Cars was Pixar’s first feature film set in the world of talking cars. Released in 2006, it follows rookie racer Lightning McQueen after he becomes stranded in the small town of Radiator Springs.
The film was Pixar’s seventh feature and was directed by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, and Dan Fogelman. Its story combines stock-car racing with a quieter journey through a disappearing Route 66 community. The film introduced major characters including Mater, Sally Carrera, Doc Hudson, and Ramone.
Cars 2 followed in 2011 with a spy-adventure structure, while Cars 3 arrived in 2017 and returned to a more racing-focused story. Planes belongs to a related DisneyToon Studios franchise and is not a Pixar Cars feature. The first Cars film also established the fictional Piston Cup and the broader vehicle society used by later stories.