Pixar's 'Cars' Returns to Theaters for Its 20th Anniversary

Pixar's Cars is heading back to cinemas. The 2006 animated film will return to theatres beginning 4 September 2026 for its 20th anniversary, with Disney and Pixar rolling out a year-long celebration that stretches from drive-in screens to the Formula 1 paddock at Monza (Variety).

The original film, directed by John Lasseter and produced by Darla K. Anderson, follows a hotshot rookie race car named Lightning McQueen who gets stranded in a rundown desert town and learns that winning isn't everything. Owen Wilson voices McQueen, Paul Newman voices the seasoned Doc Hudson, Larry the Cable Guy plays the tow truck Mater, and Bonnie Hunt voices Sally. Randy Newman composed the score. The film won Best Animated Film at the 2007 Golden Globes and picked up two Academy Award nominations the same year — for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (Variety).

Special anniversary screenings are set for the Tee-Pipe Drive-In and the Tulsa Circle Cinema, giving fans a chance to see the film on the big screen again — or for the first time. Beyond the cinema, Disney has built a calendar of tie-ins with real-world racing series and automotive institutions.

The racing connections are loud. A life-size Lightning McQueen and a Cars-wrapped Mercedes safety car will appear at the Formula 1 Gran Premio D'Italia at Monza in September, where fans can browse a dedicated Cars Collection for Formula 1. Earlier in the year, the anniversary touched down at NASCAR's Daytona 500 in February with a dedicated activation. Back at Disney's D23 fan event in July, the company showcased its Chevrolet partnership on the show floor, displaying a Chevrolet Colorado and a Bolt in Cars-inspired wraps (The Walt Disney Company).

Life-size Cars exhibits are also planned at motor museums on both sides of the Atlantic: the Beaulieu National Motor Museum in England, the National Automobile Museum in Italy, and the Petersen Automotive Museum and the National Automobile Museum in the United States (Variety).

For fans who want to watch from home, the first Cars film is streaming on Disney+, alongside a musical reimagining called Pixar Remix: Cars Rules of the Road. Cars 3, released in theatres in 2017, is also available on the platform.

For a film about a race car learning to slow down, the anniversary campaign is moving fast.