“Our Town” by Randy Newman won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Pixar’s Cars.
The song plays during a reflective sequence showing Radiator Springs in its busier past and quieter present. Its lyrics emphasize memory, change, and the emotional connection people have with places, themes that mirror the film’s treatment of Route 66 towns.
Randy Newman wrote both the music and lyrics. He had already composed songs and scores for several Pixar productions, including Toy Story, and continued his long association with the studio.
Cars also features songs such as “Real Gone” and “Life Is a Highway,” but those did not win the Academy Award for the film. “Our Town” is the specific Oscar-winning song.