It's no question the first Cars is the worst Pixar movie. It was way too long; in fact, I fell asleep watching it in the theater. But it's unfair to deem Cars a bad movie in relation to other movies. Cars is a fine movie and better than average. All that said, Cars is the last Pixar movie I wanted to see a sequel to (can we please please get some more Incredibles??).
Cars 2 is a mistaken spy movie, along the lines of Man Who Knew Too Little, Man with One Red Shoe, etc. There's a nefarious organization of "lemon" cars who want to ruin the market eco-fuel. Trying to thwart them is Finn McMissile, a British secret agent. McMissile discovers there's an undercover American that's already infiltrated the lemon organization. Circumstances intervene and McMissile thinks Mater, country bumpkin tow truck from the first Cars, is the spy. Wackiness ensues and we all learn valuable lessons about friendship and being yourself.
Just like the first movie, Cars 2 isn't that bad, but it's bad for a Pixar product, which makes the movie seem more like a cash grab than a product the company really wanted to produce. The characters aren't as deep as other Pixar products and it lacks emotion. Also, you have to be able to tolerate Larry the Cable Guy for 2 hours. I could see that being a problem for many people.
First Viewing: 3+2+2+2+2 = 11