This was Paul Newman's last American feature film before his death from lung cancer in 2008. It turned out to be the highest-grossing film of his career. George Carlin had died of heart failure three months earlier. It was also the highest-grossing film of his career.
In Radiator Springs, every third blink of the traffic light is half a second slower, confirming Fillmore's observation.
Even with a group of computers running 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.
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, father of Richard Petty ("The King"). Crashes in 1955 and 1956 effectively ended Thomas's career.
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 company, which knew nothing about such a version. After searching their vaults, they realized Pixar was right.
Lightning McQueen occasionally sticks his tongue out when he is thinking about something. This is a trait of writer and director John Lasseter that his animators cheerfully incorporated into the film.
Luigi's license plate reads 445-108, the latitude and longitude of the main Ferrari factory in Modena, Italy.
It was the last Pixar film to be released on VHS and the first to be released on Blu-ray.
The last Pixar film he worked on is dedicated to the memory of Joe Ranft, who died in a car accident in 2005, just like Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005) and Sony Animation's first film Open Season (2006), for 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).
Paul Newman regarded his performance in the role of Doc as the best he had given since The Verdict (1982). Newman was known as a talented race car driver, owner and enthusiast.
Doc Hudson's being pushed out of the racing community 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 their 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.
The Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story (1995) can be seen right next to the "Elvis" car in the crowd scene.
When the film was released on DVD, it sold five million copies in two days.
Instead of making the cars' headlights into eyes, as is done in most cartoons, the Pixar animators decided to put the eyes on the windshield because this made the characters more expressive. This idea was largely influenced by the Disney cartoon Susie the Little Blue Coupe (1952), one of writer and director John Lasseter's favorites.
Michael Schumacher, voicing the Michael Schumacher Ferrari, 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."
The last film produced by Pixar before Disney officially acquired the company.
Guido is an Italian name. But it is also the Italian translation of "I drive."
Michael Schumacher recorded his lines in four different languages: English, German, French and Italian.
In June 2017, Entertainment Weekly reported that during the voice cast recording process for this film, director John Lasseter spent a great deal of time with Paul Newman in the recording booth, and that 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 we recorded everything every time he came into the booth. Between takes he would tell me stories about great races, and you could hear the passion in his voice." These 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 them, listened to them all, 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."
Lightning McQueen, a first-class "Piston Cup" racer, sports the traditional yellow "rookie stripe" on his rear bumper.
The film's animators prepared more than 43,000 sketches for the cars' designs.
In the final title sequence, car versions of characters from Toy Story (1995), Monsters, Inc. (2001) and A Bug's Life (1998) are shown at a drive-in. There, Mack points out the car versions of characters voiced in those films by John Ratzenberger (Hamm, 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?" (he too is 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. There were originally to be two more cameos; one from The Incredibles (2004) and one from Finding Nemo (2003). In The Incredibles' cameo, Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter were to reprise their roles as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl as cars, while John Ratzenberger would reprise his role as The Underminer as a drilling tank. In Finding Nemo, Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres were to reprise their roles as Marlin and Dory as submarines, and John Ratzenberger would reprise his role as the school of moonfish as submarines. Also, The Incredibles' cameo was to take place between Toy Story's cameo and Monsters Inc.'s cameo, while Finding Nemo's cameo was to take place between Monsters Inc.'s cameo and A Bug's Life's cameo.
The crowd scene at the end of the Piston Cup race features 105,000 individually animated cars, including the 13,000 cars that only enter the stadium.
The neon lights at Flo's V-8 Café blink in the firing order of a Ford Flathead V8.
The Rust-eze brothers are played by real-life brothers Tom Magliozzi and Ray Magliozzi. They were the hosts of Car Talk, a Radio Hall of Fame program, and used the slogan "Don't drive like my brother!" to close the series.
The design of the Cosy 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.
When Lightning McQueen is finally pulled over by the Sheriff after destroying the road, the Sheriff says "Boy, you're in a heap o' trouble," the signature line from Dodge commercials aired in the early 1970s starring Joe Higgins as the Sheriff.
The first film to win the Golden Globe award for Best Animated Feature Film.
In the sky scenes, all the jet trails are tire tracks.
One of the race cars, number 84, is white and bears the Apple logo. Apple, as a company, released the Macintosh, which revolutionized Apple, in 1984. Pixar previously belonged to former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Jeremy Piven, who voices Lightning McQueen's agent Harv, also plays Vincent Chase's agent on Entourage (2004). In the United Kingdom version, Harv was voiced by outspoken Top Gear (1978) presenter Jeremy Clarkson.
At the end of the first race at the beginning of the film, the twins Mia and Tia flash their headlights at McQueen. This is a sly wink to adult racing fans who know that "flashing their headlights" is a term used for female fans lifting their shirts and showing their breasts to racers.
The King's wife is voiced by Lynda Petty, Richard Petty's real-life wife.
As the jets fly over the Los Angeles International Speedway, Pixar Animation Studios (taken from a satellite photo) can be seen in the landscape below.
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 author and Route 66 historian Michael Wallis. Wallis voiced the Sheriff in the film.
When Bessie the road paving machine spits on the cars towing her (twice in the film, once at the end), she makes laughing sounds despite having no visible eyes, suggesting she may have limited intelligence.
Seen from above, the hills around Radiator Springs resemble the hoods and fenders of classic cars (complete with ornaments).
The brand of the whitewall tires Lightning McQueen gets from Guido and Luigi is "Fettuccini Alfredo."
