Cars

Cars is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning animated feature film presented by Walt Disney Pictures, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Its release date was June 9, 2006 in the US, and July 28,2006 in the UK. This movie is the seventh Disney/Pixar feature film, and the final film under a contract with Disney created prior to the purchase of Pixar by Disney.

Directed by John Lasseter, who had directed other Pixar movies such as Toy Story and A Bug's Life, the film is set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphized cars and other vehicles, and features the voices of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, John Ratzenberger, George Carlin, and Larry the Cable Guy. Many of the voices of the racecars are real race car drivers. They include Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Michael Schumacher. Notable cameos also included Bob Costas as "Bob Cutlass", Jay Leno as "Jay Limo", and Tom and Ray Magliozzi (hosts of NPR's weekly Car Talk) as Rusty and Dusty Rust-Eze. The film was rated G by the MPAA. The film premiered on May 26, 2006 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Production
Unlike most anthropomorphic cars, the film's cars' eyes were placed on the windshield (which resembles the Tonka Talking Trucks, as well as the characters from Tex Avery's One Cab's Family short and Disney's own Susie the Little Blue Coupe), rather than within the headlamps. According to production designer Bob Pauley, “From the very beginning of this project, John Lasseter had it in his mind to have the eyes be in the windshield. For one thing, it separates our characters from the more common approach where you have little cartoon eyes in the headlights. For another, he thought that having the eyes down near the mouth at the front end of the car made the character feel more like a snake. With the eyes set in the windshield, the point of view is more human-like, and made it feel like the whole car could be involved in the animation of the character.” The characters also use their tires as hands, the exceptions being the various tow truck characters who sometimes uses their tow hooks, and the various forklift characters, who use their forks.

The original script (which was called Yellow Car and about an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world) and some of the original drawings and characters were produced in 1998 and the producers agreed that Cars would be the next movie after A Bug's Life, and would be released in early 1999, particularly around June 4. However, that movie was scrapped and the production of Toy Story 2 took place. Later, production resumed with major script changes.

The race sequence in the teaser trailer was likely made before the other sequences, as the Piston Cup cars sport different body styles and paint jobs. The style of the race (aka Piston Cup) and some of the drivers and characters seem to be dated.

In 2001, the movie's working title was Route 66 (after U.S. Route 66), but in 2002, the title was changed to prevent people from thinking it was related to the 1960 television show with the same name. Also, Lightning McQueen's number was originally going to be 57 (Lasseter's birth year), but was changed to 95 (the year Toy Story was released), the number seen in the movie today.

 Cars was originally going to be released on November 4, 2005, but soon after the trailer's release in January 2005, the movie's release date was changed to June 9, 2006. The delay could be considered a good thing, because one of the most complex shots in the movie, where Sally drives herself in front of the waterfall, crashed Pixar's renderfarm. Chicken Little was instead released by Disney on November 4.

Cars is the last film worked on by Joe Ranft, who died in a car crash in 2005. The film was the second to be dedicated to his memory after Corpse Bride.

Plot
Lightning McQueen is an arrogant rookie race car whose lifelong dream is to win the Piston Cup Championship and become the sponsored car of gas company Dinoco. During the final race of the season which determines the winner of the piston cup, veteran champion Strip "The King" Weathers is still in the lead, cheater Chick Hicks in second, and Lightning close behind in third. Ignoring his pit stop crew, Lightning places himself in first by only taking gas but skipping tires. At the final lap of the 400 lap race, Lightning is in the lead but two of his tires blow out, causing a three-way tie between himself, Hicks and the King; a tie-breaker race is planned in Los Angeles, California. Lightning leaves for Los Angeles with his transport truck Mack, who Lightning forces to drive for the entire night.

When Mack falls asleep, Lightning is knocked out of the truck and ends up lost on Interstate 40. As he attempts to find Mack, he tears through the town of Radiator Springs and causes massive property damage before being arrested by the Sheriff. The next day, the media is shocked by Lightning's disappearance; Lightning, meanwhile, meets town tow truck Mater and is then taken to traffic court. Local judge Doc Hudson, who has a prejudice against race cars, wants Lightning to leave immediately, but town attorney Sally Carrera convinces him that Lightning should repair the damage done to the road.



