Pixar’s Cars was released in 2006.
Cars premiered at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on May 26, 2006, before its wide theatrical release in the United States on June 9. It was Pixar’s seventh feature film and followed The Incredibles.
The story centers on Lightning McQueen, a rookie race car who becomes stranded in the small desert town of Radiator Springs. The film was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft and Dan Scanlon. Its setting and characters were influenced by Route 66 and American road-trip culture.
Cars was a major commercial success and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. It later became the first Pixar film to receive a direct-to-video sequel, Cars 2, which was released in 2011.