When was Pixar's Cars first released in U.S. theaters?

Pixar's Cars was first released in U.S. theaters on June 9, 2006.

The film was Pixar Animation Studios' seventh feature film and followed The Incredibles, which had been released in 2004. John Lasseter directed Cars, sharing directing credit with Joe Ranft and Dan Scanlon. The story follows Lightning McQueen, a rookie race car who becomes stranded in Radiator Springs while traveling to the Piston Cup finale.

Cars premiered at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on May 26, 2006, before its wider theatrical release. Its setting and road-trip story drew heavily on historic U.S. Route 66 and small-town America.

The film is sometimes confused with the release dates of Cars 2 and Cars 3. Cars 2 arrived in 2011, while Cars 3 was released in 2017. Cars also became Pixar's first film to receive a sequel and a theatrical spin-off, Planes, produced by DisneyToon Studios.