Cars was Pixar’s first feature film to use a completely vehicle-based cast.
Every speaking character in Cars is presented as an anthropomorphic vehicle, from race cars and tow trucks to tractors, delivery vans, and forklifts. The film’s world does not show human characters as part of its ordinary society. This distinctive premise separates Cars from earlier Pixar films such as Toy Story, which centers on toys living among humans, and The Incredibles, which features a human superhero family.
Cars 2 and Cars 3 continued the vehicle-centered world, but they were sequels rather than the original breakthrough. The concept also required Pixar artists to design expressive eyes, mouths, body language, and movement while preserving recognizable automotive shapes. That visual approach became one of the franchise’s defining features.