About Cars
Disney Pixar Cars is one of the most successful animated franchises in cinema history, featuring the iconic red race car Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson. Since the first film's release in 2006, the Cars brand has generated nearly $10 billion in merchandise sales, making it one of Disney's most lucrative properties. Lightning McQueen—racing number 95, a reference to 1995 when Pixar's first film Toy Story was released—was developed by John Lasseter and co-director Joe Ranft. The character's design incorporates elements from GT40s and Dodge Charger SRT-8s, with his personality inspired by athletic legends including Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath, and Michael Jordan. The franchise spans multiple films (Cars, Cars 2, Cars 3), animated series (Cars Toons, Cars on the Road), video games, and theme park attractions including the 12-acre Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. In 2025, a new series titled Cars: Lightning Racers was announced for Disney Jr. At launch, Cars merchandise broke all records for Disney-Pixar products, recording 10-to-1 more sales volume than Finding Nemo. Within two weeks of the first film's release, merchandise sales reached $600 million, climbing to $1 billion by year's end. Today, Cars-branded products include everything from toys and die-cast vehicles (manufactured by Mattel) to lunch bags, water bottles, backpacks, clothing, cakes, and bedroom accessories. The brand remains hugely popular with children, offering endless racing-themed products featuring Lightning McQueen and his friends including Mater, Sally, and others. Grocefully helps UK shoppers compare prices on Disney Pixar Cars products across supermarkets.

