History YMMV / Cars

* CommonKnowledge: Despite popular belief, Lightning [=McQueen=] was NOT named after Creator/{{Steve McQueen|Actor}}. Rather, he was named after Glenn [=McQueen=]; a supervising animator at Pixar who died in 2002. Regardless, one cannot help but compare Lightning to Steve given how the latter was a race car enthusiast.

* FountainOfMemes: Practically everything Lightning, Mater, or Chick Hicks have said has become a highly quotable meme at some point, with all three characters having LargeHam over-the-top personalities]] and hilariously memorable lines.

* BestLevelEver: Monster Truck Mayhem, for being a awesome [[RuleOfCool monster truck destruction derby]] with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtQef7ToVCI really cool backing music]]. This race was so popular that the sequel games added even more races like it!

* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The ''VideoGame/{{Cars}}'' video game is considered to be a decent open world racing game.

* EstrogenBrigade:
** Lightning [=McQueen=] is very popular amongst female fans, if all the fanart he gets online is evidence enough.

** Schizophrenic [=McQueen=]/"Pull off your skin!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A tiktok username under the name of [=LukeyDumper=] uploaded a clip of himself saying the word "I don't like the way my skin feels on my body. Do you like the way your skin feels on your body? You don't? Why don't you pull it off? Pull off your skin" as a part of macro trend of schizoposting. For some reason, viewers thought he sounds like [=McQueen=] himself, which prompts fans to associate him with the eponymous car, and subsequently creates multiple low quality edits of [=McQueen=] quoting something unhinged like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rwi48N_9N8&ab_channel=NINE-UP strapping your gas tanks with bombs and causes havoc]] or [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67rwfPtdj_s incite chaos by murdering a cop and break the law]].[[/labelnote]]

** Hell, pretty much any male character in the franchise qualifies for this. Whenever a male character is introduced, expect them to be very popular with female fans.

* MemeticMutation: It's now something of a common internet joke to [[{{Pun}} take apart the internal workings]] of the franchise's central premise and examine it in painstaking detail, which usually causes it to either produce [[FridgeHorror horrifying results]] or to [[StealthPun fall apart]]. For example, Sarge is a 1941 Willys Model Jeep, a vehicle created for usage in WWII, which implies that there was a Cars WWII, which means there was a Car Hitler, which implies there was a [[CrossesTheLineTwice Cars Holocaust]], and so on.

* CommonKnowledge: Despite popular belief, Lightning [=McQueen=] was NOT named after Creator/SteveMcQueen. Rather, he was named after Glenn [=McQueen=]; a supervising animator at Pixar who died in 2002. Regardless, one cannot help but compare Lightning to Steve given how the latter was a race car enthusiast.

