Happy 20th Anniversary!
It’s been exactly 20 years since the first Cars movie was released on June 9, 2006. According to an article published by Google Arts & Culture, the town of Radiator Springs actually has a real-life story. The film’s creator and director, John Lasseter, once took a road trip along Route 66 and happened to pass through Seligman, Arizona.
For Lasseter, meeting barber Angel Delgadillo also revealed the inspiration behind the story of Radiator Springs. In 1987, thanks to the hard work of the local residents of Seligman, the town was designated the “Historical Birthplace of Route 66.”
The story Sally tells in the first film—about how the town lost its former glory the day I-40 opened—is actually true, and Angel Delgadillo personally told Lasseter that this is exactly what happened to Seligman.
In addition, Radiator Springs takes its name from the town of Peach Springs, located near Seligman.
The forest road that Sally and Lightning McQueen drive on resembles the highways that run through the Kaibab National Forest west of Flagstaff.
Source: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/RAUhn8A2gZghmA
