Cars (film)

Cars
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Lasseter
Screenplay by	Dan Fogelman John Lasseter Joe Ranft Kiel Murray Phil Lorin Jorgen Klubien
Story by	John Lasseter Joe Ranft Jorgen Klubien
Produced by	Darla K. Anderson
Starring	Owen Wilson Paul Newman
Cinematography	Jeremy Lasky Jean Claude Kalache
Edited by	Ken Schretzmann
Music by	Randy Newman
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release dates	May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26) (Lowe's Motor Speedway) June 9, 2006 (2006-06-09) (United States)
Running time	117 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$120 million[1]
Box office	$462 million[1]

Cars is a 2006 American animated sports comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by John Lasseter, co-directed by Joe Ranft, produced by Darla K. Anderson, written by Lasseter, Ranft, Dan Fogelman, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, and Jorgen Klubien based on a story by Lasseter, Ranft, and Klubien, and stars an ensemble voice cast of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman (in his final voice acting theatrical film role), Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Michael Wallis, George Carlin, Paul Dooley, Jenifer Lewis, Guido Quaroni, Michael Keaton, Katherine Helmond, John Ratzenberger and Richard Petty, while race car drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. (as "Junior"), Mario Andretti, Michael Schumacher and car enthusiast Jay Leno (as "Jay Limo") voice themselves.

Cars is set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic vehicles. The film follows a selfish and arrogant young racecar named Lightning McQueen who, on the way to the most important race of his life, becomes stranded in a forgotten town along U.S. Route 66 called Radiator Springs, where he learns about friendship and begins to reevaluate his priorities.

Development for Cars started in 1998, after finishing the production of A Bug's Life, with a new script titled The Yellow Car, which was about an electric car living in a gas-guzzling world with Klubien writing. It was announced that the producers agreed that it could be the next Pixar film after A Bug's Life, scheduled for a 1999 release, particularly around June 4; the idea was later scrapped in favor of Toy Story 2. Shortly after, production was resumed with major script changes. The film was inspired by Lasseter's experiences on a cross-country road trip. Randy Newman composed the film's score, while artists such as Sheryl Crow, Rascal Flatts, John Mayer and Brad Paisley contributed to the film's soundtrack. Cars ultimately served as the final film independently produced by Pixar after its purchase by Disney in January 2006.

Cars premiered on May 26, 2006, at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina and was theatrically released in the United States on June 9, to generally positive reviews and commercial success, grossing $462 million worldwide against a budget of $120 million, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2006. The film received two nominations at the 79th Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature, but lost to Happy Feet (but won both the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature and the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film). The film was released on DVD on November 7, 2006, on VHS in limited quantities on February 19, 2007, and on Blu-ray on November 6, 2007. The film was accompanied by the short One Man Band for its theatrical and home media releases. The film was dedicated to Ranft, who died in a car crash during the film's production.

The success of Cars launched a multimedia franchise and a series of two sequels produced by Pixar and two spin-offs produced by Disneytoon Studios, starting with Cars 2 (2011).