!!YMMV tropes that apply to the movie:
* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Some have theorised that Lightning developed StockholmSyndrome during his forced stay in Radiator Springs: lost, confused, not allowed to speak to a lawyer or try to call anyone, locked up and forced into heavy labor until he ends up screaming for help from a passing pair of minivans before his view of Radiator Springs and its inhabitants does an abrupt 180.
* AwardSnub: Its competitors for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature were ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' and ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHouse'', and ''Happy Feet'' won. On the other hand, 2006 was considered to be a generally bad year for animated films, and while ''Cars'' has a healthier shelf life than its competition, it's not by much.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdimnI4Xtc0&ab_channel=SherylCrow-Topic "Real Gone"]] by Music/SherylCrow is an upbeat, catchy track that sums up the aesop of the movie.
** Music/RascalFlatts' cover of Tom Cochran's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-ZUrc-aLI&ab_channel=RascalFlatts-Topic "Life is a Highway"]]. It may not be as good as the original but is still a fun beat.
** The mood-altering song, "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGlmCShMQpI Our Town]]". A Music/JamesTaylor song that details the glory days and then the fall to obsolescence for Radiator Springs. Rich with heartfelt emotion.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_q3GxxdVVU McQueen and Sally.]] A perfect score for their budding, emboldened romance.
* BaseBreakingCharacter: Mater, mostly due to all the adlibbing from Creator/LarryTheCableGuy. While most will agree that the character works best in doses, people are split between those who find him to be hilarious, and those who find him obnoxious and painful to listen to. He would only grow more divisive in ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', where he was made the main focus of the film.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: When the paparazzi find Lightning in Radiator Springs and shine a spotlight on him, Mater yells "It's the ghost light!", and the movie makes no reference to this and no attempt to explain what he's talking about. Slightly played with in that this is actually a reference to a short that comes with the DVD, but if you're watching it in theaters or on TV this context is removed. Mater does mention the Ghostlight in the background of one scene earlier in the film, but you'd have to be a Route 66 buff to catch on.
* BrokenBase:
** ''Cars'' is easily one of Pixar's most divisive films. While there are those who find it just as good as any other Pixar film, the people who dislike it consider it a dumb concept by Pixar's standards and consider it to be their [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 now-second]] weakest film. [[TakeAThirdOption There are also those]] who like it despite it not being Pixar's best. The fact that this was the first film released after Pixar merged with Disney (though produced before said merger) and Creator/JohnLasseter became Disney Animation Head didn't help matters.
** Many older fans see the franchise as something of a downturn for Creator/{{Pixar}} as a whole. In general, a lot of the disdain for the franchise stems from its perceived CreatorsFavorite status--after all, the sequel was greenlit on the press tour of the first movie and making it the second Pixar franchise to get a full trilogy after ''Franchise/ToyStory'', and that's on top of Disney releasing a pair of theatrically-released spin-offs. All of this in spite of the consensus that the movies represent a low point for the company. That it's also a MerchandiseDriven (no pun intended) property does not do anything to alleviate the situation, with many accusing the sequels of being made only as a cash-grab. The common sentiment among these older fans is that the movies simply aren't worthy of the embellishment that Pixar has placed upon them, and that the company's efforts would be better reserved for creating new movies that are up to the company's usual quality or creating sequels to more beloved films like ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''[[note]]which did ultimately happen, albeit much later than most fans were expecting[[/note]]. That being said, the series does have its fans, especially among younger viewers who look at ''Cars'' as a GatewaySeries for Pixar, and the third movie's trailer--with the DarkerAndEdgier tone and the stunning visual effects--has indicated that Pixar is taking the franchise as seriously as any other property they've put work into.
* ClicheStorm: Many critics write off this film as one of these. They point out things like the stranger in a QuirkyTown, a brooding moment from one of the side characters, [[StraightManAndWiseGuy the wacky sidekick who forms a comedic duo with the main character]], and the PlotMandatedFriendshipFailure with the whole town. Then at the end, the town change their mind and want him back in the group, with the stranger accepting their friendship.

* CriticalDissonance:
** While it received the weakest reviews of any Pixar film at the time, the audience response was much more positive. It also won the first Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
** As adults can explain, kids ''love'' Cars, but the older viewers were a little more lukewarm on it.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: [=McQueen=] delivers a less than flattering response when he's called out for not properly fixing Radiator Springs' road.
-->'''Sally''': It looks awful!
-->'''[=McQueen=]''': [[{{Jerkass}} Well, it matches the rest of the town]].
-->[''everyone [[{{Gasp}} gasps]]'']
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** The four tuner cars: DJ, Boost, Wingo and Snot Rod, who messed with Mack on the highway and inadvertently got [=McQueen=] lost in Radiator Springs are among the most [[OneSceneWonder memorable]] characters for their cool designs. As a result, they've returned in several of the games.
** Not Chuck is very famous for his lines: "YOU NEED TIRES, YOU IDIOT!" and "AND MY NAME IS NOT CHUCK!" and that he doesn't have a real name, despite appearing very little and only at the beginning of the movie.

