Pixar’s original Cars film was released in theaters in 2006.
Cars premiered in the United States on June 9, 2006. It was Pixar’s seventh feature film and followed The Incredibles, which had been released in 2004. The film was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft.
The story follows rookie race car Lightning McQueen, who becomes stranded in Radiator Springs while traveling to the Piston Cup finale. Its setting and themes were influenced by Route 66, American road culture, and the history of small roadside communities.
Cars was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. The franchise later continued with Cars 2 in 2011 and Cars 3 in 2017. The date is sometimes mixed up with Cars 2’s release year, but the original film arrived five years earlier.