I first saw Cars when it came out almost twenty years ago. While I thought it was a fun movie, I did not think I would be revisiting it often. That sentiment changed after I had kids and after I visited Cars Land in Disney California Adventure Park. Since that time, I have grown in affection for the film, and I believe it is a wonderful movie for a family movie night. So in this latest entry in our Disney Sunday Night Movies series, we are presenting a movie night guide for Disney and Pixar’s Cars from 2006.
We have suggestions for a fun activity, super easy snacks and a heartfelt discussion. Like all of our movie night guides, this one is meant to require very little preparation and simple supplies. We love the photos of amazing crafts and elaborate snacks we see on Pinterest, but we know creating those can sometimes be stressful and usually time consuming. Our goal here is to give you easy ideas that allow you to spend more time with the people you love.
We are starting this post with a suggestion for making cars out of cardboard boxes for little motorists. The supplies are low cost and minimal. But if you would prefer to skip this activity, keep scrolling down to our snack suggestions, and read from there.
Those supply suggestions include links to Amazon product pages. As an Amazon Associate, we earn through your qualifying purchases with Amazon, but the price you pay remains the same. Thank you for supporting this blog.
Have a Drive-in Movie Night with Disney & Pixar’s Cars
Several years ago, we went to a “drive in” movie at our local library… in the library’s basement!
We showed-up at the library meeting room for a children’s short film. But before we watched the film, the librarians presented us with cardboard boxes, paper plates, stickers and brads. We constructed “cars” out of these materials and “parked” them in front of a large TV. The kids sat in these box-cars with little cups of popcorn and watched the film. It was so sweet, and for weeks afterwards our kids wanted to watch Daniel Tiger and other favorites exclusively from their cars. Since then, we have made our own cardboard box vehicle many times, and many times we have used them as movie night seating. We think this is a great activity for your Cars movie night!
How to Make Your Cardboard Cars
You can do the same for your Sunday Disney Movie Night with Cars! While you can create cardboard cars in advance, we think it is even more fun to make their creation part of your movie night fun and include your little drivers. Gather your supplies, and tell your motorists you are all going to get to be the characters from Cars. You will be in the pit crew with Luigi, “paint” the cars like Ramone and then be racers like Lightning McQueen. (If they do not get those references yet, they will once they watch the movie.)
Gather Your Supplies
First, you will want to gather enough boxes for anyone who might want to sit in one. The library provided us with unmarked boxes that seem to have been purchased for the event, but you could do well with any boxes that fit your drivers! If your kids wear disposable diapers or if you get large items like toilet paper delivered, those boxes work well. Anytime we get something delivered in a big box, it automatically gets handed-over to our kids for their use.
The other simple supplies you will need are paper plates, brads and anything you would like to use for decorating, like stickers or markers. We like these for cardboard and we know art teachers who like these paint sticks. Just be careful with anything paint-like, because sometimes it can transfer to other surfaces! (That is why stickers are awesome.)
Place your boxes on the ground with the open side facing up, like you are about to pack it. You might choose to cut the open flaps off of your box, but we preferred to leave them intact but tucked-in.
Be In the Pit Crew with Luigi
Next, be like Luigi and help your drivers add “wheels” to their cars by using the brads to fasten four paper plates to the sides. They will not protruded down from the cars like real wheels (unless they are impossibly strong paper plates), so your cars are not going to be able to roll on these plates. Still, adding them is that really makes the boxes look like cars! From here on out everything is a bonus.
And, the next addition is a mega bonus that really makes the whole thing extra fun for kids. Take a fifth paper plate and use a brad to fasten one to each car to create a “steering wheel.” If you use a brad, your kids should be able to spin the plate like they are steering; we have yet to meet a little kid who does not love doing this. We like to put our steering wheel on the front open flap and let the flap sit at kind of an angle over our kids legs; this creates a nice dashboard.
Decorate Your Cars with Ramone
Now it’s time to act like Ramone and give the cars some good paint jobs! Now, you can actually paint the boxes, but that will mean you will need to factor in drying time before anyone “drives” them. Instead, we like to use markers and stickers for this part. You do what works for you, and let your little drivers create the cars of their dreams.
Once the cars are done, park them in front of your screen, and invite your drivers to climb inside with a snack.
Cars Movie Night Snack Ideas
We think popcorn always has a place at movie nights and the drive-in, so we have a post on popcorn here: Easy Popcorn Hacks for Family Movie Night. If you are having a drive-in style movie night, you can go with any classic movie snacks. Our local grocery store has candy in the same style of boxes as you find at the movie theater.