Lightning is not interested in doing a good job, and constantly complains about his long task; tired of his arrogance, Doc challenges Lightning to a race at Willy's Butte, saying he can leave if he wins. However, unfamiliar with driving on dirt rather than tarmac, Lightning fails to make a tight turn, exactly as Doc planned and loses the race. Furious, he fixes half the road and then practices taking the tight turn, failing every time. Doc suggests using opposite lock steering, but this fails as well. That night, Mater is told to watch Lightning and takes him tractor tipping. Lightning soon learns that he has become Mater's best friend and promises Mater that when he wins the Piston Cup, he'll let Mater ride in one of the Dinoco helicopters. Mater teases him about liking Sally, and of course, Lightning denies it. They both don't know that Sally is listening in on their conversation.

The next day, Lightning is looking for the Sheriff when he enters Doc's garage and discovers that he was once the Fabulous Hudson Hornet and winner of three consecutive Piston Cup trophies. Sally then takes Lightning for a drive, showing him the beautiful outskirts of the town and telling him about the town's history: While it was once a popular tourist attraction, cars stopped coming after the construction of Interstate 40, and the town has now gone to waste.

Returning to town, Lightning sees Doc run the turns at Willy's Butte using opposite lock steering. Seeing him, Doc rushes back to his garage with Lightning in enthusiastic pursuit. He tries to talk with Doc as a fellow race car -- "Underneath the hood, we're both the same." Doc says they are not the same, ordering him to leave. This prompts a protest from Lightning asking why he had quit. Realizing Lightning's misconception, the bitter ex-race car informs him that following a bad accident, Doc's sponsors and fans abandoned him and he swore never to go back. Lightning claims he's different, but can't think of one time he wasn't thinking only of himself and is ashamed.

The next morning, the road is finished but Lightning stays in town, patronizing the other townsfolks' stores and holding a slow-driving party that night. Suddenly, a group of reporters appear and whisk him away to Los Angeles. Sally learns that Doc tipped them off about Lightning whereabouts, and the entire town is saddened. At the race in Los Angeles, Lightning is distracted by memories of Sally and Radiator Springs, making him fall behind in last place. But he is surprised when he sees that the townsfolk have arrived to become his new pit crew.

Lightning gains first place in the race when Chick rear ends The King, causing him to have a horrible accident. Remembering how Doc's accident ended his career, Lightning allows Chick to win and helps The King to the finish line. Even though Chick wins the Piston Cup, he ends up getting booed by the crowd as a despicable cheat. Lightning is offered the Dinoco sponsorship but refuses, deciding to stay with his original team, Rust-eze. He then moves to Radiator Springs and builds both his racing headquarters and a Doc Hudson museum. The town sees a boost of tourism and Lightning and Sally begin a new life together.

Reaction
Cars opened on June 9, 2006 to generally positive reviews. William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer praised the film as "one of Pixar's most imaginative and thoroughly appealing movies ever." Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly called the film "a work of American art as classic as it is modern." Most critics agreed that the film was good, but not quite up to the level of past Pixar productions, especially after the nearly unanimous praise and success The Incredibles received in 2004. "The movie is great to look at and a lot of fun," wrote critic Roger Ebert, "but somehow lacks the extra push of the other Pixar films." Laura Clifford of website Reeling Reviews wrote that the film's "only real drawback is its failure to inspire awe with its visuals and to thoroughly transport with its storytelling." 

Rotten Tomatoes named Cars the best reviewed animated film of 2006 and animated category winner in their Golden Tomato Awards.

In its opening weekend, Cars grossed $60.1 million and held onto the #1 spot for two weeks before being defeated by Click and then by Superman Returns the following weekend. However, Cars opening weekend and final gross was considerably higher than either of those two films, and was the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 2006 behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The film also outgrossed fellow animated films that year, such as Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Monster House and Over the Hedge. However, the film sits as the fifth highest-grossing Pixar film to date. Cars is generally regarded as a successful, if unspectacular, hit for Pixar.

Awards
All awards are for 2006 presentations.

Won

 * Golden Globe Awards - Best Animated Feature.
 * Producers Guild of America Awards - Best Animated Feature.
 * People's Choice Awards
 * Favorite Family Film.
 * Favorite Song from a movie - Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts).
 * Favorite Remake Song - Life is a Highway (Rascal Flatts).
 * Broadcast Film Critics Association - Best Animated Film.
 * National Board of Review - Best Animated Film.
 * Southeastern Film Critics Association - Best Animated Film.
 * San Diego Film Critics Society - Best Animated Film.
 * Austin Film Critics Association - Best Animated Film.
 * St. Louis Gateway Film Critics - Best Animated Film.
 * Oklahoma Film Critics Circle - Best Animated Film.
 * Iowa Film Critics - Best Animated Film.
 * Central Ohio Film Critics - Best Animated Film.

Nominations

 * Academy Awards
 * Best Animated Feature Film
 * Best Original Music (Song) - Our Town
 * Annie Awards
 * Best Animated Feature.
 * Best Animated Effects.
 * Best Character Animation in a Feature Production.
 * Best Directing in an Animated Feature Production.
 * Best Music in an Animated Feature Production.
 * Best Production Design in an Animated Feature Production.
 * Best Writing in an Animated Feature Production.
 * Grammy Awards
 * Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance - Route 66 (John Mayer).
 * Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media.
 * Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media - Our Town, Randy Newman, songwriter (James Taylor).
 * BAFTA - Best Animated Feature

Vehicles and voice cast
See List of Cars characters

The vehicle characters seen throughout the movie and the actors that were used for their voices are:
 * Note voice actors for languages other than English are unspecified.

DVD
Cars was released on DVD in Australia and New Zealand on October 25 2006, in the United States and Canada on November 7 and in the United Kingdom on November 27, and is available in both Widescreen and Fullscreen editions. It contains the short film Mater and the Ghostlight, One Man Band (another Pixar short which showed before the film in theaters), and Inspiration for Cars, a 16 minute long documentary about the film featuring John Lasseter.

Unlike previous Pixar DVD releases, there is only a one-disc version, with no plans laid out for a future two-disc release as of November 2006. According to Sara Maher, DVD Production Manager at Pixar, this is because of John Lasseter and Pixar being busy with upcoming productions like Ratatouille, although additional extras not seen on the disc have been released on the Official DVD Website.

In the US and Canada, there were bonus discs available with the purchase of Cars at either Wal-Mart or Target. Wal-Mart featured a Geared-Up Bonus DVD Disc that focused on the music of the film, including the "Life Is A Highway" video, The Making of "Life Is A Highway", Cars: The Making of the Music and Under The Hood, a special that originally aired on the ABC Family cable channel. Target's bonus was a Rev'd Up DVD Disc that featured material that was mostly already released as part of the official Cars podcast and focused on the inspirations for and production of the movie.

Australian retailer EzyDVD was taking pre-orders for a two-disc edition of the DVD to be released at the same time as the one-disc version, however these are no longer available due to overwhelming popularity. The second disc includes short featurettes covering the music, real cars, Route 66, and other inspirations for the movie, but very little about the animation. It is not known whether this second disc will contain the same features as a future Region 1 two-disc edition. Also, the DVD release will include a 1:55 scale die-cast Lightning McQueen, as seen on Toywiz.com.

There is a hidden Easter Egg on the DVD. On the main screen, after the third image of the Piston Cup flashes in front of Lightning McQueen, a Dinoco 400 logo appears in the bottom right hand corner. Upon selecting it, a short film featuring Lightning, Mater and Guido that parodies the Pixar short Boundin' will play.

According to the Walt Disney Company, 5 million copies of the DVD were sold in the first two days it was available.

Merchandising
The Mattel-produced die-cast cars were some of the most popular toys of the 2006 Summer Season. Several stores had trouble keeping the toys in stock, and some models are still difficult to find because of being shipped in lower numbers than other characters. Some online Disney enthusiasts are comparing it to the same shortage that Mattel faced with its Toy Story line in 1995. Because of these shortages, some of the die-cast cars are only readily available on eBay.

