The Pixar feature that introduced Lightning McQueen is Cars.
Cars premiered in 2006 and follows Lightning, an ambitious rookie race car who becomes stranded near Radiator Springs after damaging the town's road. The community forces him to repair the road before leaving, and his relationships with Doc Hudson, Sally Carrera, Mater, and the other residents change his priorities.
Lightning returns in Cars 2 and Cars 3, but those films build on his established identity rather than introducing him. Cars 2 places him in the World Grand Prix and a spy plot centered on Mater. Cars 3 focuses on his response to younger, technologically advanced racers such as Jackson Storm.
The film was directed by John Lasseter and became Pixar's first feature centered on anthropomorphic vehicles. Lightning's original design and number 95 have remained consistent across the main trilogy.