It’s been almost 20 years since the theatrical release of the Pixar animated film Cars. It is truly one of the most unique additions to the Pixar line-up, and there are plenty of BTS facts, easter eggs, and more that are worthy of the Piston Cup of fun facts. Some of these facts may even leave your jaw on the floor.
Here are 17 fun facts about Pixar’s Cars:
1.
Most characters are based on real cars. Doc is a 1951 Hudson Hornet two-door coupe. Mater is a 1955 Chevrolet Stepside tow truck. Luigi is a 1959 Fiat 500. And so on. So many cars in…Cars.
2.
Doc Hudson is voiced by Paul Newman, most known for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke, and The Sting. Cars was Newman’s final film.
9.
The movie was originally titled “Route 66.” Obviously, it was broken down into its simpliest form so no kid could mistake what the film was about: Cars.
10.
The film’s animators took the designs very seriously and drew up more than 43,000 sketches for the cars. It’s really cool how they managed to find what would make cars so expressive.
11.
The cars’ eyes are the windshields and animators used the strip of metal above it for the eyebrows and eyelids so they could convey expressions. That’s a tall task for characters without arms and legs. It’s all in the face!
13.
Cars is the last movie produced by Pixar before Disney officially bought the company. Disney had worked “in joint” with Pixar productions, but they finally bought the company at the start of 2006. Guess you can say that deal was “gitter-ing done…ed”…you know, the Larry the Cable Guy/Mater line.
17.
And lastly, a “A113” sighting! For those who don’t know, the animation room at California Institute of the Arts is numbered A113 (many Pixar animators studied there), so it makes a ton of appearances in Pixar films. Mater’s license plate carries the number as well as the train.
What’s your favorite moment of Cars, and why is it Lightning helping the King finish his last race? Comment below!