On June 22, 2006 Disney Consumer Products announced that Cars merchandise broke records for retail sales based on a Disney-Pixar product, recording 10-to-1 more volume than Finding Nemo. DCP reports that product expansion will take place in the fall alongside the DVD release of the film.

Estimates from the New York Daily News indicate that sales of Cars merchandise two weeks out from the release of the film amassed to $600 million USD. Estimates put out in November by the Walt Disney Company peg total sales for the brand at around $1 billion.

Kelley Blue Book, the de facto resource for appraising values of vehicles, has humorously "appraised" four of the cars, Lightning McQueen, Mater, Sally Carrera, and Doc Hudson according to their make/model and personalities. 

The United States Department of Transportation has used scenes from the movie in a commercial regarding the Click It or Ticket campaign.

In conjunction with the film's release, a chocolate ice cream on a stick resembling a car tire was released in Australia. These ice creams were called 'Burnouts'. The naming of the particular product sparked controversy as the name 'Burnouts' was believed to have encouraged street racing and committing burnouts. These acts are illegal and heavy fines and convictions are issued to those committing these acts in Australia. It is unknown as to whether the products have been discontinued or not.

In Norway, the candy company Nidar produced candy with the character's on the outer packaging and pictures of the character's on the packaging of the assorted candy on the inside. These bags also came with Cars themed tatoos.

In the US, an animated Wal-Mart truck can be seen on a Wal-Mart ad and Wal-Mart TV commercial for Cars. In the Wal-Mart TV commercial the Wal-Mart truck was talking to Mater.

In South Africa and several other countries where Opel is present (or with Opel models under Chevrolet and Vauxhall brand), GM has a campaign featuring an Astra, a Meriva and a Zafira as characters in the world of Cars, including TV ads made by Pixar, with the Opel models interacting with Lightning McQueen, Mater and Ramone. The first ad involved the Opels coming to Radiator Springs as tourists. The second involved their failed attempts at auditoning for Mater. In the end the Opels lost the part to the real Mater.

In July 2006, greeting card giant Hallmark unveiled its line of 2006 Keepsake Christmas ornaments. Among the collection was an ornament featuring Lightning McQueen and Mater.

Cultural diversity
Some cars are cast by their owners, others by their nation of manufacture.

The character Mater at different points in the movie says "Git R Done" and "I don't care who you are, that's funny right there," both catchphrases of Larry the Cable Guy, who voices the character in the stereotypical drawl of an American Hillbilly. Mater is named after Douglas Keever, whom John Lasseter met at Lowe's Motor Speedway. .

Flo appears to be inspired by three early- to mid-fifties show cars: the 1951 Buick LeSabre (front-end lines, the basic hood shape, lights mounted near the corners, and front-quarter trim), the 1951 Buick XP-300 (side trim), and the 1956/57 Chrysler Dart (cockpit, deck lid, and tailfins). Flo is played by Jenifer Lewis who is often cast as an African-American mother figure.

Fillmore is a 1960 Volkswagen Type 2, voiced by comedian George Carlin. Carlin was one of the first comics to be embraced by the flower children of the 1960s, and the VW van is usually associated with the hippie culture. Throughout the film, Fillmore is shown with half-closed, unfocused eyes, and he speaks in slow, sleepy speech peppered with the word "man". This is also reminiscent of Tommy Chong, one half of the famous "pothead" duo Cheech and Chong.

Ramone is voiced by Cheech Marin. He is a Chevrolet Impala lowrider; a creation popular among Latinos. He is Pixar's first Latino character.

Luigi is a Fiat 500 with an Italian accent provided by Tony Shalhoub. By coincidence, the Fiat 500 is the same kind of car used by Lupin III, the protagonist of the Lupin III series and movies. Hayao Miyazaki, a good friend of John Lasseter, worked on two of the Lupin TV series and directed the Lupin III movie The Castle of Cagliostro. Lasseter said in an interview he did not intend for the reference to be there, although Cagliostro is still one of his favorite films.