Car designs: * Chick Hicks is based on a 1987 Buick Grand National NASCAR racer. * The King is a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, one of Richard "The King" Petty's most famous rides. The Superbird was created to bring him back to Plymouth for the 1970 racing season, and Petty provided the voice. The King's paint scheme is exactly the same as King Richard's in the 1970 NASCAR season. * Mrs. "The King" is a 1974 Chrysler Town and Country station wagon, modeled after the car the Petty family used to take themselves and their children to races in the 1970s. * Mack is based on the Mack Superliner semi-truck. Mack's character was originally going to be a Peterbilt but was changed because John Ratzenberger's father drove a Mack in Chicago. This is referenced in the scene where Lightning leaves Route 66 and tries to catch up with Mack: the battery-powered truck he mistakenly follows says, "I'm not Mack, I'm a Peterbilt!" * Mia and Tia are modeled after the first-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata. * Dusty Rust-eze is a 1960s Dodge A100 van, and his brother Rusty is a 1963 Dodge Dart. * The cars that run a sleepy Mack off the road and are later caught speeding are collectively called the Delinquent Road Hazards. Each one parodies a different modification style. "Wingo," a 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, is an example of the flashy, non-performance add-ons often called "rice." "Boost," a 1996 Nissan 240/200SX S14A, is a nitrous-oxide street racer. "D.J.," a 2004 Scion xB, is a mobile sound platform. "Snot Rod," a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, is a classic supercharged muscle car (the graphics and grille badge were changed to S/R in the film). * Sheriff is a 1949 Mercury Club Coupe. * Doc is a 1951 Hudson Hornet two-door coupé. * Fillmore is a late-1960s Volkswagen Type 2, also known as the Transporter or "Microbus." It was a very popular vehicle among hippies in the late 1960s and early 1970s and even entered popular culture. It is heavily referenced in Arlo Guthrie's song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree." * Sarge is a 1940s Willys MB Jeep. * Ramone is a 1959 Chevrolet Impala, a very popular car among lowriders. * Luigi is a 1959 Fiat 500. * Mater is a 1955 Chevrolet Stepside tow truck. * Sally is a 2002 Porsche 911 Carrera (Type 996). * Flo is not based on any single car, but shares elements of the 1951 Buick LeSabre, the 1951 Buick XP-300 and the 1957 Chrysler Dart, all of which were real show cars. Her appearance closely resembles Al's vehicle in Toy Story 2 (1999). * Jay Limo is a third-generation Lincoln Town Car. * Sven (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a Hummer H1. * Junior (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) is based on the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS NASCAR racer Earnhardt drove between 1999 and 2007. * The car used in Mario Andretti's cameo is the Holman-Moody Ford Fairlane Andretti drove to victory in the 1967 Daytona 500, a race in which Richard Petty was one of the favorites to win. Petty withdrew from the race due to an engine failure. * Michael Schumacher is a Ferrari F430.
At one hour and 57 minutes, this was the longest Pixar 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.
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 "live" characters in the entire film.
Porsche Sally's law career is a reference to Portia, a nickname given to female lawyers, taken from the character in William Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice."
Paul Newman's last feature film. His final screen work was the short film Mater and the Ghostlight (2006). His last live-action role was in Road to Perdition (2002).
Early drafts included Doc Hudson suffering a heart attack and being revived by Sarge.
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.
PIXAR STUDIO TRADEMARK: (A113) The train Lightning leaves behind 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.
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.
The license plate of the Volkswagen Microbus Fillmore, voiced by George Carlin, is "51237." This is Carlin's birth date; May 12, 1937. It is entirely a coincidence, but 51237 is also the zip code of George, Iowa.
Lightning McQueen's tires are Buzzard models manufactured by Lightyear, referencing both the real Goodyear "Eagle" tires used in NASCAR and the Buzz Lightyear character from the Toy Story series. A Lightyear Blimp imitating the real-life Goodyear Blimp even appears at the races.
In one of the short sequences in the final title sequence, a green Hummer tells the Sergeant at the SUV training camp: "Yo, I've never been off-road." This is a sarcastic nod to the tendency for Hummers, despite being designed as off-road vehicles, to be bought and used mostly in pristine suburban surroundings.
The film features many recurring character names from Isaac Asimov's short story "Sally," which also centers on robotic sentient cars.
The insects seen in the film are shaped like Volkswagen Beetles from the 1960s. "Bug" is the popular nickname for this model of car.
Writer and director John Lasseter came up with the idea for this film in 2000 while traveling across the country on Route 66 with his wife and five sons, at the urging of his wife Nancy Lasseter, who especially felt he was spending too much time at the studios. Nancy told her husband that he should make this film for everyone, especially women, who don't care about cars. Hence the film's working title during production was The Nancy Factor. After returning to work, he contacted the renowned historian Michael Wallis about the subject. Wallis later took eleven Pixar animators on two separate trips along the route in rented white Cadillacs to research the film. Along the way, the animators collected artifacts: items such as wheat, tumbleweed, snakeskin and roadkill. All these items were attached to the cars as hood ornaments and ceremonially buried in the desert at the end of the trip.
We never see the interior of any vehicle in the film (except for the helicopter's cargo bay at the end, but not its cockpit). Their "windows" are always opaque and their "doors" never open. Notably, there is not a single convertible with a visibly open roof. Since living cars have no need for passenger compartments, this fits the concept of a world without humans very well. As far as we know, they aren't even hollow inside.
Unusually for a Pixar film, the lead marketing focused on the voice talent, namely Owen Wilson and Paul Newman. Unlike other animation companies, Pixar tends not to draw attention to which stars provide the voices.
