To whom is Pixar’s Cars dedicated in its end credits?

Pixar’s Cars is dedicated to Joe Ranft.

Ranft was a Pixar story artist, screenwriter, and creative leader who worked on many of the studio’s early films. He served as co-director of Cars alongside John Lasseter and also voiced the character Red, the quiet fire truck in Radiator Springs. His contributions connected the film’s story development, direction, and voice cast.

Ranft died in a car accident in August 2005, before Cars was released. The film’s dedication honors him and recognizes his importance to Pixar’s creative history. Cars premiered the following year, in 2006.

The dedication is sometimes confused with the film’s famous voice actors. Paul Newman voiced Doc Hudson, and George Carlin voiced Fillmore, but neither was the person honored by the dedication. Walt Disney also was not the specific dedicatee for Cars.