Cars: Lightning Racers
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Caution! This article concerns upcoming material that has yet to release. The information within may be incomplete or subject to change. |
| Cars: Lightning Racers | |
|---|---|
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| Starring | Owen Wilson Larry the Cable Guy Tony Shalhoub Cheech Marin Bob Peterson John Ratzenberger
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| Executive producer(s) | Travis Braun Frank Montagna[1] |
| Producer(s) | Disney Television Animation • Pixar |
| Supervising director(s) | Nathan Chew[1] |
| Story editor(s) | Dana Starfield[1] |
| Original Release | July 2027[1][2]
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| Previous | Cars on the Road (2022) |
Cars: Lightning Racers is an upcoming series produced by Disney Television Animation in association with Pixar.[3] Slated for July 2027, the show will air on preschool network Disney Jr. before streaming on Disney+.
Premise
According to an official press release, Lightning McQueen and Mater prepare for "all-new adventures" in Radiator Springs.[1][3] "New friends" joining them include "thrill-seeking" drag car Pipes, and a "mud-loving" monster truck named Miles; Town regulars Ramone, Mack, and Luigi return, along with McQueen's longtime rival Chick Hicks.
Announcement
Lightning Racers was revealed on August 8, 2025, during the Disney Jr. Let's Play[4] "fan celebration" event at Anaheim's Disney California Adventure Park.[5] A leaked image from the live panel shows the logo and returning cast members; each actor is accompanied by a 2D representation of their respective character.[6]
A second image leaked on February 10, 2026. It featured concept art of Lightning McQueen, Mater, Luigi, Guido, Ramone, Flo and a tractor, alongside new characters Miles and Pipes.[7]
A promotional still with Lightning, Mater, Pipes, and Miles all gathered in front of Luigi's Casa Della Tires got revealed on April 13, 2026. The promotional still revealed that the show's animation style will be in 3D, but in a more "cartoony" aesthetic. On the same day, it was revealed on a Variety article that Sally, Sheriff, Fillmore, and Sarge will also be returning in the show.[8]
On June 25, 2026, three more new characters were confirmed to appear in the show in a Laughing Place article, those being Joey Lugnut, a trash truck friend of Lightning and Mater, Doc Dottie, and Odessa, a rival of Lightning.[9] On the exact same day, two more promotional stills got revealed. One featured Lightning jumping in the desert and sticking his tongue out; this is obviously a callback to the first Cars movie where Lightning made the exact same jump in the crash caused by Chick Hicks in the Dinoco 400. The other showed Lightning and Mater interacting near the Radiator Springs Courthouse. Something that these promotional stills revealed is that the animation style has been slightly altered for unknown reasons; the characters don't look as "chubby" and "cartoony" as they did in the first promotional still that got revealed in April. The promotional stills also showed that Lightning's paint job and tires have also changed a bit; unlike the original one, his new paint job features much more detailed lightning bolt designs and the normal version of his 95 on his sides. The new lightning bolt design is basically an amalgamation of the lightning bolt design from Lightning's rookie design and the lightning bolt design from his Cars 3 design, hence the small squares and the flames. The tires also now have the Lightyear text on them.[10]
On June 28, 2026, another promotional image was revealed, via an Instagram post made by supervising director Nathan Chew. The image featured Lightning with new tires, new lightning bolt decals, and a new spoiler, Mater with orange flame decals, and Miles and Pipes with new spoilers. Their new looks that were shown on the promotional image are presumably their "racing" designs. The image also revealed a logo for the show, as well as a background consisting of an orange and yellow checkered pattern. Strangely though, the characters are in their older, "chubbier" bodies that were shown in very first promotional still that got revealed on April 13, 2026. It is currently unknown what the final animation style for the show will be. [11]
Cast and characters
- Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen
- Larry the Cable Guy as Mater
- Tony Shalhoub as Luigi
- Cheech Marin as Ramone
- Bob Peterson as Chick Hicks
- John Ratzenberger as Mack
- Bonnie Hunt as Sally
- Guido Quaroni as Guido
- Michael Wallis as Sheriff
- Lloyd Sherr as Fillmore
- Paul Dooley as Sarge
- Jenifer Lewis as Flo
- Leah Lewis as Pipes, a "thrill-seeking" drag car[1]
- Yuri Lowenthal as Miles, a "mud loving monster truck"[1]
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Ms. Blinker, another brand new character[1]
- Joey Lugnut, a trash truck friend of Lightning McQueen and Mater[12]
- Doc Dottie, another brand new character[13]
- Odessa, a rival of Lightning McQueen[14]
Gallery
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Promotional still
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Promotional still
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Promotional still
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Disney Jr., the Powerhouse Brand Behind Streaming’s Top Preschool Series, Unveils New Slate at ‘Disney Jr. Let’s Play!’ Event" (August 8, 2025). The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ↑ "Disney Jr. Opens the Hood on "Cars: Lightning Racers" First Look at Annecy 2026" (June 25, 2026). Laughing Place. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Petski, Denise (August 8, 2025). "New ‘Cars’ & ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Series Ordered by Disney Jr.; ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+’ Renewed For 2 More Seasons; Castings & Premiere Dates". Deadline. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ↑ "‘Disney Jr. Let’s Play!’ Campaign Launches Across The Walt Disney Company" (June 4, 2025). The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ↑ Zahed, Ramin (August 8, 2025). "Disney Jr. Announces New Shows Based on Pixar’s ‘Cars’ and ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ at Special Event in Anaheim". Animation Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
- ↑ Archived image (original source not known).
- ↑ https://x.com/garfieldmovnews/status/2021235890903711845?s=46
- ↑ "Bonnie Hunt, Jenifer Lewis and Paul Dooley Join Disney Jr’s ‘Cars: Lightning Racers’ Voice Cast (EXCLUSIVE)" (April 13, 2026). Variety. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Disney Jr. Opens the Hood on "Cars: Lightning Racers" First Look at Annecy 2026" (June 25, 2026). Laughing Place. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ "First look at ‘Cars: Lightning Racers’, revealed by Laughing Place." (June 25, 2026). X. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ [1] (June 28, 2026). Instagram. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
- ↑ "Disney Jr. Opens the Hood on "Cars: Lightning Racers" First Look at Annecy 2026"
- ↑ "Disney Jr. Opens the Hood on "Cars: Lightning Racers" First Look at Annecy 2026"
- ↑ "Disney Jr. Opens the Hood on "Cars: Lightning Racers" First Look at Annecy 2026"
[Edit] Cars: Lightning Racers
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| Characters | Lightning McQueen • Mater • Luigi • Ramone • Chick Hicks • Mack • Sally • Guido • Sheriff • Fillmore • Sarge • Flo • Tractors • Miles • Pipes • Ms. Blinker • Joey Lugnut • Doc Dottie • Odessa | |
| Related | Disney Jr. • Disney+ | |