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.
Lightning McQueen's original number was going to be 57, John Lasseter's birth year. It was later changed to 95 to represent the year Toy Story (1995) was released. Car number 57 in the final film (which wins the race in the first teaser) bears a faint resemblance to McQueen.
Lightning McQueen was designed to be a smug, arrogant but lovable character. To this end, the animators looked to real people such as Joe Namath, Muhammad Ali and Kid Rock as reference points.
Ramone's comment about "Von Dutch style" pinstriping Minnie and Van is a nod to Kenny Howard, who revived the art of pinstriping motorcycles and vehicles in the 1950s under the name Von Dutch.
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.
The two lost tourists are both "minivan"-type vehicles. Appropriately, their names are Van and Minny.
Chick Hicks's sponsor is Hostile Takeover Bank (HTB).
During the final race, Guido (Guido Quaroni) says the following to Chick Hicks's team 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?"
The regulations 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.
Guido's surprisingly fast performance during the race reflects the frequently record-breaking tire-change times that are the specialty of Ferrari mechanics in Formula 1.
The mountain range behind Radiator Springs resembles Cadillac Ranch. This is an installation near Amarillo, Texas, consisting of a row of half-buried Cadillacs planted nose-down. The map refers to the Cadillac Range.
Within five years of its release, the film generated 8 billion dollars in merchandise sales.
Van and Minny actually appear in the film before arriving in Radiator Springs; they are the first two cars that swerve away from Lightning as he slides from the trailer toward the highway.
In the Rust-eze commercial following the first race, the license plate of the green car in the background reads "EVILLE." This is short for Emeryville, the town in California where Pixar's headquarters is located. Emeryville, California is also among the cities closed on race day.
"Float like a Cadillac, Sting like a Beemer" is a nod to the slogan "Float like a butterfly, Sting like a bee," which boxer Muhammad Ali popularized in his rookie years.
Cars is seen at the drive-in movie theater during the film's ending: 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; further back there are rows - Mack, Junior, Red, Mr. and Mrs. King and the Twins; if you look closely, at the very back of the fence, you will see Frank and the tractors; keep in mind that with each cut to the audience shot, more tractors become visible.
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)).
Two tourist minivans talk about a trip to Shakopee to go to Crazy Days. Shakopee is a real city in Minnesota famous for the Valley Fair amusement park and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. The term "Crazy Days" is generally used to refer to sidewalk sales in the Midwest.
Above the courthouse door is a Latin quote: "The road of justice is paved by truth".
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.
Sheriff's car is equipped with curb feelers. 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 their 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 Radiator Springs comeback scene.
Just as Lightning McQueen is about to give a promotional speech in the Rust-eze tent, there is a moment of silence and then someone shouts: "Free Bird!" This is a reference to Lynyrd Skynyrd's song "Free Bird". As a popular cliché, these words are said to be frequently shouted at music programs.
Guido speaks three English words throughout the entire film: "okay" and "pit stop" (although he pronounces the latter as "peet stop").
Luigi's Italian voice actor 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.
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 freeway's seating area and interior architecture closely resemble the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, and the track layout is reminiscent of the California Speedway in Fontana.
It is the sixth highest-grossing film of 2006, as well as the second highest-grossing animated film of 2006 and the tenth highest-grossing film in the Disney canon.
Although car number 43 is a clear reference to Richard Petty, and despite Petty using the nickname "The King" and Petty providing the voice, the name given to the car character is actually "Strip Weathers". It is used only once, in the film's opening scenes, while the television commentators ("Bob Cutlass" and "Darrell Cartrip") discuss the three-way tie heading into the season's final race.
Fillmore (George Carlin) is a version of Al Sleet, the hippie weatherman, a popular sketch Carlin performed in the 1960s and 1970s.
When Mater and Lightning McQueen tip over the cow tractors, the tractors make an electronic "Moo!" sound when turned upside down. The electronic "Moo!" is taken from Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow, a Kenner toy introduced in 1978. Milky the Marvelous Milking Cow would raise its head and make an electronic "Moo!" sound when you moved its tail like a pump handle.
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.
It is the first Pixar film to use the technique called "ray tracing", which simulates the properties of light rays interacting with objects, materials and colors. This does things like provide more realistic reflections and add a more realistic sheen to transparent materials such as car paint.
Fillmore takes its name from the famous Fillmore Auditorium, or Fillmore West, a music venue that was quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a focal point of music and art for the counterculture or "hippie" movement.
The center of Radiator Springs is located in Seligman, Arizona.
This film draws many parallels to Doc Hollywood (1991). A young talented person needs to be in a different city for an important event. On the way 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.
Sarge's license plate is "41WW2", a reference to World War II in 1941.
The fictional track, the Southern Motor Speedway (S. M. S.), is based on Bristol Motor Speedway, where NASCAR held races for its first series.
The plants seen in the background always have car-like features: tree bark patterns have car shapes, leaves have patterns resembling tire treads or a Volkswagen logo in their veins, and flowers resemble different car parts.
Doc Hudson's features were based on Paul Newman's features.
Animators used design and lighting software very similar to what automotive designers use to create the cars.
More than a hundred unique car characters were created for the film and for merchandising.
Chick Hicks's car number is 86. 86 is slang used to get rid of someone by force; that is what car number 86 does when he cheats on the track. 86 is also a nod to the year Luxo Jr. (1986), the first short film made under the Pixar name, was released.
Lizzie looks like a Ford Model T, which were called "Tin Lizzies" when first produced.
In the scenes 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.
