OrderToWatch Cars on the Road poster

Cars on the Road

Series, 2022, The films and shorts, Set in Lightning and Mater's road trip

Cars on the Road is #10 of 10 in release order and #8 of 10 in chronological order in the Cars.

The story

Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater head east from Radiator Springs on a cross-country road trip to meet up with Mater’s sister.

Cars on the Road recap

Cars on the Road (2022) follows Lightning McQueen and Mater on a cross-country drive to the wedding of Mater's sister, Mato. The Pixar series premiered on Disney+ on September 8, 2022 with all nine episodes at once, directed by Steve Purcell, Brian Fee and Bobby Podesta. Owen Wilson voices Lightning and Larry the Cable Guy voices Mater. Each episode is a stop with its own genre: Mater dreams they are cave cars hunted by dinosaurs, Lightning spends a night in a haunted hotel, and Mater meets the Speed Demon, a car version of the Grim Reaper, on the salt flats. A Bigfoot hunt turns up Ivy, a monster truck hiding from her career crushing cars, who joins the trip and later finds a home with a travelling circus. Mater wonders if he is a real truck, the pair get fired from a B-movie set, and spiked cars force them into a battle royal.

Cars on the Road ending explained

Cars on the Road ends at Mater's childhood home, where his family turns out to be wealthy and Mato is marrying Mateo, the cousin of Cruz Ramirez. Cruz helps Mater and Mato make peace, and Mater's speech helps Lightning come to terms with the trip. Lightning decides to drive home to Radiator Springs instead of flying. A closing scene shows Mato and Mateo honeymooning at a tire maze from earlier in the trip. It is the latest Cars release.

Where to watch Cars on the Road

Cars on the Road is streaming on Disney+ in the US.

Ratings

IMDb 6.9/10

Where it fits

What to watch before Cars on the Road

In release order, the essentials before Cars on the Road (2022) are Cars (2006), Cars 2 (2011), and Cars 3 (2017).

Cast