The Cars Franchise is a Pixar Animated movie series that is set in a world populated by anthropomorphic cars and other vehicles. The franchise’s first movie was released in 2006 and was a huge success, both critically and commercially. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
After the first movie’s release, Pixar released a short film and later a sequel in 2011. In 2013, Pixar released a spin-off movie, Planes, which was set in the same universe as Cars but focused on airplanes. The most recent movie in the franchise is Cars 3, which was released in 2017.
Cars movies are filled with Romance, friendship, and car chases. They are set in an alternate world where cars and other vehicles are the protagonists. The series tells an epic story of a fictional world inspired by American culture and society.
The cars series is the perfect watch for people of all ages, especially those who love adventure and comedy. Read on to learn more about the Cars franchise and its movies. Here is the list of all Cars movies in order of release.
The Cars Series is a franchise of animated movies produced by Pixar. The story takes you to an Anthropomorphic world without humans, only smart cars.
List of All Cars Movies in Order of Release
- Cars (2006)
- Cars 2 (2011)
- Planes (2013)
- Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
- Cars 3 (2017)
Cars (2006)
Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft (co-director) | Writers: John Lasseter, Dan Fogelman, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, Jorgen Klubien | Stars: Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, and Larry the Cable Guy | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: The runtime of the movie is 1 hour and 57 minutes. | Release Date: June 9, 2006 | Language: The languages are English, Italian, Japanese, and Yiddish. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, adventure, comedy, family, and sport. | Filming Locations: Pixar Animation Studios – 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA | Production Companies: Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures | Budget: The movie’s budget was $120 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $461 million.
The first movie in the Cars franchise was released in 2006. The movie tells the story of a young car named Lightning McQueen, who is on his way to becoming the next big thing in racing. However, he gets stranded in a small town called Radiator Springs. There, he meets many new friends and eventually learns the importance of family and friendship.
The movie was directed by John Lasseter and Joe Ranft (co-director) and written by John Lasseter, Dan Fogelman, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray, Phil Lorin, and Jorgen Klubien. It features the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Cheech Marin, and Larry the Cable Guy. It was a huge success and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The movie starts with the last Race of the Prison Champ Championship. The race is between Doc Hudson, Chick Hicks, and Lightning McQueen. McQueen is a rookie and has never raced before. He tries to pass Hicks but ends up wrecking him. This causes Hicks to lose the race and McQueen to win.
After the race, McQueen is congratulated by his pit crew chief, Mater, and his girlfriend, Sally Carrera. They take him out to celebrate his victory. While they are celebrating, McQueen sees a commercial for the Dinoco 400 and wants to race in it. Mater and Sally try to dissuade him, but he is determined to race.
The next day, McQueen goes to the Piston Cup to get his entry fee. However, he is informed by Strip Weathers, the current Piston Cup champion, that he needs to win three races in order to qualify for the Dinoco 400. McQueen set out to win those three races.
He first goes to California and wins the first race. He then goes to Florida and wins the second race. Finally, he goes to Michigan and wins the third race. With that, he has qualified for the Dinoco 400.
The day of the race arrives, and McQueen is ready to compete. The race starts, and Hicks tries to take out McQueen again. However, McQueen manages to stay in the lead and win the race.
After the race, McQueen is again congratulated by Mater and Sally. They invite him to stay in Radiator Springs, but he declines, saying he needs to return to his life on the road. However, before he leaves, Sally tells him he is always welcome in Radiator Springs.
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Cars 2 (2011)
Director: John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis (co-director) | Writer: John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis, Dan Fogelman | Stars: Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, and Eddie Izzard | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: 1 hour and 46 minutes. | Release Date: June 24, 2011 | Language: English, Japanese, French, and Italian. | Genres: Animation, adventure, comedy, family, and sport. | Filming Locations: Pixar Animation Studios – 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA | Production Companies: Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures | Budget: $200 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $559 million.
The second movie in the Cars franchise was released in 2011. The movie follows Lightning McQueen and his best friend, Mater, as they travel to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix. However, Mater gets mistaken for an American spy and gets involved in a case of international espionage.