The hill in Radiator Springs (with the white RS letters representing Radiator Springs) resembles the top of a radiator with a cap.
The film was conceived in 1999. It was initially to be called "The Little Yellow Car" and would have been 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, when Pixar wanted to work on Toy Story 2 (1999), the project was abandoned.
When John Lasseter began production on Cars 2 (2011), Doc Hudson had already died, and Doc's death was for him a nod to the passing of actor Paul Newman.
The walking robots McQueen attacks in his first dream scene are actually car spark plugs on legs.
Michael Jordan was the inspiration for Lightning McQueen.
The rock formations surrounding Radiator Springs, shaped over the years as recognizable hood ornaments, are labeled "Ornament Valley" on the road map. This is a reference to "Monument Valley," a large area of great natural rock formations spanning Arizona and Utah, although it is not actually near Route 66.
The "Dinoco" racing team was first seen in Toy Story (1995) as the brand of the gas station where Woody and Buzz's famous encounter takes place. Dinoco is a blend of the brands of two old service station chains: Conoco (Continental Oil Company) and Sinclair; the latter uses a dinosaur for a logo representing the origins of oil.
The model for Ramone's shop is a real old-time Conoco Service Station in Shamrock, Texas, on old Route 66.
In the opening race scene, animators added pieces of rubber coming off the cars as the tires wore down.
Its premiere was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
With Joe Ranft's death in a car accident on August 16, 2005, at the age of 45, this film, along with The Incredibles (2004), became one of only two Pixar films in which he voiced more than one character at the same time. 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.
In the first drafts, in the scene where Sally takes Lightning McQueen up into the hills to examine the effects of Interstate 40 on Route 66, Doc Hudson told the story of Radiator Springs' fate.
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 US.
Bob Costas's portrayal and voice work were unusual, as NASCAR and auto racing were not an activity he was associated with or had ever sought out. In addition, Costas's work had primarily been with NBC Sports, a direct rival of ABC Sports and its parent company Disney's ESPN.
Lightning McQueen is a nod to director Glenn McQueen, who died in 2002.
In the first race, when McQueen uses a car as a ramp, he sticks out his tongue in a nod to Michael Jordan, who stuck out his tongue while dunking, and spins his tire in a circle.
WILHELM Scream: Used by one of the cars in McQueen's dream scene.
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.
In the teaser trailer, there is a sign reading "CDA 2319" on the side of race car number 57. This is a nod to the CDA of Monsters, Inc. (2001), and one of the monsters in that film often shouted "2319."
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."
During the final race, Mater says "Git-R-Done," Larry's most famous line. "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there," which he says in the tractor-tipping scene, is another of Larry's famous lines.
The first Pixar film rated G since Finding Nemo (2003).
Owen Wilson voices a character in a theatrically released film for the first time. He went on to reprise the role of Lightning McQueen in both sequels to this film, and also voiced Coach Skip the Opossum, the lead character in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Marmaduke (2010), Reggie the Turkey in Free Birds (2013), Ricky The Dragon in The Hero of Color City (2014), and Wonderdog Charlie (2025).
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.
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.
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 the MSS is based).
The code name used during production of this film was "Surgery".
This is John Lasseter's first directing work since Toy Story 2 (1999).
The voices of Rust-eze owners Dusty and Rusty were provided by the real-life brothers Ray Magliozzi (Dusty) and Tom Magliozzi (Rusty), 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 delivers the line "Don't drive like my brother", the sign-off slogan of their radio program. Although Tom Magliozzi passed away in 2014, both brothers are considered to have reprised their roles in Cars 3 (2017).
The famous Pizza Planet Truck from Toy Story (1995) actually has a name in this film. His name is Todd.
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".
This is the only film in the franchise in which Red has dialogue. Red's later appearances could not replace the late Joe Ranft, which left him without any dialogue.
Apple products exist in the Cars universe. Because 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, and also in Cars 2 (2011) Finn McMissile (Sir Michael Caine) says that Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer) designs iPhone applications, and in Cars 3 (2017), Lightning (Owen Wilson) says "does it have a phone?" referring to iPhones, and the Apple car in this film takes part in the opening race, and when the next generations arrive, a new-generation Apple racer appears.
The first Pixar film made after John Lasseter was appointed Creative Director of both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar.
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.
The second film in which Bonnie Hunt has a song, "Life Is a Highway" being the first, in Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).
McQueen's purchase of night-vision goggles from Sarge's military surplus store stems from his not having real headlights ("They're just stickers!"), which allows our hero to travel safely on dark roads and in other areas far from well-lit racetracks.
The Italian name for "Tire" is "gomma" (rubber), and there are in fact numerous tire shops in Italy called "Casa della gomma" (house of rubber).
This film marks Doc Hudson's only present-day appearance in the film series. He appears in flashbacks in Cars 3 (2017), using unused footage recycled from Paul Newman's original performance.
Once the town is rejuvenated, the cars cruise down the main street. In the days before cable TV, shopping malls and the internet, a popular social activity for young people was cruising slowly down the main street (such streets were often called "the drag"). This was the main theme of American Graffiti (1973). By the 1970s, and with the emergence of custom lowriders, most of them equipped with hydraulic lifts, this activity was revived among the Latino community and is personified in this film by the Latino car character who has by far the coolest ride. It inspired War's 1975 hit song Low Rider.
One of the race cars has a picture of the Jackalope from Boundin' (2003). The model and style of the car in this film were used for Stanley, the car who founded Radiator Springs and is honored there with a statue.
The third Pixar film to be shot in the 2.35:1 format, after A Bug's Life (1998) and The Incredibles (2004).
