Route 66 inspires the setting and journey through Radiator Springs in Pixar's Cars.
The historic U.S. Route 66 once connected Chicago and Santa Monica, crossing several states and becoming famous for roadside businesses, motels, service stations, and unusual attractions. The film uses that cultural history to portray Radiator Springs as a once-busy town bypassed by a newer interstate highway.
Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 during development, traveling the road and meeting people who preserved its history. Several locations and visual details in the movie reflect real roadside landmarks and communities. The story's central conflict therefore connects personal renewal with the decline of older American highways.
Route 66 is often called the Mother Road, a nickname popularized by John Steinbeck's 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath. It was removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, but many stretches remain designated as historic routes.