It was noted by some that European cars were few and far between with most cars being either American or US market Japanese. The European cars in the film were: Sally Carrera, Filmore (both German), Luigi, several Maserati Quattroportes (Italian), Michael Schumacher (Italian; although he is German, he drove for Ferrari, and the car he voiced is a Ferrari F430). British motoring journalist Jeremy Clarkson was the voice of Harv in the film's UK edition. In Clarkson's book, Clarkson on Cars, he described himself as a 1979 Ford Granada Ghia so it could be implied that Harv was (in the UK edition) a British/German car. In Finnish version former Formula1 champion Mika Häkkinen was the voice of the King.

Mario Andretti voices a 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 stock car, painted blue and gold with the number #11. Mario Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500 with a car of the same appearance prepared by Holman-Moody.

Three of The Delinquent Road Hazards (minus Snot Rod) are Japanese imports; Mia and Tia are Mazda Miatas, and their names are a pun on Miata. Frank's predominant color, orange, is the color of Japanese tractor maker Kubota. There is a Japanese woman (a 1990s Mazda Kei-car) on the world news.

NASCAR differences
The rules in the Piston Cup shown in the movie that differ from NASCAR include:
 * In the movie, Chick Hicks made a pass just after the restart and by doing so, crossed the yellow line on the track. In NASCAR, that would be considered a pass "out-of-bounds" at Daytona and Talladega; and would be penalized by a black flag stop-and-go if the position is not given back. If a driver were forced below the yellow line, he would not be penalized.
 * In the movie, the tie for the points lead is settled by an extra race. In NASCAR, the situation is settled by whoever has more wins. If the drivers have the same number of wins, it is decided by 2nd-place finishes and so on.
 * In the beginning of the movie, when Chick is first introduced to the audience, he intentionally spins out the #63 car and the race still continues. In NASCAR, the race would likely be put under caution, unless the spinning driver somehow regained control and continued at full speed.
 * In the movie, Lightning McQueen appears to speed out of pit road to beat the pace car, and stay on the lead lap. In NASCAR, a driver would be penalized for doing that by being required to restart the race at the end of the longer of the two lines of cars that line up behind the pace car. During the final ten laps of the race, when the cars one or more laps down are not allowed to line up to the inside of the lead-lap cars, the penalty is to start at the end of the one line of cars.
 * McQueen did not, however, speed in the pits. He only accelerated once he crossed the pit exit line. Had he broken the speed limit within the pits, he would have had to serve a stop and go black flag on the very next lap under NASCAR rules. The movie then depicts McQueen just catching up to the pack as the green flag is waved. NASCAR dictates the drivers be lined up before the green flag is issued.
 * In the movie, Lightning McQueen pushes the wrecked Weathers across the finish line. In NASCAR, both drivers would be penalized for doing so in that situation, as in NASCAR, the race would be finished under the yellow flag, and under NASCAR rules, no driver can push a car in the last lap of the race. Bob Cutlass (in the film) even asks his broadcast partner if that is legal. The penalty, if issued, would be largely a pro forma matter in the situation depicted, in any event, as the penalty for receiving assistance on the last lap is to not have the final lap scored, resulting in the cars finishing one lap down&mdash;if the penalty was assessed there would therefore be no change in their ranking. However, it is reasonable that the symbolic gesture would be interpreted as such by NASCAR, as the last line in the rulebook reads, "Except in rare instances."
 * Some cars in the film's first race have 3-digit numbers, while in NASCAR, 3 digit numbers may be registered for cars, but cars must sport a 1 or 2 digit number on their car. Prior to 1972 it was somewhat common for some drivers to sport 3 digit numbers on their cars.
 * In the first race, when McQueen blew his tires, the race still continued. However, in NASCAR, if McQueen left significant debris on the track, the race would immediately end under caution, as McQueen had already taken the white flag when his tires blew. However, McQueen would not win the race or the Piston Cup, as he was unable to maintain the speed to cross the finish line.
 * When McQueen came to a halt on the track, because the white flag (indicating the final lap of the race) had been displayed, the caution flag would have been displayed, immediately ending the race. However, McQueen would not have won the race (and thus the Piston Cup) as he was unable to maintain caution speed to cross the finish line, and thus would be scored as having ended the race as the last car on the lead lap.
 * Modern NASCAR bodies must all have nearly the same shape, differentiated mainly by the painting of headlights and grille. The Piston Cup features cars based on various NASCAR racers since the 1970s.
 * In NASCAR, sponsors and pit crew members are determined by the team owner, not the driver, unless the driver is the team owner.

