Lovable Disney Pixar Cars Movie Slated to Return

Fans of the animated hit, Cars, will soon have several opportunities to reacquaint themselves with the blockbuster movie and storyline.

Beginning this October, Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and ABC Family will air a three-part series of animated shorts (called Cars Toons) featuring the character Mater from the original Cars movie. Toon Disney will show the three together in October, Disney Channel will repeat the series beginning in November, and ABC Family will include the series as part of its annual “25 Days of Christmas” programming event beginning on December 23rd.

Though Cars was surpassed by other Pixar hits in initial popularity including Wall-E and Toy Story, Disney Consumer Products reports that the franchise will generate a whopping $2.5 billion in global sales for 2008 alone or $5 billion since its Summer 2006 debut.

Pixar Animation Studios and Disney are working on a sequel to the Cars movie, Cars 2, which will hit the big screen in Summer 2011. Pixar says about the move, “All the world’s a racetrack as racing superstar Lightning McQueen zooms back into action, with his best friend Mater in tow, to take on the globe’s fastest and finest in this thrilling high-octane new installment of the "Cars" saga. Mater and McQueen will need their passports as they find themselves in a new world of intrigue, thrills and fast-paced comedic escapades around the globe.”

All of the original lovable characters will return with the same voice overs from the celebrities including: Owen Wilson as Lightning McQueen, Bonnie Hunt as Sally, Paul Newman as Doc Hudson, Cheech Marin as Ramone, Tony Shalhoub as Luigi, John Ratzenberger as Mack, Larry the Cable Guy as Mater, and Michael Wallis as Sheriff. Additional stars will fill the new roles although no one has been named yet.

The original Cars was a hit with young and old, presenting a fun, even historical review of the racing industry, particularly the exploits of the early 1950s era Hudson Hornet. Some critics faulted the writers for stepping back in time instead of paralleling current racing industry trends, but the response from fans has proven that Cars was still successful.