When Michael Schumacher's Ferrari stops at Guido and Luigi's tire shop at the end of the film, there are two other cars beside it, both Maseratis. Maserati is another famous Italian car brand with a history that rivals Ferrari's.
This is George Carlin's second involvement with anthropomorphic-vehicle media, after he narrated the first four seasons of the US version of Thomas & Friends (1983).
As Frank chases after 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.
This is Michael Keaton's first voice role in a fully animated feature film.
In the credits, Mia and Tia are seen working at Flo's.
The scene in which Lightning McQueen rides in Mack and the song "Life is a Highway," performed by Tom Cochrane and Rascal Flatts, plays, takes place on Interstate 40 through New Mexico and Arizona.
The snowman from Knick Knack (1989) appears in the snow globe Lizzie shows McQueen.
In the DVD's Bonus Features section, the background graphics are postcards from Route 66. The icon that returns to the main menu uses the Canada Post logo.
John Lasseter is the son of a parts manager.
The tires of all the race cars bear the word "Lightyear," a reference to the company Goodyear and also to Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story film series. The tires also read "Sector 4 Gamma Quadrant," Buzz's home, which is barely visible.
This is the last film featuring a character voiced by Joe Ranft. He died on August 16, 2005.
During the Route 66 song, each time the lyrics "Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino" are 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 in her curio shop, and the second time, with John Mayer's version, Fred shows them from the right, the rear and the left at the end of the title sequence.
In the Peterbilt scene, the designs on his trailer were designed by John Lasseter's sons.
The character "Fillmore" was once going to be named "Waldmire," after self-proclaimed hippie artist Bob Waldmire, 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, preferred not to have his name attached to a character that would become a Happy Meal toy.
The character Sally Carrera was inspired by Dawn Welch, owner of the Rock Café in Stroud, Oklahoma. Lasseter and his team met Welch on one of their trips along Route 66, and the Rock Café has many souvenirs celebrating the film's success.
This is the last Pixar film to carry the credit "Created and Produced at Pixar Animation Studios Emeryville, California" until The Good Dinosaur (2015).
The voice of the security guard who shouts "Hey, no cameras" during the instant replay after the first race. This voice actor also voiced the camera cameo and Chick Hicks.
One of the cars that puts Mack to sleep had the license plate "WINGO" and green shades on its windshield. Its spoiler even somewhat resembles Dale Gribble's hat. "Wingo" was Dale's catchphrase in the FOX animated series King of the Hill (1997).
The Castilian Spanish dub featured cameo voice roles by 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.
This is the first Pixar film since Monsters, Inc. (2001) to win this award without being nominated in the Best Animated Feature category. Both were nominated for Best Original Song, but while Monsters, Inc. (2001) won, this film lost to An Inconvenient Truth (2006).
As of 2022, this is Pixar's most recent original film composed by Randy Newman.
Fillmore Bus's name, besides being taken from the famous San Francisco venue (and former US president), is also a nod to his always inviting other vehicles to "fill up" on organic fuel.
In the German dub, Fillmore is called "Bully," because the VW Bus he is depicted as is called the VW Bully in Germany.
This is the only film in the series in which Jeff Gorvette does not appear.
This is the only Cars film to use the classic Walt Disney Pictures logo in the Pixar style.
In an interview, Mater's voice actor Larry the Cable Guy admitted that he started crying when he learned he had landed the role of Mater.
Dinoco (the sponsor of the race car King and the sponsor Lightning McQueen wants to win) also appears in Toy Story (1995). When Andy and his mother fill up at a gas station on their way to Pizza Planet, they get their fuel from a station called Dinoco.
Owen Wilson had previously been cast in Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, until the film's production was overhauled and John Goodman replaced him.
It is the first and, so far, only Pixar film to use profanity until Incredibles 2 (2018), and also the only G-rated Pixar film to do so. This does not include Toy Story (1995), which used "son of a building block"; that is actually a pun also said for Toy Story 3 (2010), where the same term is "ascot".
Luigi's remark that he would not be so upset if the faulty tractor ate snow tires instead of radials is a humorous nod to the fact that snow is rare in the dry, hot Route 66 region, and therefore there would probably be very little market for snow tires there.
Blu-ray 3D is the last Pixar Animation Studios film to have an IATSE credit.
The only film in the series to be released on VHS.
The only Pixar film of the 2000s with no humans in it.
The only Pixar film to be released in June before Disney acquired the company.
When Lizzie puts a bumper sticker on the back of the Van. The bumper sticker says "Butte". This sticker is a reference to the checked baggage tag on Buzz's butt in Toy Story 2 (1999), on which Buzz's butt says "Butte".
In the teaser trailer, while all the cars are racing, the red car with the number 57 is pushed by a green race car. On its side you can see the logos of Toy Story 2 (1999) and A Bug's Life (1998).
Along with Finding Nemo (2003), this film is the only Pixar feature produced before Walt Disney Pictures bought/acquired the studio in January 2006 and released in November.
In the scene where McQueen pulls Bessie after hitting the cactus for the second time, he flinches when Guido starts repairing the slow leak in his rear tire. If you watch carefully, you will see Guido make a cheeky gesture with his eyes.
Rascal Flatts is the first country group to release a Disney soundtrack.
The original idea was about an electric car living in a gas-consuming world.
After the first race at the beginning of the film, Chick Hicks taunts McQueen that the race went quite well because of Chick Hicks. If you listen closely to one of the crew chiefs (while they are all laughing), he says the famous "yell" marketing tag heard at the end of all Sega Genesis television commercials in the late '80s.