The movie was directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Bradford Lewis. It was written by John Lasseter, Bradford Lewis, and Dan Fogelman. It featured the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, John Turturro, and Eddie Izzard. The movie was a commercial success, grossing $559 million at the box office. However, it received mixed reviews from critics.
The movie starts with Fin Mcmissile infiltrating an Oil Rig. Mater then captures him. Mater is then brought to a meeting with Finn and Holly Shiftwell. They explain to Mater that he needs to help them take down Professor Zündapp.
Mater is then taken to Tokyo, Japan, where he meets with Lightning McQueen. Together, they try to stop Professor Zündapp from winning the World Grand Prix.
During the first race in Japan, Mater is mistaken for a spy and is taken away by the Japanese police. However, he manages to escape and rejoins Lightning.
The second race is in Italy, and Mater helps Lightning win the race. The third race is in England, and Mater again helps Lightning win.
The final race is in France, and Mater once again helps Lightning win. Lightning won the World Grand Prix, and Mater became a hero.
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Planes (2013)
Director: Klay Hall | Writer: John Lasseter, Klay Hall, Jeffrey M. Howard | Stars: Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and John Cleese | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: 1 hour and 31 minutes. | | Release Date: August 9, 2013 | Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, and Icelandic. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, adventure, comedy, family, and sport. | Filming Locations: Pixar Animation Studios – 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA | Production Companies: DisneyToon Studios, Prana Studios, Walt Disney Pictures | Budget: $50 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $239 million.
The third movie in the Cars franchise was released in 2013. The movie is a spin-off of the Cars franchise and follows the story of a crop dusting plane named Dusty Crophopper, who dreams of competing in a famous around-the-world aviation race. However, he is afraid of heights and has to overcome his fear in order to compete.
The movie was directed by Klay Hall and written by John Lasseter, Klay Hall, and Jeffrey M. Howard. It features the voice talents of Carlos Alazraqui, Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and John Cleese. The movie was a commercial success, grossing $239 million at the box office.
This movie is the first spin-off in the series. It is about a plane named Dusty Crophopper. Dusty is a crop duster who dreams of becoming a racer.
He gets his chance when he meets Skipper Riley, a WWII vet who helps him train for the Wings Around the Globe race. Dusty faces many challenges during the race but ultimately emerges victorious.
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Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
Director: Bobs Gannaway | Writer: Jeffrey M. Howard, Bobs Gannaway | Stars: Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Curtis Armstrong, Hal Holbrook, Wes Studi, and Stacy Keach | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: 1 hour and 23 minutes. | Release Date: July 18, 2014 | Language: English. | Genres: Animation, adventure, comedy, family, and sport. | Filming Locations: DisneyToon Studios – 833 Sonora Avenue, Glendale, California, USA | Production Companies: DisneyToon Studios, Prana Studios, Walt Disney Pictures | Budget: $50 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $146 million.
The fourth movie in the Cars franchise was released in 2014. The movie is a sequel to the 2013 film Planes and follows Dusty Crophopper as he joins a team of fire-fighting aircraft known as The Smokejumpers. Together, they battle a raging wildfire in Piston Peak National Park.
The movie was directed by Bobs Gannaway and written by Jeffrey M. Howard and Bobs Gannaway. It features the voice talents of Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Curtis Armstrong, Hal Holbrook, Wes Studi, and Stacy Keach. The movie was a commercial success, grossing $239 million at the box office.
This movie is the second spin-off in the series. It is about a plane named Dusty Crophopper who has to retrain as a fire and rescue plane.
The film starts with Dusty learning that he has engine trouble and can no longer race. He is then approached by a group of fire and rescue planes who ask him to join them. Dusty initially declines, but he eventually decides to join them.
The film follows Dusty as he goes through his training and ultimately becomes a team member. Dusty starts his new adventure with his new friends, who work together to fight fires.
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Cars 3 (2017)
Director: Brian Fee | Writer: Brian Fee, Ben Queen, Eyal Podell | Stars: Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, and Lea DeLaria | Country of origin: United States | Runtime: 1 hour and 42 minutes. | Release Date: June 16, 2017 | Language: English. | Genres: The movie genres are animation, adventure, comedy, family, and sport. | Filming Locations: Pixar Animation Studios – 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, California, USA | Production Companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios | Budget: $175 million. | Box Office: The film grossed $383 million.
