Pixar's first Cars film, released in 2006, was Cars. The animated feature follows rookie race car Lightning McQueen after he becomes stranded in Radiator Springs while traveling to a championship race.
Cars was directed by John Lasseter and Joe Ranft, with Lasseter also receiving a directing credit. It was Pixar's seventh feature film and continued the studio's practice of building stories around nonhuman characters with strongly defined personalities.
The film introduced the major locations, racers, and relationships used throughout the series. Cars 2 followed in 2011, and Cars 3 arrived in 2017. The original film also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.