Fred, the rusty old car who appears in the race scenes and the end credits sequence, was voiced by Pixar writer and director Andrew Stanton. Stanton was the co-director of A Bug's Life (1998) and the main director of Finding Nemo (2003), WALL-E (2008) and Finding Dory (2016).
One of racer Claude Scruggs's Piston Cup sponsors is "Leak Less", the trademark for drip pans used to prevent oil leaks.
It is dedicated to Joe Ranft (1960-2005).
Tractor tipping is a reference to the rural legend of cow tipping, the supposed activity in which a group of men sneak up and push over a sleeping cow. Complete nonsense, but the legend persists.
This is the last Pixar film whose release year, according to the Roman numerals in the copyright holder of the end credits, is its release year.
RadioAlice's (the local favorite radio station) morning show team voices several supporting characters in the film (such as Kori Turbowitz, Not Chuck, Traffic Copter and Reporter #9).
During the final race in California, the flamingos, trees and pool from Knick Knack (1989) can be seen in front of one of the trailers.
The first Pixar film since A Bug's Life (1998) without the Luxo Jr. Ball or the Luxo Jr. Lamp.
Mater's license plate is a reference to Pixar. First, his license plate says "A113", and on the upper part of his plate it says "Feb" on the left side and "86" on the right side. This is a reference to when Pixar started in February 1986. The classroom numbers at Cal Arts were A113.
Bob Peterson was considered to voice Chick Hicks, a role he took over in Cars 3 (2017).
When Flo's Cafe catches fire, the spark plugs fire in the ignition order of a Chevy small-block V8.
The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2007 Oscars (along with Monster House). Unfortunately, both lost to Happy Feet. However, Cars won the first Golden Globe award in the Best Animated Feature category.
Keith Ferguson was considered for the role of Lightning McQueen but only voiced the character in deleted scenes. He would later voice the character in other projects.
According to the Car Finder bonus feature, Todd Marcus chose 123 as his number because it was easy to remember. This is a reference to NASCAR legend J. D. McDuffie, who chose the number 70 for the same reason.
From the producers of Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004).
According to the deleted Chick Hicks YouTube video by 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.
In 2013, the 3D Blu-ray Disc is the only Cars series release with an IATSE credit.
The only film in the series in which Mack does not call McQueen "boss".
The last Pixar film directed by John Lasseter to be scored by Randy Newman.
Pixar's last original film to be directed by John Lasseter.
The second Pixar series after Toy Story (1995) to have more than one sequel.
At Sally's Cozy Cone Motel, Sally has a cactus shaped like a car.
The film contains three Emeryville Easter eggs. The first is on a car's license plate. The plate reads "EVILLE," an abbreviation of Emeryville. The second is at the final race in California. In California there is a sign reading "City Of Emeryville," and the third and final Emeryville Easter egg is in the scene in California where jets fly overhead. As the jets fly, the real city of Emeryville, where Pixar Animation Studios is visible, can be seen beneath them.
To help promote Cars (2006), Pixar made a commercial for State Farm Insurance featuring the main character "Lightning McQueen." They did the same for Cars 2 (2011), but this time they had Mater sing the first 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 the same name as State Farm's CEO Ed Rust: Sally.
Piston Cup commentators Bob Cutlass and Darrell Cartrip are based on, and voiced by, the real sports commentators Bob Costas and Darrell Waltrip, respectively, whose names were "vehiclized" to create the corresponding characters (Cutlass is an Oldsmobile model).
The combine harvester bull Frank is the only character not featured on the film's poster.
The epilogue sequence shown in a small window during the end credits also appears on the DVD as a full-screen bonus.
Chris Pratt was considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
Each of the Rust-eze 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 also voice the sponsors.
"Ornament Valley" is an obvious parody of the "Monument Valley" region on the Arizona/Utah border in the American Southwest; that region has a similar "breathtakingly-lovely badlands" landscape (semi-desert and high plateaus) with brilliant earth tones and the strange shapes of weather-eroded plains.
It is the fourth computer-animated film shot in the 2.35:1 ratio, after A Bug's Life (1998), The Polar Express (2004) and The Incredibles (2004).
Doc was the first rookie to win the Piston Cup, which is not addressed in the film.
Lightning McQueen's character development was based entirely on John Lasseter's own personal life, which he had failed to pay attention to. It was then, during his cross-country journey, that he learned the journey of life as a 'reward' and decided to include it in the film.
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.
The only Cars film to contain profanity.
Lightning's racing sponsor Rust-eze is Medicated Bumper Ointment: New Rear End Formula, a treatment for one's rear end.
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 probably also has a secondary meaning tied to the film's racing double-entendre theme, since it refers to Hendrick Motorsports, the legendary NASCAR team founded and owned by the Hendrick Family (and thus Hendrick), and more specifically to 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.
At the truck stop, the following is advertised: "Convertible Waitresses," meaning the waitresses are "topless."
"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 one last stretch, it mirrors Petty's famous crash at the Rebel 400. In this case, however, "The King" ends up on his right side, whereas Petty's crash left him upside down.
This is the first time a Pixar film was released in the same year as a computer-animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios; this year's case is its release in the same year as The Wild (2006) (which also features Richard Kind); this happened with every subsequent Pixar film, except for Up (2009) and this film's sequel Cars 2 (2011), both of which were released in the same year as the film. This continued with Walt Disney Animation Studios' last two hand-drawn animated films, The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Winnie the Pooh (2011), up until Strange World (2022).
