The 10 weirdest things in the Cars universe revealed in Cars on the Road

As Polygon’s resident Cars stan, it was my duty — nay, my privilege — to dive into the new Cars Disney Plus series.

A number of Cars shorts have also debuted on TV. There are also the Planes movies, which technically happen in the Cars universe, but aren’t made by Pixar. The Cars universe is ever growing and expanding, and each new revelation opens up a million follow-ups — for instance, because there is airport security, does that mean Cars 9/11 happened? Does Sarge, a 1942 Willys Army Jeep from World War II, mean that World War II took place? Is it possible that there was a Car Pope?

It’s a lot. And it’s a delight. As race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and rusty tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) set off on a cross-country road trip for Mater’s sister’s wedding, Vehicles on the RoadContinues this great tradition of revealing absolutely bizarre facts about the larger world by just teasing.

[Ed. note: This ranking contains spoilers for Cars on the Road — read at your own risk!]

10. Cars get gas

Image: Pixar

They can also fart, burp and give gas. This isn’t super groundbreaking, all things considered (especially because they’ve burped a bit before). Mater mentions, however that Mater experiences something called the “backfires” in his last episode. He meets his sister for the first time and becomes nervous. His exhaust pipes start to leak out involuntarily. Are you referring to Cars’ version of being anxious when it comes to needing to be shit? It could be that Cars’ cars are more sophisticated in their nervous systems and neurotransmitters, which can lead to psychosomatic symptoms. Many things to take into consideration.

9. Cars drink champagne

Image: Pixar

We know that a smattering of “real” food exists in the Cars universe. We know that there is a small amount of “real” food in the Cars universe. Cars 2Mater mistakenly tries wasabi for pistachio-ice cream. But now we know that they open a bottle of something bubbly — probably champagne — at weddings! They are very proud of themselves. But what we still don’t know is if cars get drunk.

8. “Brakelight Pictures” exists

Image: Pixar

In episode 7, Mater and Lightning stumble onto Brakelight Pictures movie sets. The logo is clear mockery of Searchlight Pictures. Does this mean that the company is owned by 20th Century Studios and thus was acquired by Disney in-universe? Do you think that Pixar also exists? This could also be interpreted as a Pixar Cars universe made Cars! Or, is it called Humans?

7. Cars have a lot of cryptids

Image: Pixar

In Episode 4, Mater and Lightning meet a group of cryptid hunters. They confess that they are looking for strange creatures such as the Mothman, Chupacabra and Bigfoot. Yes, BigFußMothman. This is a complex system with many layers. One is that the chupacabra eats goats. This means there has to be a goat equivalent in Cars Universe (tractors look a lot like cows so it’s not too far away?). Mothman refers to the existence of men and moths, but at the moment they may just be interchangeably referring to men cars as male cars. And finally, does the fact that it’s Bigfoot and not Bigwheel mean that wheels and feet are the same thing? What would you wear if a Car in Cars had pants?

As it turned out, Bigfoot was actually just a lonely monster truck called Ivy, which Quinta Brunson discovered is the real Bigfoot. She has since left the spotlight and now lives in solitude in the woods. Which brings us to the next point…

6. In this world, monster truck rallies have been fucked up

Image: Pixar

Ivy speaks out about how a monster car took its toll on her, and the expectation that she would smash cars. In a flashback, Ivy is about to make a great leap from a ramp and smash another car. Right before she smashes the car, it looks helpless at her.

Monster truck rallies seem to be public executions. And everyone is just… OK with this.

5. They die when cars are empty

Image: Pixar

We’re in a morbid area of this ranking and somehow it only gets weirder from here, so buckle up.

In the same episode, Lightning and Mater team up with Ivy to fight off the cryptid hunter. They stage a fake alien abduction, pretending to tie Mater up and “empty” him. Even though he’s pretending, he makes a big show like he’s in great pain, basically being tortured to death. You can see the whole thing. ReallyThis freaks out the Cryptophid Hunters.

Yes, death exists in the Cars universe — we know that because Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), Lightning’s racing mentor, died sometime before the events of Cars. This information sheds light on the many ways that cars can be killed. It is now known that Cars 2One secret agent was brutally burned to death while others were destroyed (the movie’s body count is very high). Are there great things beyond cars? Are they able to cross a rainbow highway together? Go to the great manufacturer’s plant in the sky?

4. There’s a car Grim Reaper

Image: Pixar

Although we might not be able to know all the details about the vehicle’s afterlife, it is something that we do. DoA Grim Reaper is there to rescue cars that are close to death. Mater is racing at extreme speeds and has an almost-death experience as his car crashes. Mater floats high above his body.A winged, black car (Kathy Holly) greets him. It looks almost like an old hearse. She introduces herself as the “Speed Demon” — or at least that’s the name the locals call her. With her chrome wings and black paint, she’s basically the Cars equivalent of the Angel of Death or the Grim Reaper.

Don’t worry — Mater doesn’t actually die. He annoys her so much that she decides it’s not worth it.

3. There are many car ghosts

Image: Pixar

There’s car death, so it only makes sense that there are car ghosts, right? The second episode is a huge. ShiningMcQueen, in homage, is found lost in the corridors of an unsettling hotel haunted and haunted (including twin cars who want nothing more than to play) At first it seems like it could just be a nightmare and all in Lightning’s head, but the episode ends with the hotel clerk scolding the ghost for messing with the guests again. Bigfoot remains a myth in Cars, however, it is confirmed that ghosts do exist.

2. Car dinosaurs existed

Image: Pixar

Ghosts may be fine and dignified, but this episode is the most shocking: there are car dinosaurs.

CAR DINOSAURS McQueen and Mater come upon a roadside dinosaur park, and while driving around, Lightning reveals that he’s actually a bit of a dinosaur geek. Not only were there dinosaurs (who have wheels, but for some reason use them like feet, at least in Mater’s imagination), but there are also fossils. Phrases like “first grazing dino vans” and “plains-dwelling sedans in the region” further complicate the Cars universe lore. A 50-million year old asteroid destroyed them all.

Riddle me this — if cars Use gas, and gas is fossil fuels made from, well, fossilized organic matter, and in the Cars universe, cars don’t just useThey are the gas Eat it… does that mean the cars in Cars are… eating what remains of their ancestors? It’s like eating a mummy, or more like eating mammoths.

This all happens in the first episode, but instead of interrogating any of this, it’s more about Mater actually having a fun time learning things. And honestly, it’s probably for the better that they don’t unpack this chaotic mess.

1. Mater is from a wealthy family

Image: Pixar

We spent a lot of time mulling over car death, but honestly the bigger elephant in the room is the fact that cars have relatives — and birth order and families and HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK?

The entire show is set up as a road trip that Lightning and Mater make to see Mater’s sister for her wedding (and Mater doesn’t ask his girlfriend, Holley Shiftwell, along, because at this point Pixar is ignoring the underrated Cars 2). It’s revealed that Mater’s family is actually ReallySouth socialites are a majority of the wealth. Mater’s sister, Mato (get it… like… to-mahto…) is marrying Cruz Ramirez from Cars’s brother — so there’s another family connection!

Pixar won’t go so far as it seems. Shrek 2I did, and it was fascinating to dive deep into the details of what happens when two vehicles want to have a child. Instead, it’s left to our imaginations, and perhaps some creative people on the internet can answer that.

Vehicles on the Road Disney Plus now streams the video.