Sheryl Crow Debuts 'Built to Last' From Disney's New 'Cars' Series at D23

Sheryl Crow made a surprise appearance at Disney's Experiences Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on 15 August, debuting 'Built to Last,' the theme song for the upcoming Disney Jr. series 'Cars: Lightning Racers.'

Crow performed the new track at the Honda Center in Anaheim before launching into 'Real Gone,' her song from the 2006 Pixar film 'Cars' (Billboard). The original 'Cars' film marked its 20th anniversary in June 2025.

Crow wrote 'Built to Last' as the series' theme and contributed 10 additional original songs to the show, according to Billboard. That is a substantial body of work for a single animated series — enough to function as a full soundtrack album if Disney chooses to release it that way.

'Cars: Lightning Racers' is slated to arrive on Disney Jr. and Disney+ in 2027. The returning voice cast includes Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, and Bonnie Hunt as Sally.

For Crow, the D23 performance bridges two decades of the 'Cars' franchise. 'Real Gone' opened the original film's soundtrack in 2006, a high-energy rock track that played over the movie's racing sequences. Now, twenty years on, Crow is supplying the music for the franchise's next chapter — aimed at Disney Jr.'s preschool audience rather than the theatrical crowd.

The D23 event, held at the Honda Center in Anaheim, is Disney's biennial fan convention, covering films, television, theme parks and streaming across the company's divisions. Crow's appearance fell within the Experiences Showcase, the segment focused on theme parks, resorts and consumer products.

For fans, the news means eleven new Sheryl Crow songs tied to the 'Cars' world, with 'Built to Last' as the first to be heard publicly. The rest will arrive alongside the series when it launches on Disney Jr. and Disney+ in 2027.