Setting
The landscape in the distance behind Radiator Springs is made up of rock formations intentionally reminiscent of Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. The road map shown in the montage history of the town calls the area "Cadillac Range."

Radiator Springs is loosly based on Amboy, California in the Mojave Desert- a town that showed a decline in almost all traffic when I-40 opened in 1972. Sally references this in the film.

Nearby "Ornament Valley" (a reference to Monument Valley) is made of rock formations that project from the valley walls or rise from the valley floor and resemble the front ends of late 1930s to early 1940s American automobiles.

The Flo's V8 Cafe logo is similar to that used by the '32 Ford V8, the first V8 for mass marketed cars. This logo also appeared on Ford V8 in the sixties as well as Third-Generation Ford Explorers.

The track that the opening race (Motor Speedway of the South) takes place on is actually based on and an enlarged version of the real life Bristol Motor Speedway. The track used for the Piston Cup tiebreaker race is a clever knock-off of the Pasadena Rose Bowl as well as the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the California Speedway. The tiebreaker race is even the same number of laps (200) as NASCAR's Daytona 500.

At one point in the movie, when many places are shutting down in anticipation of a big race, a sign can be read for a brief moment that reads: "City of Emeryville - Closed." This is a reference to Emeryville, California, where the Pixar studio is located.

Route 66
Many characters and places in the movie are directly inspired on real Route 66 places and people.

To quote the Pixar crew:


 * "As we traveled on Route 66, we were privileged to visit many places and to meet a number of people who live and work alongside 'The Mother Road.' The following is a list of the places and people we wanted to honor by including their names in our 'Special Thanks' credits at the end of the film."

The soundtrack has two versions of the classic Nat King Cole jazz standard "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", one by Chuck Berry and a new version recorded specifically for the film's credits performed by John Mayer.

Among the many references to Route 66 landmarks and personalities:


 * The Cozy Cone Motel's design is based on the two Wigwam Motels along Rt. 66, in Holbrook, Arizona and Rialto, California. These were once two out of seven motels, with individual cabins shaped like tepees. The name "Cozy Cone" was inspired by the Cozy Dog Drive-In of Springfield, IL, which lays claim to being birthplace of the corn dog.


 * The character "Fillmore", referring to the famous San Francisco music venue The Fillmore, was at one time to be named "Waldmire" after Bob Waldmire, a self-proclaimed hippie artist known to Rt. 66 fans for his detailed pen-and-ink maps and postcards of the route. Though Waldmire's family owns the Cozy Dog Drive-In, Bob, now a vegan, preferred not to see his name put on a character that would become a Happy Meal toy.


 * Ramone's House of Body Art is based primarily on the U Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas. It opened in 1936 as Tower Conoco (from its distinctive Art Deco spire) with the U Drop Inn Cafe and a retail building attached. Many other establishments built along Route 66 in its heyday had Art Deco elements that might be reflected in the design of Ramone's.

References to other Pixar films
Many of the sponsors on the sides of the cars are references to past Pixar films or as puns on real-life automotive-related companies. They are listed here:


 * The tires on the racecars say in small print "Gamma Quadrant Sector 4," a reference to where Zurg's base is located in Toy Story 2.


 * The race cars in the movie are equipped with Lightyear Buzzard tires, a parody of Goodyear Eagle Tires and a reference to Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story and Toy Story 2


 * Both races are covered by a Lightyear blimp, another nod to the Toy Story movies and Goodyear tires.


 * The King's sponsor is Dinoco, the gas station from Toy Story, which itself is a pun on Sunoco, the official fuel supplier for NASCAR, though the logo is closer to petroleum company Sinclair which features a dinosaur on its logo.


 * Radiator Spring's founder Stanley is the same truck that's seen in the Pixar short Boundin'.


