?"
- #242
It is the first Pixar project since A Bug's Life to feature the Wilhelm scream, even if only at low volume.
- #243
It is the only Cars film in which the main character does not appear in disguise at any point.
- #244
During the first race, in the trailer area, one of the trailers is seen with a picture of the Jackalope from the Pixar short Boundin' (2003).
- #245
It was Sarah Clark's first film.
- #246
Looked at closely, and with the help of pareidolia, some of the mountains and plains are designed in the shapes of the front and rear ends of old cars.
- #247
While Mack looks down at the Top Down Truck Stop, a car pulls into the truck stop and distracts you, causing you to miss the initials of previous Pixar films, such as TS (1995) for Toy Story.
- #248
It is the only Cars film that did not release in the same year as a live-action Transformers film from Paramount Pictures: Cars 2 (2011) was released the same year as Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released the same year as Transformers: The Last Knight (2017).
- #249
Doc Hudson's name is a pun on the actor Rock Hudson.
- #250
Despite being well received, it was noted that the film has a plot similar to the 1991 Michael J. Fox film Doc Hollywood. For example, Ben Stone (Fox's character) is a hotshot, arrogant doctor, while Lightning McQueen has the same attitudes but is a racer.
- #251
It is the only Cars film that did not release in the same year as a theatrically released Sony Animation Smurfs film. Cars 2 (2011) was released the same year as The Smurfs (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released the same year as Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017).
- #252
It is the only Cars film that did not release in the same month as a DreamWorks Animation film. Cars 2 (2011) was released the same month as Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released the same month as Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017).
- #253
In the first race, a car appeared in a color between green and yellow (including its rims), and people could not tell which racer it was, but it was later revealed to be Darren Leadfoot.
- #254
In the scene before the final race begins, showing two commentators talking outside, the Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story is visible on the left side.
- #255
An interesting coincidence regarding "Cadillac Range," or the mountains outside Radiator Springs: in Maine's Acadia National Park there is actually a tall peak named "Cadillac Mountain."
- #257
Chris Rock was considered for the voice of Mater.
- #258
Birds: In the opening sequence, the birds sitting on the telephone wires are exactly the same models as those in the Pixar short "For the Birds."
- #259
Gray DeLisle and Tara Strong were considered for the voices of Tia and Mia.
- #260
Contains a major spoiler — show
Near the end of the film, a Ferrari and two Maseratis pull up next to Luigi to get tires. Each car was the color of the Italian flag.
- #261
Somehow the finished road looks wider than Bessie.
- #262
The CalArts classroom number "A113" appears in the film first on the sides of a train, and second on Mater's license plate.
- #263
In both the American and British versions of the film, the actor voicing Harv is, respectively, Jeremy Piven and Jeremy Clarkson.
- #264
Although Tony Shalhoub plays an Italian character, he is of Lebanese descent.
- #266
Cars was George Carlin's second Disney film after Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins (2005), and it is also the only Disney film of his that was released in theaters.
- #267
If you listen after Lightning kicks the oil can, you will hear a large crash in Doc's garage. By the time he finishes, nothing is left out of place or disturbed.
- #268
The Southern Motor Speedway, where the film's opening takes place, is located in Nashville, TN.
- #269
In the scene where Guido and Luigi repaint Casa Della Tires, the number 32 can be seen on the windows as Guido cleans them.
- #270
The Pizza Planet Truck was not only present at the final race in California; while Mack is driving Lightning to California and is about to get onto the highway, if you do not get distracted, you will see the Pizza Planet Truck pulling up to a Dinoco gas station. However, it apparently was not the same gas station as the one in Toy Story (1995), because it did not look like that gas station. But if it appeared while Mack was driving McQueen in California, and it appeared at the final race in California, then perhaps it was following Mack after he went to the gas station.
- #271
It is the only Cars film that was not released in the 2010s.
- #272
Piston Cup announcers Darrell Waltrip (Darrell Cartrip) and Bob Costas (Bob Cutlass) voice their characters based on themselves.
- #273
It was John Cygan's second animated film of 2006, after Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), which also featured Jay Leno.
- #275
It is the only film in the Cars series that was not released in the same year as a film based on the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series; Cars 2 (2011) was released in the same year as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released in the same year as Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017).
- #276
Friedrich Schoenfelder had worked in dubbing since 1954 and voiced international actors in more than 400 films.
- #277
It is the only Cars film that was not released in the same year as a direct-to-video sequel to S.W.A.T.; Cars 2 (2011) was released in the same year as S.W.A.T.: Firefight (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released in the same year as S.W.A.T.: Under Siege (2017).
- #278
There are two things most people do not notice. First, Lightning kicks (or throws) into Doc's garage and empties the box. You hear crashes and a lot of noise. When Lightning enters the garage, nothing is left in place or standing. Second, Mater pulls up his sign and the sign goes the wrong way, which happens throughout the entire film. At the end, when Lightning finishes the road, his sign is straight and not tilted at all.
- #279
Steven Tyler was considered for the voice of Mater.
- #280
The rock formations surrounding Radiator Springs, which over the years were shaped into recognizable hood ornaments, are labeled "Ornament Valley" on the road map. Although it is not actually near Route 66, this is a reference to Monument Valley, a large area of massive natural rock formations spanning Arizona and Utah.
- #281
The DVD sold 23 million copies, making it the second best-selling DVD in the United States after Pixar's own Finding Nemo (2003), which sold 39 million copies.
- #282
Contains a major spoiler — show
Finn McMissile was originally planned to appear in this film in a deleted scene at the movie theater where McQueen and Sally go for a drive. The scene would have taken place around the scene in which McQueen drives around town at night before leaving the town.
- #283
The reason for the yellow stripe on McQueen's back is to indicate that he is a rookie car, which is a NASCAR rule. This is why even in Cars 3 (2017) Jackson Storm has a yellow stripe on his back.
- #284
This film, along with A Bug's Life (1998) and The Incredibles (2004), is one of the only Pixar films produced in the 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio that: * was released on VHS. * was released before Pixar's acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. * had Joe Ranft involved during its production before his death in August 2005.
- #286
Friedrich Schoenfelder's full name is Friedrich Wilhelm Schoenfelder.
- #287
At the beginning of the Hayat Bir Otoyol series, if you look carefully at the highway area on the right, the Dinoco gas station from Toy Story (1995) can be seen.
- #288
This was Edie McClurg and Richard Kind's first Pixar film after A Bug's Life.
- #291
It was released 10 years after The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and 20 years after The Great Mouse Detective (1986).
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