Pixar’s Cars premiered in cinemas in 2006.
The film was Pixar’s seventh feature-length computer-animated movie and was directed by John Lasseter, who had previously directed Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. It follows Lightning McQueen, a rookie race car who becomes stranded in Radiator Springs while traveling to the final race of the Piston Cup season.
Cars debuted at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on May 26, 2006, before its wider theatrical release in the United States on June 9, 2006. It became one of Pixar’s major merchandising successes and introduced characters who returned in later films and short-form projects.
The year is sometimes confused with 2005 because Pixar released The Incredibles in that year. Cars was followed by Cars 2 in 2011 and Cars 3 in 2017.