 * A Dinoco gas station can be spotted in the "Life is a Highway" scene, on the far right of the screen as Mack follows the sign to Interstate 40. It is difficult to make out accurately, but it appears to be the same Dinoco gas station seen in Toy Story.


 * The Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story with a rocket on the roof appears to be sleeping at the Dinoco gas station during the "Life is a Highway" scene. The truck can also be seen again at the entrance to the stadium in the final race sequence when Darrell says "You know I've got a lot of miles on me, but let me tell you something!"


 * The railway train's number which almost crashed into Lightning McQueen when he was on his way to Radiator Springs is A113, a recurring inside joke in several animated shows and films, referring to the classroom number used by animation students at CalArts. In addition, Mater's license plate is also A113.


 * During the end credits, scenes from previous Pixar films are re-enacted with cars. There is a scene from "Toy Car Story" featuring Tom Hanks (as a Ford Woodie) and Tim Allen. There is one from "Monster Trucks, Inc." featuring John Goodman and Billy Crystal. Finally, there is one from "A Bug's Life" featuring Dave Foley as a Volkswagen Beetle. John Ratzenberger is featured in all three scenes, portraying Car versions of his characters in these films, and his Cars character Mack comments on the recurrence, from supportive at first to disgust and says "They're just using the same actor over and over again! What kind of cut-rate production is this?"


 * Lightning McQueen's number, 95, refers to the year Toy Story came out. Originally he was number 57, a reference to John Lasseter's birth year.


 * Chick Hicks' number, 86, refers to the year Pixar was established.


 * During the "Life is a Highway" montage the small birds from the Pixar short For the Birds briefly flash across the screen on some telephone wires in the scenery along Interstate 40. Though they move by quickly and are difficult to see clearly, they use the same distinct chirps as in the short.


 * Just before the final race, a bunch of flamingoes, a swimming pool and some palms can be seen near a caravan. They are taken from the Pixar short Knick Knack.


 * When Mack and Lightning McQueen are driving past the truck stop, a truck can be seen with the signature "I" from The Incredibles There is also a truck with Monsters Inc on the side of it. It features the 'Monster's' logo and the word inc written downwards Monsters Inc.

References to other movies

 * The flashback narrative of the final race scene along with the fact McQueen stops just before the finish line is a reference to the 1962 Tony Richardson movie The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.
 * The way the Delinquent Road Hazards team up on Mack is a reference to The Fast and the Furious.
 * The sparkplug-based aliens in the action film McQueen visions himself starring in are based on the Tripods from War of the Worlds.
 * "Serpentine! Serpentine!" is a reference to Peter Falk's CIA character in The In-Laws who instructs Alan Arkin on how to avoid getting shot.
 * The shot where Hicks taps into the left rear of the King to cause him to crash is taken from Burt Reynolds NASCAR film Stroker Ace.
 * The scene where Lightning swerves through the smoking cars crashing into each other during the first race,is a reference to the NASCAR racing movie Days of Thunder.
 * The storyline is similar to that of the 1991 Michael J. Fox film Doc Hollywood, in which a young hotshot crashes his car in a small town while en route to Los Angeles, is ordered by the local judge to perform community service before he can leave, learns heartfelt lessons from the town doctor, falls in love with a local girl, and eventually foresakes the big city to return to the town.

