Cars (2006)
Ahhh... it's got that new movie smell.
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters.
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 8 June 2006 |
| Genre | Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family |
| Director | John Lasseter |
| Starring | Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt |
| Runtime | 117 min |
| Rated | G |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes 75% · Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.9/10 · Metacritic 73/100 · TMDB users 7.1/10 |
| Budget | $120 million |
| Box office | $462 million worldwide |
Where to watch Cars
Cars is streaming on Disney+ ($15.99 a month) in the US. If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Disney+ is $15.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 12 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
John Lasseter directed this 2006 animated adventure, a 117-minute comedy about a rookie race car who learns the journey matters more than the finish line. The film is built around a specific kind of friction: the high-speed ambition of a champion colliding with the deliberate, dusty pace of a sleepy Route 66 town. It trades the adrenaline of the track for the slow burn of character interactions in Radiator Springs. The tagline promises that new movie smell, and the film delivers it in the form of a simple, grounded story about getting lost on purpose. It is a quiet, earnest look at how a fast life slows down to actually mean something.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes lists a 75% approval rating as of September 2026. Metacritic assigns a 73/100 Metascore, signaling generally favorable reception. The critical consensus notes the visuals compensate for a thin story. William Arnold of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer called it one of Pixar’s most imaginative movies. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly described it as a work of American art. Not everyone agreed. Brian Lowry of Variety found the middle section drifts slowly, a critique that lands hard when the film is about speed.
How it did with audiences
Cars spent $120 million to make and pulled in $462 million worldwide. In the United States, it grossed $244 million, holding the number one spot for its first two weekends before losing ground to Click and Superman Returns. It finished as the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2006, trailing only Ice Age: The Meltdown. On TMDB, users give it a 7.1 out of 10.
What came next for the cast
Owen Wilson arrived from Armageddon and Meet the Parents. What followed included The Grand Budapest Hotel, Loki, and Wonder. Bonnie Hunt brought Jumanji and The Green Mile to the table, then landed in Red One. The credits list what happened next. They cannot prove the toy caused it.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Cars.
Sources
- Cars on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q182153 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Cars (film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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