** Hell, pretty much any male character in the franchise qualifies for this trope. Whenever a male character is introduced, expect them to be very popular with female fans.
* FanNickname: ''VideoGame/ChoroQ: [[SpiritualAdaptation The Movie]]''
%%* GeniusBonus: Francesco Bernoulli is named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli_effect air-flow physics]] that is used by UsefulNotes/FormulaOne cars' characteristic wings to obtain [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downforce downforce]].
* HarsherInHindsight:
** Connect Doc's "they quit on me" speech with the fact that this was one of Paul Newman's last major roles. It gets worse when you realize that his death threw a wrench into Pixar’s plans to give Doc a bigger role in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 second movie]], and lead to the character being revealed to have [[KilledOffscreen died offscreen]] in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 third film.]]
** Also note a movie about cars when a major player in Disney and Pixar, Creator/JoeRanft, had died in a car accident the year prior, a fate that claimed the life of [[Creator/DisneysNineOldMen Wolfgang "Woolie" Reithermann]] 20 years prior and nearly claimed former studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg's life 10 years later.
** After Lightning discovers [[spoiler: Doc's past as a famous race car before a [[CareerEndingInjury crash]],]] he's amazed and tells him about how they are [[NotSoDifferentRemark similar]], to which Doc immediately denies. In ''Cars 3'', Lightning [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3DouVH8E44 gets into a devastating crash]] similar to [[spoiler: Doc's]].
* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Doc claims that he never got a chance to show off what was left of him. Considering that the third film used dialog that Paul Newman himself previously recorded during production as John Lasetter was keen on him remaining the voice of Doc, he ultimately did get to show a little more of him.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** One of the supporting characters is a diminutive and lovable forklift named ''Guido''... damn you ''Series/JerseyShore''...
** ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' did a spoof that mentioned (among other things) that they cut an appearance by the "Popemobile" at the last second. Well, guess what actually appears in the sequel...
** Fillmore's claim that oil companies were running a conspiracy that prevented his organic fuel from being better publicized is this after the second film focused on an actual conspiracy regarding oil corporations.
** In the Italian dub, the Ferrari F430 is still voiced by Michael Schumacher... So the classic Italian car speaks with a ''German'' accent.
** Five years before ''Cars'' was released, ''WesternAnimation/{{Wunschpunsch}}'' has the episode "Car Wars", wherein Bubonic and Tyrannia's Spell Of The Week turned all humans (except Bubonic and Tyrannia themselves) into living cars, [[UnbuiltTrope with the problems that would occur in such a world being clearly pointed out]].
** While on Schumacher's racing, in the last race the title can go to either a rising newcomer, the defending champion and the eternal runner-up, with the last one taking it. It's either the 2006 Piston Cup ([=McQueen=], The King and Hicks) or the 2007 Usefulnotes/FormulaOne championship (Creator/LewisHamilton, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen).
** With its California location, bowl shape, "torch", and Roman coliseum inspired architecture, the racetrack for the tie-breaker race is clearly based on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, only as a racetrack. In 2022 Nascar would actually host an event, the Busch Light Clash, at the actual Coliseum.
* HoYay: [[NewAgeRetroHippie Fillmore]] and [[DrillSergeantNasty Sarge]] have lots of this. Despite their [[OddCouple clashing personalities]], the two are almost inseparable. The two are almost always next to each other, Sarge is even shown sleeping next to Fillmore in "[[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts Unidentified Flying Mater]]". ''Twice''. Some of the toy packaging go as far as describing the duo as being "Unable to live without one another."
* InformedWrongness: Much is made about Lightning's arrogance, but the other cars in Radiator Springs ''refused'' to hear his side of the story. Sally all but dismisses him while Doc treats him with complete contempt. While Lightning was a jerk, he was placed into an unwinnable situation. This is treated as justifiable because well, ''Lightning was a jerk.''
* MemeticMutation:
** It's now something of a common internet joke to [[{{Pun}} take apart the internal workings]] of the franchise's central premise and examine it in painstaking detail, which usually causes it to either produce [[FridgeHorror horrifying results]] or to [[StealthPun fall apart]]. For example, Sarge is a 1941 Willys Model Jeep, a vehicle created for usage in WWII, which implies that there was a Cars WWII, which means there was a Car Hitler, which implies there was a [[CrossesTheLineTwice Cars Holocaust]], and so on.
*** Along the same lines, the existence of the Pope in-universe implies there was a car Jesus (further implied by another car saying "For the love of Chrysler"), which naturally invites discussion as to [[MindScrew how He was crucified]].
*** In ''WesternAnimation/Cars2'', a post went viral in 2022 for noting that the existence of [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror modern airport security standards]] implies that the Cars universe [[CrossesTheLineTwice had a 9/11.]]
** KACHOW![[note]]Lightning's CatchPhrase, which has gained infamy for how ''[[NarmCharm cheesy]]'' it sounds.[[/note]]
*** KACHIGGA![[note]]Chick Hicks' CatchPhrase, often done in response to the above.[[/note]]
*** [[https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/240/860/528.png kerchoo]], a distortion of Lightning's CatchPhrase that also puts his pupils on his headlights for [[NightmareFuel some reason]].
** "He did WHAT in his cup?!"
** "I am speed"[[labelnote:Explanation]]One of Lightning's catch phrases, [[NoPunctuationIsFunnier quoted without punctuation to make it look sillier]], used as a reaction to anything being done fast.[[/labelnote]]
** "Hey I know this might be a bad time right now. But, you owe me $32,000 in legal fees."
** "What the fuck is Chick Hicks doing at [insert some random, most likely unfortunate, historic event]?"[[labelnote:Explanation]][[RuleofFunny For whatever reason]], People took to photoshopping Chick Hicks into pictures of historic events, often combining it with BlackComedy (like the assasination of Julius Caesar, a rally in Nazi Germany, or [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the 2006 Piston Cup tie-breaker race from the film]])[[/labelnote]]
** Guido's super-fast pit stop.[[labelnote:Explanation]]The stop, which a [=YouTube video=] comparing it to that of UsefulNotes/FormulaOne's fastest clocked at 2.82 seconds, is needlessly and endlessly compared to other pit stops in other real-life racing series.[[/labelnote]]
** "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need Marsha and Ron Barnes to come up and get their child at the concession stand, thank you."[[labelnote:Explanation]]In a common "telesync" bootleg recording of the film, [[https://mobile.twitter.com/outofcontexttrb/status/1380325401038307328 the audio stops at one point for a theater staff member to ask the parents of a lost child to come up to the concession stand to get their child]]. The abruptness of the announcement has led to a few jokes.[[/labelnote]]
* MisaimedFandom: The Delinquent Road Hazards, who were responsible for Lightning falling out of his transport truck, were meant to be a gang of dislikable street punks, to the point that the animators modeled them after contemporary "RiceBurner" cars of the time. Strangely enough, the fandom [[EnsembleDarkhorse completely fell in love with them]] and they even got their own (very popular) toys despite their [[AdvertisedExtra limited screen time]], making enough fan art and fanfiction centering on them to impress even the most hardened Internet warrior.
* MoralEventHorizon: Chick Hicks, the film's antagonist, was already bad due to his dirty racing tactics, but at the end when he [[spoiler:purposely runs The King off the road -- causing his crippling crash -- and has no remorse for it]], he unsurprisingly loses all his fans.
-->'''Chick Hicks:''' I am not coming behind you again, old man!
* NarmCharm: The film's {{Aesop}} of "Life's about the journey, not the destination" might be an obvious, almost eye-rolling, message especially given the unsublte connection to the film's premise(a world made of sentient vehicles). But its one so heartwarming that even some of the film's detractors legitimately seem to like it.
* OneSceneWonder:
** Ferrari F430, voiced by Michael Schumacher, makes his brief appearance near the end of the movie.
** The Delinquent Road Hazards only appear in one scene early on ([[spoiler:and again in a mid-credits scene]]) where they torment a sleeping Mack and cause Lightning to get lost, but are fondly remembered for their cool designs.

