Cars was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The original Cars received a Best Animated Feature nomination at the 79th Academy Awards, honoring films released in 2006. It competed against Monster House and Happy Feet, with Happy Feet winning the award. Cars was also nominated for Best Original Song for “Our Town,” written by Randy Newman.
Cars 2 and Cars 3 were released after the Academy Awards ceremony that recognized the original film. Neither sequel received a Best Animated Feature nomination. This makes the first Cars feature the franchise’s sole nominee in that category through the trilogy.
The nomination is sometimes confused with the film’s other awards and with Pixar’s wider Oscar record. Cars did win major honors elsewhere, including the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. The Academy nomination recognized the film’s animation and storytelling, while its song nomination recognized a separate musical achievement.