Route 66 inspires the setting of Radiator Springs in Pixar’s Cars.
The original film presents Radiator Springs as a once-busy roadside town bypassed by a newer interstate. That story reflects the cultural history of U.S. Route 66, the famous highway linking Chicago and Santa Monica from 1926 until its decommissioning in 1985.
Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 during development and drew on its diners, motels, signs, desert landscapes, and small towns. The fictional Ornament Valley and Radiator Springs are not an exact copy of one location; they combine features from several places along the historic road.
Route 66 is often called the Mother Road. It became a symbol of migration, road travel, and roadside commerce, especially through popular culture. In Cars, its decline gives the characters a setting where older communities and forgotten landmarks can be rediscovered.