Other references and trivia

 * In the scene with Lightning McQueen doing the show for his Rust-Eze sponsors, upon entering the stage, someone at the back shouts "Free Bird!" referencing the song by Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is something that happens during concerts, either as a form of heckling to show displeasure with the musician's music, or as a genuine request for the song to be performed. This fits in with the film's Southern States NASCAR fan setting.
 * As Lightning is trying Fillmore's organic fuel, Fillmore exclaims, "It's a conspiracy, man! The oil companies got a grip on the gov'ment! They're feedin' us a bunch of lies!" This statement is very reminiscent of the issues expressed by Kevin Trudeau in his book, "Natural Cures They Don't Want You to Know About".
 * In the initial race scene, a car features a logo implying sponsorship by Apple Inc. (formerly Apple Computer) (Steve Jobs's "other company"). The car carries number 84, referring to the original Apple Macintosh's initial release in 1984. The car is similar in appearance to a  Porsche 935 K3, a reference to Apple Computer's sponsorship of a Porsche 935 K3 driven by Bob Garretson, Bobby Rahal and Kees Nierop in the 1980 IMSA 100-mile race at Sebring.
 * According to Richard Petty, The King's crash at the end of the final race is a frame-by-frame recreation of Petty's 1988 Winston Cup accident at the Daytona 500. The 1988 accident however was not deliberately caused. As well, the beginning of the crash is reminiscent of Elliott Sadler's 2003 NASCAR crash at Talladega Superspeedway.
 * In the scene where Doc Hudson and Lightning McQueen are racing, at the very beginning of the race, McQueen remarks "Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beemer." This is a reference to Muhammad Ali's line, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
 * The three cars that show up at Luigi's shop at the end of the film, a red Ferrari F430 (Michael Schumacher) and two 2004 Maserati Quattroportes one being white and the other green, form the colors of the flag of Luigi and Guido's homeland, Italy.
 * Ray and Tom Magliozzi (from the NPR radio show Car Talk aka Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers) voice the Rust-eze owners. They give their trademark line "Don't drive like my brother".
 * Fillmore's license plate number is 51237. George Carlin's Birthday is (May 12, 1937). Coincidentally, 51237 is the zip code for George, Iowa.
 * Darrell Cartrip is voiced by Darrell Waltrip, a real-life NASCAR commentator. The car closely resembles a 1977 Monte Carlo, one of the GM cars in the Winston Cup during the years Waltrip dominated the sport.
 * The Piston Cup is a spoof of the Winston Cup, the former name of the NEXTEL Cup Series. Unlike the NEXTEL Cup, however, the Piston Cup lacks a title sponsor.
 * Doc's racing colors are the same as the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, driven by Marshall Teague in the 1950s.
 * Lightning's last name is a reference to Glenn McQueen, a Pixar animator who died in October 2002 of Melanoma. Some also believe it refers to Steve McQueen, a famous movie actor and race car driver who participated in the 24 Hours of LeMans.
 * The sequence in which the King is assisted to the finish line by McQueen at the end of the race is similar to that of the 1976 Daytona 500, when after a collision with David Pearson near the end of the finish line, Petty was assisted to the finishing line as his car refused to start, but by his own pit crew. Like in the film as the King was in front of McQueen, Petty was given credit for second place.  A similar incident occurred at the 2005 UAW-Ford 500 in which Kyle Petty, Richard's son, drove his demolished car to the finish line after being involved in a last-lap wreck.
 * The melodic horn of the minivan as it passes Mack could be either the start of the melody of a popular Oscar Meyer jingle (my bologna has a first name . . .) or the opening bars to Yellow Rose of Texas. It is unclear what this reference serves, if any.
 * In the scene where Sally mentions she fell in love with something and McQueen responds, "Corvette?" could possibly be a stab at the close rivalry/relationship Chevrolet's Corvette and Porsche's 911 have been involved with over the years. Since the 911's inception, Chevrolet has always used the 911 for inspiration, and on numerous occations, have produced Corvettes that outperform 911s by a small margin.
 * In the opening scene when McQueen goes airborne through a cloud of smoke, his tongue hanging out is a reference to Michael Jordan, whose signature move was hanging out his tongue while dunking.
 * During the last race at the end of the film, at the beginning of the race, the words PISTON CUP are spelled out by the cars.
 * Lightning appears to modeled off real NASCAR drivers Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon. Like them, he experiences early success and does not have the characteristic Southern accent associated with NASCAR drivers.
 * Jr. obviously represent Dale Earnhardt Jr., right down to the paint scheme.
 * Chick Hicks resembles Dale Earnhardt (especially the mustache), noted for his tough driving style. However, Earnhardt did not openly cheat or share Chick's nasty attitude.  He was noted for a very liberal interpretation of the rules.  Chick shares cues with Earnhardt's Monte Carlo SS, but Earnhardt had more success in a Chevy Lumina.  Also, while Earnhardt was a major rival of Jeff Gordon, Earnhardt and Richard Petty were never really rivals.