A scene cut from Cars shows McQueen losing his engine in a nightmare during the race.
The only film in the series not to come out in the same year as an Illumination Entertainment film.
Scenes from the film were used in a road safety commercial broadcast on US television in 2008. Oddly, the final shot in the commercial was flipped, so that the "Lightyear" text on The King's tires appears 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.
Lightning McQueen's name comes from Pixar employee Glenn McQueen and from actor Steve McQueen, an avid racing fan and driver.
Lou Romano's shortest role. He only sneezed three times and said: "You going on vacation?"
The eighth computer-animated feature film with no humans in it, after 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).
Harv's sarcastic reference to the town where McQueen is stuck as "Radiation Stinks" is in fact a humorous and respectful nod to the "no nukes" hippie counterculture that Fillmore represents.
The film features a song called "Our Town" performed by James Taylor. Paul Newman (Doc Hudson) starred in the film Our Town (2003).
Owen Wilson had previously appeared in another Disney animated film, Kingdom of the Sun; that film was ultimately scrapped and reworked into The Emperor's New Groove (2000), and Wilson was replaced by John Goodman.
Luke Wilson and Dane Cook were considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
Michael J. Fox was considered to voice Lightning McQueen.
Larry the Cable Guy reprised the role of Mater in the tie-in video game Cars: The Video Game (2006).
In the championship race, Strip "The King" Weathers (Richard Petty) becomes the victim of a devastating crash after being launched into the air and tumbling down the middle of the field. The way the sequence is recreated is a clear reference to Rusty Wallace's distinctive crash during the 1993 Winston Cup race at Talladega (both the 'Piston Cup' and the final racetrack are also a nod to it). From the aerodynamic effect of the car lifting and flipping in the air to the angle of the "camera" pan across the field during the collision, it is an almost frame-by-frame recreation of the real-life crash.
As a Disney Club exclusive film, this is the last fully animated film to be released on VHS (and the last fully CGI film overall and the only film of 2006 overall). It is also the last major Hollywood film to be released on VHS.
The second Pixar film to have a post-credits scene, after Finding Nemo (2003).
The only film in the series not to feature Lloyd Sherr, who replaced George Carlin as the voice of Fillmore.
Michael Wallis's first film.
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).
The first Pixar film made after Bradford Lewis was hired; both Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004) included him, but both had gone into production before Pixar hired him.
The original name planned for "Ramones house of body art" was "Ramone Impalas".
The only film in the series not to come out in the same year as an Illumination Entertainment film, because the aforementioned company was founded in 2007, a year after the film's release.
The on-screen race graphics introducing The King, Chick Hicks and Lightning McQueen flag every car except Chick. This is a likely indication of the fact that Chick is a bit of a loser.
The gas pumps at the Wheel Well Motel are painted red and blue, just like Sally and Lightning; as if the motel had "personalized" gas pumps "just for him and her", this makes the place Sally takes Lightning to even more special in terms of a "romantic couple".
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).
When everyone learns that McQueen is missing, famous talk show host Jay Leno appears as his own caricature, Jay Limo.
Studio Trademark - (Personal Growth) Pixar's films have a recurring personal growth motif. In this film, Lightning McQueen is arrogant and believes that winning is the only thing. In the end he realizes it isn't, and even helps another race car cross the finish line at the Piston Cup, despite it costing him the race.
Cheech Marin's third theatrical animated Disney film, after Oliver & Company (1988) and The Lion King (1994).
Near the end of the film, the 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.
This is the second Pixar film with no humans in it, after A Bug's Life (1998).
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 subsequently left Pixar and Disney Animation in late 2018. This marks the last directing collaboration between Lasseter and Newman on a Pixar feature film.
Cheech Marin (Ramone) and Tony Shalhoub (Luigi) appeared in Spy Kids (2001) and some of its sequels.
The Twins opening their "eyelid" headlights is a visual pun in several ways: (1) By briefly revealing their illuminated headlights, they "flash" McQueen. (2) "The Twins" is a jokey term used for a woman's breasts. (3) "Headlights" is also a term used jokingly for the same thing; "high beams" refers to larger-sized "endowments".
A deleted scene shows The King shouting in the Cars epilogue: "I found this map, you know you guys are on the map?"
The new paint job includes a lightning bolt, a clear nod to ZZ Top, for whom the classic 1950s "Eliminator" custom race car became a key symbol of the band's massive 1980s comeback.
The first Pixar project to feature the Wilhelm scream since A Bug's Life. Even if at a low volume.
The only Cars film in which the main character does not appear in disguise at any point.
During the first race, in the trailer park, one of the trailers is seen with a picture of the Jackalope from the Pixar short Boundin' (2003).
Sarah Clark's first film.
Look closely, and with the help of pareidolia, some of the mountains and plains are designed in the shapes of the front and rear of old cars.
While Mack looks at the Top Down Truck Stop, a car stops at the truck stop and distracts you, and you will miss the initials of previous Pixar films. Such as TS (1995) for Toy Story.
The only Cars film not released in the same year as a film in Paramount Pictures' live-action Transformers series; 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).
Doc Hudson's name is a pun on the actor Rock Hudson.
Despite its positive reception, it was noted that it has a plot similar to the 1991 Michael J. Fox film Doc Hollywood. For example, Ben Stone (Fox's character) is a hot-headed and arrogant doctor, while Lightning McQueen has the same attitudes but is a racer.
When Lightning tells Rusty and Dusty that he doesn't need headlights because the track is always lit, Rusty replies: "Yeah, well, so is my brother, but he still needs headlights!" This implies that he is a drunk driver. When Lightning leaves, Rusty and Dusty shout, "Don't drive like my brother!" This is another reference to drunk driving.
