It started with a single “Ka-Chow” at midnight – and soon became the roaring engine of a hopeful fandom.
Perhaps unintentionally, Pixar’s social media team got the “Cars 4” rumors revving again on Friday, sending a series of hourly Lightning McQueen-themed posts throughout the day. It was their X posts, in particular, that got the crowd to its feet:
The Pixar X account sent a total of 24 McQueen-themed posts – labeled only with a “Ka-chow!” – throughout the day, but didn’t nod to the real reason until the 24th and final post: It was Sept. 5, or “Lightning McQueen Day,” which was officially established by the animation studio in 2017 (to celebrate the upcoming “Cars 3” DVD/Blu-ray release).
The date, styled 9/5, reflects McQueen’s livery number: 95.
Caught up in the sequel-rumor hysteria was David Malukas, current IndyCar driver of the A.J. Foyt Enterprises No. 4 entry and major, major “Cars” fanatic.
“HOLD ON WHATS HAPPENING?! IS THIS REAL?!??!?” Malukas posted on Friday:
Alas, “Cars 4” has not been confirmed by Disney, which just held Destination D23 in Orlando – and would have been the venue for such an announcement.
Since “Cars 3” came out in 2017, the “Cars” faithful have now been waiting eight years for a sequel that seems inevitable, given Pixar’s penchant for multiple sequels (“Toy Story 5” is due next summer, for instance).
But alas, in the spirit of turning right to go left, Friday’s social-media flurry was nothing more than an unintentional misdirect.
Rust eazy, David Malukas. But keep those memes coming, king:
