Cars was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2007 Academy Awards after its 2006 release.
The nomination recognized Pixar’s feature about Lightning McQueen, Radiator Springs, and the fictional Piston Cup. Cars competed in the category alongside Happy Feet and Monster House. Happy Feet won the award at that ceremony.
Cars also received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, for “Our Town,” and Best Achievement in Sound Editing. Randy Newman wrote the nominated song, which reflects the film’s themes of memory, community, and changing times.
The nomination is sometimes mixed up with later Pixar awards. Cars 2 was not nominated for Best Animated Feature, while Cars 3 was released years later. The 2007 ceremony therefore belongs specifically to the first Cars film and its 2006 theatrical release.