Cars 4: Everything we know about the possible new Pixar movie

It’s time to rev your engines, Lightning McQueen fans.

Jordana Shell

3 min read

January 11, 2024 - 12:51PM

Kids' Dream Cars 4 What Should the Next Sequel Look Like

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The Cars franchise has been a huge success for Pixar, and fans have been revving up the rumour mill for another installment for some time now.

In 2017, Cars 3 director Brian Fee explained that it was only the beginning for Lightning McQueen's character, hinting at another movie.

"Where the franchise goes from here, I have no idea what may be down the road, but I can tell you that for Lightning McQueen, as a character, I think by the end of the movie, it’s safe to say that this is only the beginning for him,” Fee said.

For those who haven’t seen the movie 1000 times, Cars follows talking race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), who gets lost in a desert town on his way to a race and is forced to complete community service before he can leave the town of Radiator Springs. The cocky racer eventually falls in love with the small town after spending time with the residents and learns a little humility.

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"The racing is the reward"

The Pixar movie series ranks high with merchandise profits among the studio's highest. In 2012, Forbes listed Cars as raking in an enormous $1.05 billion.

Jay Ward, creative director of the Cars franchise, said onThe Lake Brake Show, "There are more Cars things brewing, I can’t say much more yet. Cars has got a life that will keep going. I am working on some really fun projects right now that you will see in a couple of years. It takes us a while to make them."

It is almost guaranteed that Cars 4 would include Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen. The second actor returning for Cars 4 is likely Larry the Cable Guy as Mater. In an interview in 2020, Larry the Cable Guy said he would be "happy" to return to the franchise if there is a new movie.

Owen Wilson has talked about a possible return for another Lightning McQueen sequel, “I would imagine that if they do, do another one, it’ll be something pretty cool. But yeah maybe like Lightning McQueen in sort of like a thriller. Maybe that could be something,” Wilson told Cinema Blend in 2017.

Producers of Cars 3, Kevin Reher and Andrea Warren, told Collider they would love to keep exploring life as a highway (IYKYK).

"People ask, 'Is there a Cars 4?' and I say, 'If there’s a story.' But also, you want it to be the right story," Kevin said.

Andrea added, "You would never want to compromise the great legacy that the characters have, in the stories that are out there."

The first look at Cars 4. Source: Instagram Hypewip

So, where would the road take Lightning Mcqueen in Cars 4?

Die-hard Cars fans joined the chat to share what they see down the road for their beloved McQueen and friends.

“Honestly, I’d love to see the 4th Cars movie have more of a focus on the new rookies and Lightning teaching them, kind of like how Doc mentored Lightning,” says one fan.

“Basically, Cars 4 should be a road trip all the way to South America, just him and Sally. Where he meets street racers and finds his passion again," another added.

Many other people also pitched in saying he should run into the street racers from the first Cars.

"They run the show down there and bring back references from the first one. Like he meets another Drifter (Hudson), and gets arrested. And after being bailed out by Sally, he argues with her saying he doesn't feel special anymore, and he thinks he’s fading out. Mater comes over and reminds him, that he’s old but he still sees the beauty in life. [The] moral of the story, it's okay to get old and retire as long, as he has a family and something to show for it like helping that yellow car and his friends' city flourish again,” shares another Cars fanatic.

As a #boymom who has watched all the Cars movies more times than I'd like to count, I couldn't help but notice, in the image posted by HypeWhip, McQueen had side mirrors indicating that maybe the next movie will be about his retirement. For those in the know, race cars don't have rearvision mirrors!

But I'm just the mum. I had to ask the real experts, my boys.

Cooper, eight, thought that "Cruz Ramirez will train him again so that he will become a modern car."

Mason, six, is hoping for a prequel. "I want it to be like the Trolls movie where they go back to being babies and racing with Mater."

While nothing has been confirmed from the A113 studios, many sequels are either in the works or ready to be released. Toy Story 5 and Inside Out 2 (to be released in June) are yet to come. Disney is also creating more sequels like Zootopia 2 and Frozen 3.

Cars fans, let's repeat the mantra: "I am speed" daily and hopefully the executives over at Pixar will give us a release date soon!