Route 66 inspired the setting and road-trip story of Pixar's Cars.
The film's fictional Radiator Springs lies along a forgotten stretch of road in the American Southwest. Lightning McQueen reaches the town after accidentally damaging the local road and being ordered to repair it. The journey changes his priorities and introduces him to the town's residents.
Pixar filmmakers researched Route 66 during the movie's development. The real highway once connected Chicago and Santa Monica, California, and became famous through migration, tourism, music, and popular culture. Much of the original route was bypassed after the Interstate Highway System expanded.
Radiator Springs is fictional, so it is not a real Route 66 town. Its landmarks combine features associated with several real communities and roadside attractions. This is why the film is often described as inspired by Route 66 rather than based on one exact location.