After a pretty successful spin in “Cars”, Pixar went and made “Cars 2”, but it went right off the track. So, Pixel has made a third outing with the NASCAR-influenced “Cars 3”. This is the first third attempt at a series from Pixar since “Toy Story 3”. That one was critically acclaimed and much beloved by the general audiences around the world. Will “Cars 3” get the green flag and maintain a high-octane level of excitement? Or will it sputter off to the junkyard? Let’s kick the tires and find out.

Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is a famous racing car in the alternate world of vehicles only (and no people). He has run and usually won every major race, including the grand prize – The Piston Cup. He has fond memories of his mentor, and old-school racer named ‘The Fantastic Hudson Hornet’ (voiced by the late Paul Newman). McQueen spends his time in Radiator Springs, with his pals from the first movie – including Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). But McQueen has his heart in racing and winning.

But then some new next-generation race cars come onto the scene. They are sleek and custom-designed to be better than the older cars. Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer) is one of the new super-fast cars, and he wins while McQueen crashes and sits out the remaining season. But his sponsors have special news for McQueen. They have sold Rust-eze to a new owner named Sterling (Nathan Fillion). He has created a state-of-the-art facility to train new racers. McQueen goes there and meets Sterling and a peppy trainer named Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo). McQueen is excited to start off with the training, but Cruz wants him to go slow.

Cruz and McQueen have different ideas about how to train. McQueen wants to get his tires dirty on the old-fashioned dirt tracks, just like Doc. Hudson taught him. Cruz wants to go high-tech, with lots of equipment. Sterling gives McQueen one chance to get another win, and then he will need to retire. McQueen wants his chance to beat Jackson Storm just one more time. So, he goes out to train in secret. He ends up in a demolition derby by mistake with Cruz. But they both learn some things about how to handle bad conditions. McQueen goes on a country-wide search to find Doc. Hudson’s old crew chief.

They find Smokey (Chris Cooper) and a bunch of Docs old pals in a worn-down speedway. But they still have some tracks and ideas for McQueen so he can compete in the next big race and beat Storm. Cruz and McQueen find out old secrets about the early days of racing and the origins of fast cars. They become good friends with Smokey and Docs old racing pals. But they all know that the upcoming race in Florida will take all that McQueen has got. And Cruz says that she would have been a racer, but when she had her one chance, she backed out and never even tried.

The Florida 500 will be the big race for Lightning McQueen. But will his practice and his skills be enough for a super-slick racer like Jackson Storm? Can the help of experienced crew, led by Smokey, help McQueen during each lap? There will be a lot of fans rooting for Lightning McQueen, rooting for his comeback and his success. Will McQueen find his greatest joy in winning another time? Or will he see a way that will make his future match the path of his own mentor – Doc. Hudson?

Pixar has gotten a lot of mileage (so to speak) from Cars. But in this movie, you can see that the quality that makes Pixar special. All the animation is gorgeous and sharp in every detail. All the characters are spot-on with the voice acting. There are family-friendly storylines and lessons throughout. There is a 3D version that makes the screen look like a place that you would want to visit.

From the original Cars characters, such as Lightning McQueen and Mater, and now including new characters – Cruz Ramirez and Smokey and others, this Pixar franchise still has some gas left in the tank. So give “Cars 3” a green light and ‘Cruz’ into a local theater to watch it.