The only Cars film not released in the same year as Sony Animation's theatrically released 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).
The only Cars film not released in the same month as a DreamWorks Animation film. Cars 2 (2011) was released in the same month as Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011), and Cars 3 (2017) was released in the same month as Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017).
In the first race, a car appeared in a color between green and yellow (including the wheels) and people could not tell which racer it was, but it was later revealed to be Darren Leadfoot.
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.
An interesting coincidence regarding "Cadillac Range" or the mountains outside Radiator Springs: there is actually a high peak called "Cadillac Mountain" in Maine's Acadia National Park.
In the teaser trailer, the red race car pushed by the green race car has the number 57, a reference to the year writer and director John Lasseter was born, 1957.
Chris Rock was considered for the voice of Mater.
The 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."
Gray DeLisle and Tara Strong were considered for the voices of Tia and Mia.
This means that, since https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371606/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk was released in 2005 and Meet the Robinsons (2007) was released in 2007, it is the first time a Pixar film has been released in a year without a Walt Disney Animation Studios feature film.
Near the end of the film, a Ferrari and two Maseratis pull up next to Luigi to get tires. Each car was in a color of the Italian flag.
Somehow the finished road looks wider than Bessie.
The Cal Arts classroom number "A113" appears in the film first on the sides of a train, and second on Mater's license plate.
In both the American and British versions of the film, the actor who voices Harv is, respectively, Jeremy --- Jeremy Piven and Jeremy Clarkson.
Tony Shalhoub is of Lebanese descent, despite playing an Italian character.
Lightning McQueen's tires are not the Goodyear brand but the Lightyear brand. This is a reference to the character Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series.
George Carlin's second Disney film after Tarzan 2: The Legend Begins (2005), and also the only Disney film of his released in theaters.
If you listen after Lightning kicks the can of oil, you will hear a loud crash in Doc's garage. When he is finished, nothing is out of place or disturbed.
The Southern Motor Sports Race Track, where the beginning of the film takes place, is set in Nashville, TN.
In the scene where Guido and Luigi repaint Casa Della Tires, the number 32 is visible on the windows as Guido cleans them.
The Pizza Planet Truck wasn't only at the final race in California; when Mack is driving Lightning to California and is about to get on the highway, if you don't let your attention wander, you'll see the Pizza Planet Truck pulling up to a Dinoco gas station. However, it apparently wasn't the same gas station as the one in Toy Story (1995), because it didn't 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.
The only Cars film not released in the 2010s.
Piston Cup announcers Darrell Waltrip (Darrell Cartrip) and Bob Costas (Bob Cutlass) voice their characters based on themselves.
John Cygan's second animated film of 2006, after The Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), in which Jay Leno also appeared.
The leaning tower of tires outside Luigi's tire shop is a reference to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
The only film in the Cars series 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).
Friedrich Schoenfelder had worked in dubbing since 1954 and voiced international actors in more than 400 films.
The only Cars film not released in the same year as a direct-to-video sequel to S. W. A. T. (2003); 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).
There are 2 things most people don't 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 its place or in place. Second, Mater pulls the 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 doesn't lean at all.
Steven Tyler was considered for the voice of Mater.
The rock formations surrounding Radiator Springs, shaped over the years as recognizable hood ornaments, are labeled "Ornament Valley" on the road map. Although it isn't actually near Route 66, this is a reference to Monument Valley, a large area of great natural rock formations spanning Arizona and Utah.
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.
Finn McMissile was originally planned to appear in this film in a deleted scene in the movie theater where McQueen and Sally go for a drive. The scene would have taken place around the scene where McQueen cruises the town at night before leaving the town.
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.
The "flowers" that Red waters around the founding statue, continuing the continuity of the car and everything in the cars, are the lead-style and concave taillights used on Chrysler and Chevy cars in the '50s and '60s.
This film, along with A Bug's Life (1998) and The Incredibles (2004), are the only Pixar films produced in the following 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio: * To be released on VHS. * To be released before Pixar's acquisition by The Walt Disney Company. * With Joe Ranft's involvement during the making of this film before his death in August 2005.
Mater having only one headlight is a humorous reference to him being both a normal road vehicle (with headlights) and a race car (without headlights).
Friedrich Schoenfelder's full name is Friedrich Wilhelm Schoenfelder.
At the beginning of the Life Is a Highway sequence, if you look carefully at the highway area on the right, the Dinoco gas station from Toy Story (1995) can be seen.
Edie McClurg and Richard Kind's first Pixar film after A Bug's Life.
Inside Lightning's Comfort Cone, where he stays, a cone-shaped image of the Eiffel Tower can be seen as a reference to Pixar's next film, Ratatouille.
The beginning of the promotional trailer implied that Pixar would release a sequel to A Bug's Life; the music in the opening scene and a wasp collecting pollen from a flower before encountering Mater.
One of the trucks at the truck stop had the initials "OMB," probably meaning "One More Bug." It implied that Pixar was considering making a sequel to A Bug's Life at that time but it was never realized. Or it could actually represent Pixar's short film "One Man Band," which was attached theatrically to Cars.
In June 2026, a very early version of the final race in the American Car draft was posted on Instagram by storyboard artist Matthew Luhn. In the first version, Lightning McQueen was repainted and changed, the main antagonist was McQueen's backup racer Carl, and the King literally gave McQueen his number because he helped him finish his last race.
It was released 10 years after The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and 20 years after The Great Mouse Detective (1986).