Cars became the first recipient of the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature.
The award was presented at the 64th Golden Globe Awards in January 2007, honoring films released during 2006. Cars competed in the newly established animated-film category and won over fellow nominees including Monster House and The Ant Bully.
This recognition marked an important moment for animation at the Golden Globes because the category had not existed in earlier ceremonies. Cars was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, although it did not win that Oscar; the award went to Happy Feet.
Later Pixar winners in the Golden Globe category include Ratatouille, WALL-E, and Up. Those films cannot be the answer to a question about the category’s first recipient, even though they also received major awards and are often discussed alongside Cars in Pixar’s award history.