Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire inspired Pixar’s Volkswagen-based character Fillmore in the 2006 film Cars.
Waldmire was an artist and cartographer known for whimsical maps and illustrations of Route 66. His work promoted the highway’s landscapes, businesses, roadside structures, and local history, helping preserve the road’s visual identity during its revival as a heritage and tourism route.
His orange 1972 Volkswagen Microbus became the model for Fillmore, the organic-fuel-loving vehicle in Cars. Pixar had considered naming the character “Waldmire,” but the name was not used because Waldmire did not agree to Disney merchandising arrangements.
Waldmire was also closely associated with Springfield, Illinois’s Cozy Dog Drive In, founded by his father, Ed Waldmire, and Don Strand. He reopened Arizona’s Hackberry General Store as a Route 66 tourism stop in 1992. His connection to both Route 66 art and distinctive vehicles explains why Fillmore is often cited as one of the film’s real-world road-culture references.