Movies Gallery See the voices behind your favorite Cars characters Here are the actors of the animated favorite 2006 that led to two sequels, a series of shorts, videogames, and more. By Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman Madeline Boardman is a former digital features director at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2017. EW's editorial guidelines Updated on March 25, 2024 01:13PM EDT Trending Videos Close this video player Pixar's 'Cars'. Photo: Pixar Released in 2006, Cars was a part of that early run of Pixar movies where it felt to fans like the studio could do no wrong. It came on the heels of the first two Toy Story movies, A Bug's Life (1998), Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), and The Incredibles (2004). Many of those still rank among Pixar's best films, have spawned sequels and featured the voice talents of instantly recognizable stars. Cars was no different. Across three movies, it brought together an impressive cadre of actors who probably wouldn't be found together any other way, all led by Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, the race car who finds joy outside the track. Here's a look at the incredible talent behind Cars' beloved characters. 01 of 12 Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) Lightning McQueen; Owen Wilson. Pixar; Anthony Harvey/Getty Images After years of on-screen projects such as Anaconda (1997), Armageddon (1998), Meet the Parents (2000), Zoolander (2001), Shanghai Knights (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004), and Wedding Crashers (2005), Owen Wilson voiced Lightning McQueen, a rookie car new to the competition. Wilson continued his voice work with the Cars franchise, returning as Lightning in Cars 2 (2011), Cars 3 (2017), and the TV series Cars on the Road. He earned additional voice credits for Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Marmaduke (2010), and Free Birds (2013). Wilson also stars in Marvel Studios' Loki, streaming on Disney+. 02 of 12 Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) Doc Hudson; Paul Newman. Pixar; Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic Paul Newman graced Cars with his Oscar-winning presence as Doc Hudson, an old-school car who serves as a judge and doctor. After decades spent appearing in classics like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Hustler (1961), and Cool Hand Luke (1967), Newman's turn in the animated film was one of his last projects. He died in September 2008 at the age of 83. 03 of 12 Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt) Sally Carrera; Bonnie Hunt. Pixar; Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images Bonnie Hunt joined Cars as Sally Carrera, the car town's lawyer. In addition to her famed on-screen career, Hunt contributed voice work to A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 3 (2010), Cars 2, Monsters University (2013), Zootopia (2016), Cars 3, Toy Story 4 (2019), and Monsters at Work (2021). 04 of 12 Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) Mater; Larry the Cable Guy. Pixar; Rick Diamond/Getty Images Cars found its Mater in Larry the Cable Guy. The comedian voiced the tow truck as his first credited big-screen gig. He returned to the role for Cars 2 and 3, Mater's Tall Tales, Cars on the Road, and various other spinoff projects. 05 of 12 Ramone (Cheech Marin) Ramone; Cheech Marin. Pixar; Matthew Eisman/Getty Images Cheech Marin voiced Ramone, the flashy hot rod, in all the Cars films. Marin's other voice credits include Oliver & Company (1988), FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992), The Lion King (1994), The Book of Life (2014), Coco (2017), the Disney Channel's Elena of Avalor, and Maya and the Three (2021). 06 of 12 Luigi (Tony Shalhoub) Luigi; Tony Shalhoub. Pixar; Jim Spellman/WireImage Tony Shalhoub lent his voice to the Cars films as Luigi, an appropriately Italian Fiat who runs a tire shop. The actor is still best known for his on-screen projects, such as Wings, Big Night (1996), Men in Black (1997), Monk, and Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. 07 of 12 Guido (Guido Quaroni) Guido; Guido Quaroni. Pixar; Michael Kovac/FilmMagic It was hardly a stretch for Guido Quaroni to play Guido in Cars. He voiced the forklift after lending his voice to Monsters, Inc., but his primary job at Pixar was behind the scenes doing technical work, serving on the senior technology team for films including Brave (2012), Inside Out (2015), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019). 08 of 12 Flo (Jenifer Lewis) Flo; Jenifer Lewis. Pixar; Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic Before she was Ruby on Black-ish, Jenifer Lewis was Flo in Cars. The actress voiced the diner owner, earning other vocal credits for The PJs, Shark Tale (2004), The Princess and the Frog (2009), and Big Hero 6: The Series, among other animated works. 09 of 12 Sarge (Paul Dooley) Sarge; Paul Dooley. Pixar; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images Paul Dooley found his place in the Cars universe as Sarge, the army-green military vet. The Sixteen Candles actor's other voice work include episodes of Sesame Street and Batman: The Animated Series, Recess Christmas: Miracle on Third Street (2001), and Turbo (2013). 10 of 12 Sheriff (Michael Wallis) Sheriff; Michael Wallis. Pixar; Gregg DeGuire/WireImage Michael Wallis voiced Sheriff, the resident police car, in Cars. The gig was Wallis' first credited acting role, and the journalist and American West historian went on to voice Sheriff in Cars 2, 3, and multiple spinoffs. 11 of 12 Fillmore (George Carlin) Fillmore; George Carlin. Pixar; Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank Cars' hippie bus Fillmore was voiced by George Carlin. The comedian and author's other acting credits include Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Shining Time Station, and The George Carlin Show. Though Fillmore appears in all of the Cars films, Carlin only voiced him in the first film and videogame. After Carlin died in June 2008, Lloyd Sherr took over as the vintage microbus. 12 of 12 Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) Chick Hicks; Michael Keaton. Pixar; Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Lightning McQueen found his rival in Chick Hicks, voiced by Michael Keaton. The Oscar-nominated star expanded his voice résumé with Toy Story 3, Noah (2012), and Minions (2015). Related content Meet Riley's new turtleneck-sporting emotion — voiced by Maya Hawke! — in the Inside Out 2 trailer Elemental director Peter Sohn looks back on the Pixar characters he's voiced Disney is making new sequels to Frozen, Toy Story, and Zootopia