© 2025 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Give to HPR and keep local support firmly rooted. The greater our local support, the greater our strength and resilience to serve you and future generations. Tap to get started.

The Fast-Paced, Animated Journey of 'Cars'

John Lasseter's latest film combines the two loves of his life: cartoons and cars.

Cars, the new movie from Pixar, tells the story of a hotshot rookie racecar who discovers love -- and a few life lessons -- when he winds up stranded in Radiator Springs, a dying town along the old Route 66.

Lasseter tells Michele Norris how the idea for the film grew out of a two-month summer trip he took with his family after working nonstop during the 1990s. During that time, he directed the box-office hits A Bug's Life and both Toy Story movies, and served as executive producer for Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo.

"I learned that the journey in life is a reward," he says. "It's about living every day to its fullest, and I knew that's what I wanted the film to be about."

Lasseter talks about Cars, the challenges of directing an animated film, and how technological advances have -- and haven't -- affected his work.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

More from Hawai‘i Public Radio