* SignatureLine: "I am speed".
* SignatureScene:
** The slow-mo shot of Lightning jumping the wreckage during the opening race.
** The drive to California, mostly thanks to its SceneryPorn montage with Mack and Lightning's journey and "Life is a Highway".
** The race between Lightning and Doc at Willy’s Butte.
** Lightning and Sally’s romantic drive to the Wheel Well.
** Doc showing his real driving, especially the slow-mo shot of him drifting through the rather sharp turn.
** The entirety of the California tiebreaker race.
* SignatureSong: "Real Gone", "Life is a Highway" and "Route 66".
* SoOkayItsAverage: The general consensus of the first film (and to an extent, the series as a whole): not awful, but nowhere near Pixar's expected level of quality. In fact, before ''Cars 2'' came along and took the title, Pixar fans loved to brag that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools even their worst movie was still]] ''[[Administrivia/TropesAreTools good]]''.
* SpecialEffectFailure: While the rest of the animation looks fantastic for 2006 standards, the dust effects are where the film starts to show its age a bit, being particularly noticeable when [[spoiler:Doc shows off his racing skills.]]
* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: The movie got hit with a bit of this by being accused of copying the plot of ''Film/DocHollywood''. It isn't completely without merit given the heavy similarities; both are about a character who is trying to get to their next big gig (big city plastic surgeon vs. the Piston Cup), only to get sidetracked in a small, run-down town when they commit a crime forcing them into community service and therefore trapping them in the town until they complete it. Both also feature a romantic subplot and [[spoiler:with both characters eventually returning to where they got stuck.]] In fact, it was bad enough that the creators of the film got accused of plagiarism on a few occasions, though they have repeatedly denied these claims.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A minority of ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' fans have half-joked that it would have been really funny to have Creator/BenStiller cameo as a Derek Zoolander {{expy}} as one of Lightning's rivals as an ActorAllusion for Creator/OwenWilson.
* UnintentionallySympathetic: Yes, [=McQueen=] is still an arrogant jerkwad that destroyed the road at this point, but he did it completely unintentionally and was lost, panicked and confused when he destroyed it. Having lost his ride, gotten lost in an unfamiliar location trying to catch up, and then gets chased by a cop who he thinks is shooting at him, and then he gets forced to fix the road without ever getting a chance to explain himself, with any attempt made afterwards getting immediately shot down by the other characters. And then there’s the whole fan theory about him developing StockholmSyndrome during his forced stay.
* TheWoobie: If you notice very hard in the "Our Town" sequence, Mater had a coat of sky blue in the flashback. When customers stopped coming to Radiator Springs and business closed and all the cars are looking at the empty road, the first car to leave in disbelief is Mater. Plus, he is the one who has physically changed the most - most of his paint has completely flaked off. And in the present, he's probably the most crazy of the bunch. Evidently, he took the by-pass the hardest.
* {{Woolseyism}}:
** During the chase scene between [=McQueen=] and Sheriff, [=McQueen=] starts zigzagging because he thinks Sheriff is shooting at him (he's actually backfiring), to which Sheriff responds by calling him a crazy hot rodder. In the Spanish dub, he wonders if [=McQueen=]'s a taxi cab, which is arguably funnier than the generic hot rodder line.
** In the Norwegian dub, during the credits scene where Mack complains about the using of the same voice actors has been repurposed a little. Since none of John Ratzenberger's characters have the same voice actor in the Norwegian dub, but [[Franchise/ToyStory Woody]] and [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Mike]] do, the Norwegian Mack instead complain that those characters have the same voice actor.
** In the Japanese dub, instead of Mater describing his name as "'Tuhmater' (tomato) without the 'Tuh'", he instead describes it as "'Motor' with an 'a'"; this is, of course, since the original description would only make sense to people who are familiar with UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents, which Mater obviously lacks in the dub.
** Two from the Italian dub:
*** Luigi is voiced by Marco Della Noce, a comedian then mostly known for his Ferrari-themed sketches where he tells how he messed up with Michael Schumacher, just to make Luigi's meeting with a Ferrari F430 voiced by Michael Schumacher (maintained in the Italian dub) even funnier.
*** In the Italian dub, Guido's habit of speaking exclusively in Italian is changed in the dialect of Modena, the city closest to Ferrari's base.
!!YMMV tropes that apply to the tie-in game:

