It appears Pixar Animation Studio, a division of Disney, may be planning for a “Cars 4” movie thanks to an online survey recently released by D23, the official Disney fan club, in Brazil.
MovieWeb.com had some of the details:
The survey asked fans which project they’re most looking forward to at the Disney-centric convention. Surprisingly, Cars 4 was listed among the movies. Cars 4 hasn’t officially been announced by Disney or Pixar, and some audiences believed Cars 3 was the definitive end to the franchise. It is now expected that Disney will announce the fourth installment very soon to get ahead of the leak.
The Hollywood Handle also flagged the online survey that listed “Cars 4” as among the forthcoming films.
The first Disney-Pixar “Cars” animated movie in 2006 grossed more than $460 million and sparked a new influx of Route 66 travelers because much of the film took place in the fictional Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.
Many characters and settings in “Cars” were inspired by real-life people and places along Route 66. You can read more about those links in this story from 2006, which remains the most popular on Route 66 News all these years later.
Sequels of “Cars 2” and “Cars 3” followed in 2011 and 2017 respectively, to lackluster reviews and so-so box-office numbers.
But Comicbook.com pointed out that Disney-Pixar has benefited from the “Cars” franchise not just because of ticket sales:
Since 2006, Disney/Pixar has released tons of Cars themed merchandise that has pocketed them more money than ticket sales ever have. With over $10 billion in sales within the first five years, it quickly became the second most profitable of all time, second only to Star Wars. Most recently, a leak revealed a video game collaboration between the franchise and Fortnite.
In early 2025, several new Cars attractions will break ground at Magic Kingdom, as announced at this year’s D23. It wouldn’t be the first Cars themed attraction at the Disney parks — Disneyland has a whole area dedicated to buzzing Radiator Springs while in Disneyland Paris, guests cruise along Route 66. This new ride reimagines things a bit, but it opening alongside a new Cars film could certainly lead to a renewed interest.
A new “Cars” movie naturally would rekindle interest in the original film and, in turn, Route 66 itself.
(Screen-capture image from “Cars” teaser trailer of Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen)