Ratatouille was the first Pixar feature film released after the original Cars in 2006.
Cars premiered in June 2006. Pixar's next feature was Ratatouille, released in 2007. The film follows Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a chef in Paris and secretly helps the young kitchen worker Alfredo Linguini prepare food.
Ratatouille was directed by Brad Bird, who had previously directed The Incredibles. Its story is unrelated to the Cars universe, making it a useful release-order fact rather than a plot connection between franchises.
Cars 2 did not arrive immediately after Cars; it was released in 2011. WALL-E followed Ratatouille in 2008, and Up arrived in 2009. Because Cars 2 is the direct sequel, some viewers incorrectly identify it as Pixar's next feature, but the studio released four other feature films before it.