The 2006 animated Pixar film Cars is about what happened to the towns on Route 66 after the Federal goverment built interstate highways along it and decommissioned it. Director John Lasseter sent a team of Pixar animators to tour Route 66 and meet people along the way. As a result, a lot of what's in the film was inspired by real Route 66 places and people. Here are the inspirations I've found...though there may be more! Listed from east to west:
Pontiac, Illinois: Bob Waldmire and his bus, now parked at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum, inspired Fillmore. The character was initially named Waldmire, but Bob Waldmire didn’t want his name associated with the movie because he was a vegetarian and Cars toys were to be in McDonald’s Happy Meals.
· Springfield, Illinois: The name of the Cozy Cone Motel
may have been inspired by the Cozy Dog Drive In.
·
Cuba, Missouri: The name of the Wagon Wheel Motel may
have inspired the Wheel Well Motel.
·
Lebanon, Missouri: The Munger Moss neon sign may have
inspired the Cozy Cone Motel neon sign.
·
Carthage, Missouri: The Route 66 Drive-In Theatre inspired
the Radiator Springs Drive-In Theatre.
·
Galena, Kansas: The 1934 Kan-O-Tex gas station, now
called Cars on the Route, had a 1951 International boom truck that inspired Tow
Mater. The truck (or maybe a replica?) is displayed outside the gas station.
·
Stroud, Oklahoma: Rock Café owner Dawn Welch inspired
Sally.
·
Vinita, Oklahoma: The EAT neon sign at Clanton’s Café may
have inspired a similar sign in the movie.
·
Tulsa, Oklahoma: Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge
may have inspired the bridge Sally drives on.
·
Erick, Oklahoma: Sand Hills Curiosity Shop may have
been one of the inspirations for Lizzie’s Curio Shop.
·
Shamrock, Texas: The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn
inspired Ramone’s House of Body Art.
·
Groom, Texas: The leaning water tower may have inspired
Casa Della Tire’s Leaning Tower of Tires.
·
Amarillo, Texas: The Cadillac Ranch inspired the
Cadillac Range of mountains shown in the epilogue. Vintage cars parked in front
of the Big Texan Steak Ranch with longhorn steer horns mounted on the hoods
inspired the Dinoco owner car.
·
Adrian, Texas: The late Midpoint Café owner Fran
Houser inspired Flo.
·
Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico: This ghost town, specifically the
Little Juarez Diner (also known as the Brownlee Diner) inspired the abandoned
Glen Rio Motor Court.
·
Tucumcari, New Mexico: The neon “100% Refrigerated Air”
sign on the Blue Swallow Motel is on the Cozy Cone Motel sign. Tucumcari Mountain inspired the mountain near
Radiator Springs. High school students paint a “T” annually on the side of
Tucumcari Mountain; there is an “RS” painted on the side of the Radiator
Springs mountain.
·
Cubero, New Mexico: The abandoned Budville Trading Post
inspired the closed Budville Trading Company.
·
Lupton, Arizona: The arched caverns behind Chief
Yellowhorse Trading Post inspired the Wheel Well Motel. The red cliffs behind
the Teepee Trading Post inspired the rusty red grooves of a mountain range near
Radiator Springs. The abandoned Ortega’s Indian Market was one of the
inspirations for Fillmore’s Taste-In (along with two domes at and near Meteor
City, Arizona).
·
Holbrook, Arizona: The Wigwam Motel inspired the Cozy
Cone Motel (in addition to the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, California).
·
Joseph City, Arizona: The yellow “Here It Is” sign at
Jack Rabbie Trading Post inspired the “Here It Is” sign at Lizzie’s Curio Shop.
·
Meteor City, Arizona: The geodesic domes at Meteor
City and a nearby Mobil station on Meteor Crater Road were two of the
inspirations for Fillmore’s Taste-In (along with Ortega’s Indian Market in Lupton, Arizona).
·
Havasu Falls, Arizona: The falls west of the Grand Canyon
may have inspired the falls Lightnin’ McQueen sees after driving through a
tunnel.
·
Ash Fork, Arizona: Burma Shave signs between Ash Fork
and Kingman (and in other spots along on Route 66) inspired the Rust-eze signs.
·
Seligman, Arizona: Inspiration for the town of
Radiator Springs
·
Peach Springs, Arizona: An inspiration for the town of
Radiator Springs (Seligman was the primary inspiration). Like Radiator Springs,
it’s between Gallup and the Sonoran Desert.
·
Hackberry, Arizona: Hackberry General Store was one of
the inspirations for Lizzie’s Curio Shop.
·
Sitgreaves Pass, Arizona: The winding road here may
have inspired the winding road through the Cadillac Range.
·
Oatman, Arizona: The burros roaming Oatman inspired the roaming tractors.
·
Rialto, California: The Wigwam Motel inspired the Cozy
Cone Motel (in addition to the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona).
·
Los Angeles, California: The tunnels on the Arroyo Seco
Parkway may have inspired the tunnel Lightnin’ McQueen drives through.
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