Who was the principal director of Pixar's Cars?

John Lasseter was the principal director of Pixar's Cars. Lasseter co-directed the movie with Joe Ranft and Jorgen Klubien, although he is generally identified as its main director and creative leader.

Before Cars, Lasseter had directed Toy Story, A Bug's Life, and Toy Story 2, helping establish Pixar's feature-animation style. Cars drew on his interest in automobiles, road travel, and classic American roadside culture. The film's fictional world is populated by vehicles rather than human characters, and its setting incorporates visual ideas associated with Route 66.

Joe Ranft was an important Pixar story artist and co-director who worked closely with Lasseter, but he died in a traffic accident in August 2005, before the film's release. Jorgen Klubien contributed as a writer and co-director during the production.

A common mix-up is naming the director of a later Pixar film, such as Brad Bird for The Incredibles or Pete Docter for Monsters, Inc. Cars belongs to Lasseter's early directing period at Pixar.