While people’s feelings about the Cars franchise are varied, it’s a classic for a reason. It’s a great example of how Pixar has never been afraid to lean into the “What if X had feelings?” formula. The Cars films were some of the first to begin this trend, establishing a world where society is not run by humanity, but instead by sentient cars with feelings. However, there are multiple reasons why Cars is a divisive series. For instance, Cars 2 is regarded as a classic by some, but it was the first Pixar film to break the studio’s streak of Oscar nominations.
In addition, the rules of the Cars universe are so confusing that even Cars‘ voice actors don’t understand the movies’ universe. It is difficult to watch Cars without wondering about the details of the world it takes place in. There are sidewalks without people to walk on them, for example. Details like this could imply the existence of humans in the universe’s history, but there are other details that still don’t make sense if humans once existed in the Cars universe.
Creative Director Jay Ward Believes There Were Once Humans In The Cars Universe
The Cars’ Personalities Could Have Originated From Their Drivers
According to Cars creative director Jay Ward, the cars of the Cars universe could be an extension of modern self-driving car technology (via Screen Crush). Ward suggested that cars simply left humanity behind, having no need of them anymore.
Imagine in the near-future when the cars keep getting smarter and smarter and after one day they just go, ‘Why do we need human beings anymore? They’re just slowing us down. It’s just extra weight, let’s get rid of them.’ But the car takes on the personality of the last person who drove it.
While this is not necessarily canon, it could be an explanation for why the world around them looks so similar to ours. Ward’s theory suggests that the cars were initially created by humans but have now developed past their original creators. Ward suggests that some of the details of the cars’ personalities came from their drivers, implying that some of Cars‘ continuity errors stem from the cars inserting themselves into history they weren’t actually part of.
If Ward’s theory is true, it raises the question of why cars were specifically the type of artificial intelligence to gain sentience, as similar types of technology are used in many other industries today. It’s possible that the humans in the Cars universe were very specifically focused on the development of transportation technology and some of those other types of technology were not as developed as they have been in the real world.
Sentient Automobiles Getting Rid Of Humans Makes Cars Way More Disturbing
The Cars Could Be The Species That Started The Apocalypse
Though Cars has been dark for a Pixar franchise for a while now, Ward’s theory makes Cars a lot darker, as it could suggest that some of the franchise’s main characters or their ancestors could have been involved in the wiping out of an entire species. Since we don’t know whether the theory is true, this also means that if it is true, we don’t know how long ago humans might have been wiped out. It’s possible that even the heroes of the franchise could have taken on the personalities of their original drivers.
If Ward’s theory is true, once the cars gained sentience, they decided that the best course of action was to entirely wipe out humanity.
While the end of human society in the Cars universe would be dark regardless, Ward’s comment that the cars might have gone, “Let’s just get rid of them” adds another layer of horror to it. This would suggest that the Cars universe is not only an apocalyptic future where humanity has been wiped out, but that we are watching the society that has been built by humanity’s destroyers. If Ward’s theory is true, once the cars gained sentience, they decided that the best course of action was to entirely wipe out humanity.
Some dates are shown in the Cars movies, showing that cars have been sentient going back into the 20th century. Ward’s theory suggests that if the cars only gained sentience with the development of self-driving cars, the actions they’re remembering were actually done by their drivers before the cars took on aspects of their personalities. This makes the franchise darker not only because of the murder of humans but also because of the ᴀssimilation of their personalities.
I’m Not Entirely Convinced There Were Once Humans In The Cars Universe
Many Aspects Of The Cars Franchise Point To The World Just Being Entirely Populated By Cars
There are reasons why Ward’s theory doesn’t really make sense with what we see in the movies, however. The theory creates new Cars plot holes, as the movies show sentient cars as potentially having existed long before cars even existed. There’s a portrait of an old king as a car, for example, and a post-credits scene shows the cars watching other Pixar movies, created by cars.
These references could be the species currently at the top of the proverbial food chain placing themselves in history and wiping the existence of humanity from memory, but it seems far more likely that these references are because in this world, everyone is just a car. In addition, the Cars films show cars taking roles other than the ones held by humans. Even the bugs are cars.
This doesn’t necessarily make Ward’s theory impossible, as there are potential explanations for how the theory could be the case. The destruction of humanity could have led to the death of other species in the world. Humans could have been developing little bug-like cars for some reason when they were wiped out. The cars could have just continued to develop and evolve after the destruction of humanity, whether through nature or through their own purposeful experiments, and could have started replacing everything else with cars as well.
However, it seems like the most likely explanation is that the world of Cars is solely inhabited by cars and always has been. It’s just an alternate universe where somehow, many of the same events from human history did occur, even though they were happening due to the actions of sentient cars.
Cars Is The Trickiest Movie To Fit Into The Pixar Theory
The Existence Of Humans In Other Movies Means They Must Have Once Existed In The Cars Universe
The Pixar theory has been used to link together Pixar films for years now, and people have continued to link new films to it, even with the release of newer films such as Luca and Elemental adding more connections that are necessary to make the shared universe theory work. Decades into the existence of Pixar as a studio, one of the most difficult franchises to connect to the theory is one of Pixar’s first.
Pixar is known for exploring stories featuring non-human characters, but the Pixar theory can still only work if there were once humans in the Cars universe. The fact that humans existed in other Pixar films means that in order for the Cars franchise to take place in the same world, it must have once had humans too. This also means that the existence of things such as cars being bugs must also be a somewhat recent development.
Regardless of whether there were once humans in the Cars universe or not, Cars is not afraid to lean into its concept being a world fully populated by vehicles. While this might make it more difficult to tie the franchise into the Pixar theory, any signs of humanity in the Cars universe are seen solely through what they might have left behind if they ever did exist.
Source: Screen Crush
Cars
- Created by
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John Lᴀsseter, Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubien
- First Film
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Cars
- Latest Film
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Cars 3
- Upcoming Films
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Cars 4
- First TV Show
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Cars Toons (2008)
Summary
The Cars franchise is a highly successful animated series produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Set in a world populated entirely by anthropomorphic vehicles, the franchise began with the 2006 film Cars, which follows the story of Lightning McQueen, a race car who learns about friendship and humility in the small town of Radiator Springs. The series has since expanded to include two sequels, several spin-off films, short films, and a Disney+ series. Known for its vibrant animation, memorable characters, and themes of teamwork and perseverance, the Cars franchise is also one of Disney’s most lucrative properties, especially in terms of merchandise sales.
