As Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) nears the finish line again and again and again in the second “Cars” film, I find myself less interested with the outcome of the race and more worried that Pixar has just revealed to the viewing public that it no longer wishes to provide us with intelligent cartoons. If that’s the case, then I’m more optimistic about a fifth “Shrek” film, because I can’t take another Pixar feature as boring as this one.

“Cars 2” features Grem (left), voiced by Joe Mantegna; Acer, voiced by Peter Jacobson; Siddeley, voiced by Jason Isaacs; Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson; Mater, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy; and Finn McMissile, voiced by Michael Caine. (photo courtesy of Disney Pictures)

Acknowledging that a racing movie franchise has a limited shelf life, it’s admirable that the writers attempt a crisscross story of Euro racing and international espionage. While McQueen fights to maintain his title against Italian star, Francesco Bernoulli (voiced by John Turturro), Mater (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) becomes an international spy, due to a series of accidental events. British Secret Intelligence agents, Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer), uncover a plot by a big oil company to take down an alternative fuel source, created by Sir Miles Axlerod (Eddie Izzard).

The small town characters who riddled the first film move to the background in part two. Sally (Bonnie Hunt), Ramone (Cheech Marin), Luigi (Tony Shalhoub), Guido (Guido Quaroni) and Flo (Jenifer Lewis) have little more than cameo appearances. In a rather reverent move, Doc Hudson is absent, or has passed away, as did his former voice actor, Paul Newman. In short, if you liked the characters in the first film, you’re out of luck. Only McQueen and Mater, the lesser engaging of the original characters, get much screen time.

I’m still trying to understand how Larry the Cable Guy still has a job. Jeff Foxworthy had his moment in the sun next to Tim Allen, but the stereotypical small town American (a.k.a., redneck) story has run its exhausting course. Mr. Cable Guy is a reminder of a branch of popular culture that’ll never be anything more than embarrassing — right up there with repackaged blackface characters like Jar Jar Binx from the Star Wars prequel trilogy or Southern clichés like the Cajun crickets in “The Princess and the Frog”. Could the guy please just use his actual name (even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson realized it gets old), or at least put on a shirt with sleeves.

Finn McMissile, voiced by Michael Caine, is a force to be reckoned with in “Cars 2”. (photo courtesy of Disney Pictures)

The “Cars” franchise is chock full of annoying caricatures, like El Camino (Ramone), who has a Spanish accent, sushi-making mini Japanese cars and, of course, Mader, the rusted hillbilly pick-up truck. It’s the ultimate underdog story as we watch someone we’re supposed to dismiss as stupid find true worth in a critical world. Perhaps falling prey to what this film tries to condemn, I couldn’t help but root for the villains as my patience for such obnoxious characters ran out within five minutes.

Quite frankly I’m surprised that Pixar would do a sequel to “Cars” when they’ve yet to do another “Incredibles” film. I imagine they don’t want it to get lost in the superhero hype, yet “Cars 2” shows up five days before “Transformers 3” (another car flick), so I don’t follow their logic. But without transforming abilities, the whole idea of a car is just too immobile to be as engaging in a film, especially compared to toys, superheroes, rats, robots, bugs and even fish. It seems like Pixar settled with a film that’ll make a lot of money with younger audiences, but forfeit their 2012 Oscar win. In short, kids might love these characters, but parents and guardians will be painfully aware that they’re babysitting during this atrocious film.

Of course it might be easy to say my expectations are too high for a cartoon, but Pixar made us desire more from these films. Anything less falls into mediocre territory reserved for something like “Happy Feet” or “Yogi Bear”. This is the company that brought us rats with a specialty in French cuisine and an old man on a mission to find purpose when his wife dies. They can make obscure concepts the most desirable films of the year. “Cars 2” is just so below them, it’s sad.

While there’s more than meets the eye for these talking cars, I can’t help but be underwhelmed by this franchise. Lightning McQueen might be enough for my nephew, but for the first time in my Pixar viewing experience, I’m reminded that cartoons are for kids. I can think of no greater insult for the digital animation company that set a bar so high, only to fall so pathetically short.