Most parents can tell you their kids’ favorite movies. This isn’t necessarily due to good parenting, but from the stinging redundancy of having watched a cartoon with pastel-colored, high-pitched talking animals one too many times. The filmmakers of Pixar Animation Studios have a talent for bridging the entertainment gap between parents and their children, often skillfully delighting audiences of all ages with a gentle grace. With its somewhat bland story and general aura of mediocrity, John Lasseter’s “Cars” is widely considered to be the only average Pixar film. Five years later, Lasseter returns as director for “Cars 2.” Funnyman Owen Wilson is back as Lightning McQueen, a quick and cocky sports car who joins his Italian F1 foe Francesco Bernoulli (John Turturro) in a world cup race. Along for the ride is McQueen’s hillbilly best friend Mater, (Larry the Cable Guy) who is mistaken as an American spy in Tokyo by British intelligence agents played by Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer. An evil plot to embarrass the event’s promoter soon unravels.

Though a “Cars” sequel seems odd to most people over the age of 12, you can only hope for the best from a studio that has a skill for taking outlandish concepts and turning them into cinema magic. However, with “Cars 2,” Lasseter and his crew can’t seem to get out of the garage. The screenplay by Ben Queen is noisy and sloppy. Despite my respect for Michael Caine, all the spy stuff just gets in the way. With a title as simple and to the point as “Cars,” you’d think there would be more cars racing. Most of the story is a poorly written espionage tale, which feels entirely out-of-place given the plot of the previous film. However, the idea to transform the series into James Bond Jr. isn’t nearly the most perplexing. Given how much time is spent with the spy material, Mater is seen on screen much more than McQueen. Though Mater is tolerable in small doses, he’s not nearly a good enough character to hold an entire film. With all the extra time Mater is given, you quickly start to realize how aggravating he is. Imagine if George Lucas had made a “Star Wars” spin-off with Jar Jar Binks as the lead and you’ll begin to understand.

Most sad is the screenwriter’s lazy decision to rely on puns. Nearly everything is given the treatment, from American racing champion “Jeff Gorvette” to London’s “Big Bentley” and the Japanese martial art of “carate.” I realize the film is supposed to be for kids, but with all the intelligent humor the screenplay possesses, you’d think it were written by one as well.

With “Cars 2,” Pixar has done everything they usually take pride in not doing. Many studio executives have said in the past how they take pride in paying attention to story before visual thrills. Though Lasseter’s latest is certainly beautifully animated, the story is all over the place. This is a Pixar production, from the same people responsible for some of the greatest films of the past decade. It’s fair to say that the studio finally has its first flop. “Cars 2” might be visually stunning, but otherwise, it’s about on par with “The Care Bears Movie.”

Grade: D+