Route 66 inspired the setting of Radiator Springs in Pixar's Cars.
The historic U.S. Route 66 ran from Chicago to Santa Monica and became strongly associated with American road trips, roadside businesses, and changing transportation patterns. In the film, Radiator Springs is a once-busy desert town bypassed by a new interstate highway.
That premise reflects the real decline experienced by many communities after sections of Route 66 were replaced or bypassed by faster interstate routes. Pixar artists and filmmakers researched the American Southwest and traveled along parts of the old highway while developing the film's environments.
Radiator Springs is fictional, but its landmarks and atmosphere draw on real Route 66 locations. The town should not be confused with an actual Arizona municipality: it is an invented setting assembled from several regional influences, including desert landscapes and roadside architecture.