Disney orders preschool series spin-offs from Pixar’s Cars and Marvel’s Avengers

Marvel’s Spidey & Iron Man: Avengers Team Up!, will launch on October 16

Disney has commissioned new series including a TV spin-off to the Pixar film franchise Cars and the first-ever preschool Avengers series.

Cars: Lightning Racers will follow Lightning McQueen as he gears up for new adventures in Radiator Springs alongside his best friend Mater and new friends, thrill-seeking drag car Pipes and mud-loving monster truck Miles.

Original cast members from the films who are returning to reprise their roles include Owen Wilson, Daniel Lawrence Whitney aka Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub Cheech Marin, Bob Peterson and John Ratzenberger. It is set to premiere on Disney Channel and Disney+ in 2027.

It will be produced by Disney Television Animation in association with Pixar, with Travis Braun and Frank Montagna as executive producers. The story editor is Dana Starfield and the supervising director is Nathan Chew.

Marvel’s Avengers: Mightiest Friends, meanwhile, will be produced by Disney Jr and Marvel Studios in association with Atomic Cartoons.

Set to debut in 2027 on Disney Jr and Disney+, it introduces kid versions of superheroes such as Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Panther, Black Widow and Thor. The executive producers are Sean Coyle, Bart Jennett and Harrison Wilcox.

It marks Disney Jr’s latest Marvel preschool toon as it gears up to launch Iron Man & His Awesome Friends, also produced by Marvel Studios Animation and Atomic Cartoons, today (August 11). This follows Spidey & His Amazing Friends, which launched in 2021.

Elsewhere, Disney Jr has ordered two 22-minute specials featuring characters from the latter two series, with the first, Marvel’s Spidey & Iron Man: Avengers Team Up!, launching on October 16.

Produced by Disney Jr and Marvel Studios in association with Atomic Cartoons, the executive producers are Bart Jennett, Chris Moreno and Harrison Wilcox and the coproducer is Becca Topol. A second Halloween-themed special will premiere in the fall of 2026.

It has also ordered stop-motion animated shorts Mickey & Minnie’s Holiday Songs: Halloween, produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios in association with Disney Jr.

Debuting on September 29 on Disney Jr. and October 2 on Disney+, the sing-along music videos feature Mickey, Minnie and the gang as they get into the Halloween mood. They will be followed by a series of Christmas shorts in December.

Disney Jr has renewed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ for seasons two and three, produced by Disney Television Animation.

Ayo Davis, president at Disney Branded Television, unveiled the new projects at a fan celebration at Disney California Adventure Park on August 8.

Davis said: “Disney Jr. is where preschool magic begins – and no one does it bigger or better. Our shows are often a child’s very first connection to the world of Disney, sparking the songs they sing, the characters they adore, and the adventures they want to live again and again.

“Today’s announcements build on that leadership, expanding the worlds kids already love and introducing new multiplatform stories that will capture the hearts of the next generation.”