The first look at Disney's upcoming Cars reboot series has been released, unveiling Lightning McQueen's new look. Almost a decade after Cars 3 and four years on from Disney+'s Cars of the Road miniseries, the House of Mouse is taking another stab at its animated automobile franchise. This time around, Pixar is passing the torch to Disney Television Animation for Cars: Lightning Racers, a new Disney Jr. preschool series set to premiere in 2027.
Nearly one year on from Cars: Lightning Racers' announcement, Disney Jr. took to X to unveil the first look at the preschool TV reboot of Pixar's billion-dollar movie franchise. The promotional image showcases Lightning Racers' four main characters, including a youthful redesign for Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen.
Sporty speedster McQueen isn't the only one who will be looking a little different when Lightning Racers releases next year. Disney Jr. is giving a similar, simplified treatment to Larry the Cable Guy's tow truck and McQueen's bestie, Mater.
Radiator Springs is also getting some brand-new hoods, such as the lime green "mud-loving monster truck Miles." The new monster truck will sound familiar to many, as Miles is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, the actor best known for playing Insomniac Games' Peter Parker, who has already started teasing Spider-Man 3.
Viewers will also meet the "thrill-seeking drag car Pipes," a starry purple vehicle voiced by Leah Lewis, who led the way as Ember Luman in Pixar's Elemental and has also played major live-action roles in Matlock and Nancy Drew.
As Miles and Pipes are original Lightning Racers creations, there's nothing to compare their designs to in previous Cars projects. Still, putting the Pixar and Disney Television Animation takes on Radiator Springs side by side, it's clear that the style has been simplified for a kids' TV budget and for the younger audience.
The series' official synopsis confirmed that Lightning McQueen and Mater will be back in the driver's seat, once again voiced by Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy, as they go on "all-new adventures in Radiator Springs:"
'Cars: Lightning Racers' follows Lightning McQueen as he gears up for all-new adventures in Radiator Springs alongside his hilarious best friend Mater and new friends thrill-seeking drag car Pipes and mud-loving monster truck Miles.
As Disney Jr. delivered the first look at Cars: Lightning Racers, Variety piled on by exclusively confirming six more voice actors will reprise their Pixar roles in the series. Those include Bonnie Hunt's Sally, Jenifer Lewis's Flo, Guido Quaroni's Guido, Lloyd Sherr's Fillmore, Michael Wallis's Sheriff, and Paul Dooley's Sarge
Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy were previously confirmed to reprise their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater, respectively, with Leah Lewis coming on board as Pipes and Yuri Lowenthal as Miles. Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph will voice a yet-to-be-revealed new character, Ms. Blinker.
Cars: Lightning Racers Could Open the Doors to Pixar's Cars 4
In November 2024, a Disney survey asked fans whether they would be interested in Cars 4, sparking new hope that the Pixar franchise could be revived. One year prior, creator Jay Ward hinted that there were "more Cars things brewing," which many speculated at the time was teasing a fourth theatrical epic, but it now seems likely that he was referring to early development on Lightning Racers.
As a preschool series from Disney Jr., Lightning Racers will likely target an even younger audience than the Pixar movies in a similar vein to Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Iron Man and His Awesome Friends. That said, with most of the original Cars cast returning for the reboot series, even including A-listers like Owen Wilson, there may still be some charm here for veteran fans.
Furthermore, if Lightning Racers proves to be the smash hit that it seems likely to be, especially within its preschool demographic, Disney may get the hint that fans are hankering for more Cars and more seriously consider a fourth movie. With Pixar returning to franchises like Toy Story and The Incredibles many years later, it's clear that nothing is off the table, even if it's at least several years away.
