Cars On The Road Brings Back Lightning McQueen And Mater For A Disney+ Series

Just when you thought "Cars 3" was the end of the road for Lightning McQueen, Disney+ Day comes along and brings back the sentient automobiles whose world has confounded us for years. Disney and Pixar have announced "Cars on the Road," a new animated series coming to Disney+ in 2022. Lightning McQueen and his tow truck buddy Mater will be hitting the road, and it looks like they'll be running into some "Mad Max" inspired automobiles, giant dinosaur cars, and more.

Though no details were provided beyond a few pieces of concept art (seen above and below), this looks like some kind of anthology series where Lightning McQueen and Mater (voiced by Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy) will go on a variety of adventures with some wild "Cars" creations. It appears the two friends get caught up in a team of post-apocalyptic cars that look straight out of the world of "Mad Max." Hopefully they'll be shiny and chrome. 

Then there's those monster truck inspired dinosaurs who are chasing after Lightning and Mater. You'll notice that the two car compadres have more pronounced eyebrow ridges and whiskers, which tells us that this is a story imagining the characters as cave cars. Are these stories being told by Lightning and Mater while on the road? 

Finally, we've got this shot of Lightning McQueen on the run from a big ole truck. Is this another wild story like the pieces of concept art seen above, or is this a scene from what could be the framework for the show? It's certainly the least fantastical of the images revealed, but maybe it's some kind of campfire tale with Lightning on the run from a monster (truck) in the woods.

Disney / Pixar

As someone who doesn't really enjoy the "Cars" franchise, I must say that I was impressed by "Cars 3." However, this series looks like it's more about having fun with the characters rather than telling a meaningful story with them. That's fine for the kids that this series is obviously geared towards, but I just wish Pixar wouldn't taint their legacy with more projects like this. This feels like a cash grab to keep the "Cars" brand alive and come up with new toys to sell. While the same could be said of any Disney property, it feels especially true with a franchise that's based around sentient vehicles that can easily be sold as toy cars. 

"Cars on the Road" doesn't have a specific release date, but it will hit Disney+ sometime in 2022.