Lightning McQueen, the greatest race car in the world, is joined by his best friend, a simpleton tow truck named Mater, for an exciting announcement in the world of cars. Miles Axelrod, a one-time oil power, has switched his company to produce organic biofuel, and he announces The World Grand Prix as a new series of races meant to feature cars using his new biofuel. When challenged by a European car, McQueen can't refuse, so he and Mater head for Japan. Meanwhile, a British spy car named Finn McMissile and his trusty spy car partner, Holley Shiftwell, uncover a horrific scheme: an evil German car, Professor Zundapp, has hatched a notorious plot to use a weapon that will make all of the biofuel in the area combust into flames, driving people back to the oil industry and securing serious profits for all oil companies. They go to Japan to meet with an American spy car, but but when the American spy is captured, he quickly passes all of his top secret information to Mater; when Finn and Holley encounter Mater, they believe he is not the dumb tow truck before them, but in actuality a master spy with a brilliant disguise. McQueen and Mater's relationship becomes strained, as McQueen feels the need to focus on the races, while Mater continually gets pulled away to engage in a spy plot he has no earthly idea about. As Zundapp uses his weapon more frequently, it's only a matter of time before McQueen explodes, so it's up to Mater to lead the British spy cars and help his friend.
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Best part of story, including ending:
The humor in this film, while non-stop, is incredibly basic and occasionally infantile. The characters are broadly sketched, and it contains zero of the suspense that Pixar films generally possess.
Best scene in story:
The opening action sequence with Finn McMissile escaping an oil rig has a James Bond quality to it that the rest of the film, busy engaging in silly jokes, sorely lacks.
Opinion about the main character:
Mater clearly means well, and he's sympathetic, but he's not remotely a deep enough character to be the lead in a comedy, much less a comedy in which he's supposed to become a spy.