** Connect Doc's "they quit on me" speech with the fact that this was one of Paul Newman's last major roles. It gets worse when you realize that his death threw a wrench into Pixar’s plans to give Doc a bigger role in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 second movie]], and lead to the character being revealed to have [[KilledOffscreen died offscreen]] in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 third film.]

** Connect Doc's "they quit on me" speech with the fact that this was one of Paul Newman's last major roles. It gets worse when you realize that his death threw a wrench into Pixar’s plans to give Doc a bigger role in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 second movie]], and lead to the character being revealed to have [[KilledOffscreen died offscreen]] in the [[WesternAnimation/Cars3 third.]

** Connect Doc's "they quit on me" speech with the fact that this was one of Paul Newman's last major roles.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Yes, McQueen is still an arrogant jerkwad that destroyed the road at this point, but he did it completely unintentionally and was lost, panicked and confused when he destroyed it. Having lost his ride, gotten lost in an unfamiliar location trying to catch up, and then gets chased by a cop who he thinks is shooting at him, and then he gets forced to fix the road without ever getting a chance to explain himself. And then there’s the whole fan theory about him developing StockholmSyndrome during his forced stay.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: A minority of ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' fans have half-joked that it would have been really funny to have Creator/BenStiller cameo as a Derrick Zoolander {{expy}} as one of Lightning's rivals as an ActorAllusion for Creator/OwenWilson.

** "What the fuck is Chick Hicks doing at [insert some random, most likely unfortunate, historic event]?"[[labelnote:Explanation]][[RuleofFunny For whatever reason]], People took to photoshopping Chick Hicks into pictures of historic events, often combining it with BlackComedy (like the assasination of Julius Caesar, a rally in Nazi Germany, or [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers the 2006 Piston Cup tie-breaker race from the film]])[[/labelnote]]

*** Along the same lines, the existence of the Pope in-universe implies there was a car Jesus, which naturally invites discussion as to [[MindScrew how He was crucified]].

* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** The four tuner cars: DJ, Boost, Wingo and Snot Rod, who messed with Mack on the highway and inadvertently got [=McQueen=] lost in Radiator Springs are among the most [[OneSceneWonder memorable]] characters for their cool designs. As a result, they've returned in several of the games.
** Not Chuck is very famous for his lines: "YOU NEED TIRES, YOU IDIOT!" and "AND MY NAME IS NOT CHUCK!" and that he doesn't have a real name, despite appearing very little and only at the beginning of the movie.

* GeniusBonus: Francesco Bernoulli is named after the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernoulli_effect air-flow physics]] that is used by UsefulNotes/FormulaOne cars' characteristic wings to obtain [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downforce downforce]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdimnI4Xtc0&ab_channel=SherylCrow-Topic "Real Gone"]] by Sheryl Crow is an upbeat, catchy track that sums up the aesop of the movie.
** Rascal Flatts's cover of Tom Cochran's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh-ZUrc-aLI&ab_channel=RascalFlatts-Topic "Life is a Highway"]]. It may not be as good as the original but is still a fun beat.

** ''Cars'' is easily one of Pixar's most divisive films. While there are those who find it just as good as any other Pixar film, the people who dislike it consider it a dumb concept by Pixar's standards and consider it to be their [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 now-second]] weakest film. [[TakeAThirdOption There are also those]] who like it despite it not being Pixar's best. The fact that this was the first film released after Pixar merged with Disney (though produced before said merger) and Creator/JohnLasetter became Disney Animation Head didn't help matters.

** ''Cars'' is easily one of Pixar's most divisive films. While there are those who find it just as good as any other Pixar film, the people who dislike it consider it a dumb concept by Pixar's standards and consider it to be their [[WesternAnimation/Cars2 now-second]] weakest film. [[TakeAThirdOption There are also those]] who like it despite it not being Pixar's best. The fact that this was the first film released after Pixar merged with Disney (though produced before said merger) and John Lasetter became Disney Animation Head didn't help matters.
** Many older fans see the franchise as something of a downturn for Creator/{{Pixar}} as a whole. In general, a lot of the disdain for the franchise stems from its perceived CreatorsFavorite status--after all, the sequel was greenlit on the press tour of the first movie and making it the second Pixar franchise to get a full trilogy after ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', and that's on top of Disney releasing a pair of theatrically-released spin-offs. All of this in spite of the consensus that the movies represent a low point for the company. That it's also a MerchandiseDriven (no pun intended) property does not do anything to alleviate the situation, with many accusing the sequels of being made only as a cash-grab. The common sentiment among these older fans is that the movies simply aren't worthy of the embellishment that Pixar has placed upon them, and that the company's efforts would be better reserved for creating new movies that are up to the company's usual quality or creating sequels to more beloved films like ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles''[[note]]which did ultimately happen, albeit much later than most fans were expecting[[/note]]. That being said, the series does have its fans, especially among younger viewers who look at ''Cars'' as a GatewaySeries for Pixar, and the third movie's trailer--with the DarkerAndEdgier tone and the stunning visual effects--has indicated that Pixar is taking the franchise as seriously as any other property they've put work into.

** In the Norwegian dub, during the credits scene where Mack complains about the using of the same voice actors has been repurposed a little. Since none of John Ratzenberger's characters have the same voice actor in the Norwegian dub, but [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Woody]] and [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc Mike]] do, the Norwegian Mack instead complain that those characters have the same voice actor.