To pull in some Cars-themed goodies, label any drinks you serve as “fuel” or “motor oil.” And for a healthy snack, core some apples and cut them into rounds. You can spread these “wheels” with peanut butter or leave them as-is. Really anything wheel-shaped would work for this, from slices of cucumber to bagels to cookies. (Like I said, we try to keep things easy and flexible in our Disney Sunday Movie Night series.)
Watch Cars (2006) for Your Disney Movie Night
Once you are parked with your seating and snacks, it is time to watch Disney and Pixar’s Cars!
Cars is currently on Disney+. If you do not have this streaming service, we suggest borrowing the film from a friend or your local library. We are thrilled with how many films, even new releases, we can find at our own neighborhood library. And if they do not have the film we want, the librarians borrow it from another library. Seriously, check-out your library!
The cardboard cars activity and our snack suggestion could also work well with both Cars 2 (2011) and Cars 3 (2017) as well as some of the Cars shorts available on Disney+. However, you will want to modify the discussion questions later in this post.
Discussion Guide for Disney & Pixar’s Cars
The heart of our Disney Sunday Night Movie series is really the opportunity to grow closer to loved ones through shared experiences and loving conversation. What follows is our discussion guide for Cars. If you like this guide, consider our other movie guides and even Fun Questions for Connection. Before you start the conversation, transition into the questions by playing The Chords “Sh-Boom” as enjoyed at twilight in Radiator Springs.
Helpful Tips for Leading a Discussion
Before we present the questions, we have a few quick tips to help everyone in your group feel comfortable sharing.
Create a Cozy and Comfortable Space
Try to create a welcoming space for everyone in your group. A simple but inviting environment can go a long way towards helping people feel comfortable inside and out. Gentle lighting and a seating arrangement where everyone can see each other is usually best. With our words and a cozy space, we let everyone know that their thoughts are valued.
For this movie night, kids might feel comfortable sitting in their “car” or they may prefer to move to a softer surface. We do suggest turning the cars so everyone can see the faces of everyone else.
Writing & Drawing Can Help People Share
Whether we have a room full or introverts or those prone to speaking before thinking, we find that making time for drawing or writing can be helpful. If you believe that this may also be the case for you, just grab some paper and writing implements (crayons, pencils, etc).
Before we ask our group to share, we read the discussion questions out loud and give our group members five to ten minutes to draw or journal. Many people need individual time to process their thoughts before they share. Group members might choose to show their writing and artwork, or they may just use it as a starting place for themselves.
Listen Well
When people choose to share something difficult, it can be hard to know how to respond. Just let that person know you are listening with empathy. Try to avoid the temptation to minimize a problem or offer suggestions right away. Be attentive and acknowledge their feelings. You can say things like, “How did you feel when that happened?” Or, “That sounds very hard. Thank you for sharing this with me.”
Discussion Questions for Disney & Pixar’s Cars (2006)
Here are some discussion questions for the film Cars. Given the movie’s general audience, these are targeted primarily towards groups with younger kids, but they can work for any group. We have ordered them from easy (i.e. not too personal or deep) to more challenging questions that call for some vulnerability and self-reflection. Please modify them to work for you and your group.
- If you were a race car, what would your name be? Examples from Cars include: Lightning McQueen, Fabulous Hudson Hornet, Strip “The King” Weathers and Chick Hicks
- Describe your favorite trip including where you went and how you got there. What makes this trip your favorite?
- Compare how Lightning McQueen felt about Radiator Springs when he first arrived to how he felt by the end of the film. Why do you think he changed his mind?
- The relationship between Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson (Hornet) changes over the course of the film. What do you think caused this change?
- Sometimes we race to make assumptions about people or places. Have you ever changed your mind about a place or a person? Please tell us about it and describe what helped you see things differently.
Once you finish your discussion, you may want to wrap-up your Cars movie night by sharing some old vacation photos or taking suggestions for your next road trip. Or, if you have wiggles to spare, you could always get out some toy cars. (Speaking of changing… we have and have fun with this set.)
Thanks for reading this guide to Disney Family Movie Night with Disney Pixar’s Cars (2006).
We hope you gathered some helpful ideas for your own Cars movie night.
Our goal with our Disney Sunday Night Movie series is to give you easy ideas for fun nights together. The less time and money you spend on preparation, the more you get to focus on what is important: uninterrupted time with your loved ones. Check out our section Disney Sunday Night Movies for more guides including ones for Inside Out, Luca and The Muppets. If you happen to be in or near the Chicago area, be sure to see our post on a free park dedicated to “The Mother Road” here: Get Your Kicks at This Route 66 Tribute Playground.
Finally, if you are planning a trip to Disneyland Resort and Cars Land, please check-out our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep and subscribe to our newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