The fifth movie in the Cars franchise was released in 2017. The movie follows Lightning McQueen as a new generation of racers pushes him out of the sport he loves. He must train hard to make a comeback and win the Piston Cup.
The movie was directed by Brian Fee and written by Brian Fee, Ben Queen, and Eyal Podell. It features the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Chris Cooper, Armie Hammer, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, and Lea DeLaria. The movie was a commercial success, grossing $383 million at the box office.
This movie is about Lightning McQueen’s journey to become a champion racer again.
Lightning is struggling to keep up with the new generation of racers. He is then approached by Cruz Ramirez, a young trainer who helps him get back into shape.
Finally, McQueen makes a deal that if he wins the first race, he will get to keep his job, but if he loses, he has to retire.
With Cruz’s help, Lightning starts to win races again. However, he is still struggling to beat the new generation of racers.
Lightning then comes up with a plan to beat them. He races against them in a demolition derby-style race and ultimately emerges victorious.
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Movies in order by IMDB Rating
| Movies | Rating on IMDB |
|---|---|
| Cars | 7.2/10 |
| Cars 2 | 6.2/10 |
| Planes | 5.7/10 |
| Planes: Fire & Rescue | 5.9/10 |
| Cars 3 | 6.7/10 |
Other Animation film Series Like Cars
These series are animated movies with anthropomorphic animals as the protagonists. Many of these series are comedies, with some action and adventure elements sprinkled in. If you enjoyed the Cars movies, you would surely enjoy any of these other series.
- Kung Fu Panda Movies
- Shrek Movies
- Ice Age Movies
- Madagascar Movies
- Toy Story Movies
- The Incredibles Movies
- How to Train Your Dragon Movies
- Despicable Me Movies
- Minions Movie
- The Secret Life of Pets Movies
- The Croods Movies
- Penguins of Madagascar Movie
FAQs
Are All of The Cars Movies Part of The Same Series?
The Cars movies are all part of the same series. However, the Planes movies are spin-offs and are not directly connected to the Cars series. So, while the Planes movies take place in the same world as the Cars movies, they are not technically part of the same series.
What are the Cars movies about?
The Cars movies are about a group of anthropomorphic cars who live in a world where humans do not exist. The movies follow the adventures of Lightning McQueen, a race car, and his friend Mater, a tow truck.
Do you need to watch Planes to understand Cars 3?
No, you don’t need to watch Planes to understand Cars 3. However, it is recommended that you watch Planes: Fire & Rescue before watching Cars 3 since it features a character who appears in both movies.
Do the Cars movies take place in the same universe as the Toy Story movies?
No, the Cars movies do not take place in the same universe as the Toy Story movies. However, the two universes are similar in that they both feature anthropomorphic cars.
What Is The Best Cars Movie?
The best Cars movie is subjective. However, many people consider Cars 3 to be the best movie in the series due to its sentimental value and its focus on character development.
Do The Cars Movies Have Any Sequels?
The Cars movies have two sequels: Cars 2 and Cars 3. There are also three spin-off movies: Planes, Planes: Fire & Rescue, and the upcoming Dancing with the Cars.
Do The Cars Movies Have Any Connections To Other Movies?
The Cars movies have connections to other movies because they take place in the same universe as the Toy Story movies and Planes movies. However, they are not direct sequels or spin-offs of either franchise.
Conclusion
Created by Pixar Animation Studios, the Cars movie series is a set of anthropomorphic car-themed movies, television shows, and shorts. The franchise follows the adventures of Lightning McQueen, a race car, and his friend Mater, a tow truck.
If you are looking for a fun and light-hearted movie series to watch, then the Cars movies are definitely for you.
In this article, we discussed the Cars movies in release order. We also answered some frequently asked questions about the franchise. Finally, we provided a list of other movie series that you might enjoy if you liked the Cars movies.
Hey, My name is Charles Eames, I am a designer, filmmaker, and lover of photographic arts. And I usually write about movies, Famous/Influential People. I am running this blog with my girlfriend Bernice.