Who directed Pixar's original Cars movie?

John Lasseter directed Pixar's original Cars movie.

Lasseter co-directed Toy Story and A Bug's Life before taking the lead creative role on Cars. The film was inspired partly by his interest in road trips and American automotive culture, especially the historic U.S. Route 66.

Cars was also among the last Pixar features associated with Joe Ranft, who served as a co-director and writer before his death in 2005. The completed film was dedicated to Ranft. Dan Fogelman also contributed to the screenplay.

Brad Bird, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter are all major Pixar directors, but they directed other films. Bird directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille; Stanton directed Finding Nemo and WALL-E; and Docter directed Monsters, Inc., Up, and Inside Out.