In "Cars," cocky racer Lightning McQueen, left, finds himself stranded in small-town Radiator Springs, much to the delight of Tow Mater -- and the chagrin of Doc Hudson, who's got a fast past all his own.

Another shiny new Pixar model just rolled off the animation assembly line.

And if "Cars" doesn't prove quite the classic that certain predecessors turned out to be, it nevertheless provides a sweet summer joyride for kids of all ages.

"Cars" spins its wheels a bit too much for its (and our) own good.

It also veers off the storytelling highway now and then for well-intentioned detours into Moral-of-the-Story territory.

But those are potholes, not roadblocks, and they in no way interfere with a highly diverting road trip to a beautifully realized world we've never visited before.

That's in the grand Pixar tradition, which has taken us to the playroom ("Toy Story") and beyond, from "Finding Nemo's" undersea universe to "The Incredibles' " superhero realm.

In the world of "Cars," however, you are what you drive -- literally -- because its characters can only be what they auto be.

For Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), that's straight to Victory Lane.

A rookie red car with high-octane drive, Lightning is one race away from claiming the coveted Piston Cup.

That is, until an unexpected road hazard strands him in the sleepy town of Radiator Springs.

Once a thriving stop on the Route 66 "Mother Road" from Chicago to L.A., Radiator Springs became even less than a dot on the map when the new interstate -- and, in time, time -- passed it by.

But not everyone has forgotten, or given up on, Radiator Springs, as Lightning discovers when he tears up the town's lone main drag.

The crusty local judge, Doc Hudson (voiced with gravelly authority by acting legend and racing veteran Paul Newman) orders Lightning to stick around until the road's properly repaved.

But Radiator Springs' roadway isn't the only thing that needs fixing.

There's Lightning's selfish, winning's-the-only-thing attitude, which clearly needs a major tune-up. And Radiator Springs' friendly denizens prove the ideal vehicle(s) of change.

From buck-toothed tow truck Tow Mater (aw-shucks, down-home Larry the Cable Guy) to sassy Sally Carerra (a delightfully revved-up Bonnie Hunt), a Porsche who abandoned life in the L.A. fast lane for Radiator Springs' more tranquil expanses, the locals demonstrate the value of putting on the brakes, exploring alternate routes -- and finding your own road home.

Occasionally, "Cars" threatens to run out of gas -- especially when it's waxing nostalgic for the good old days, when people stopped to smell the asphalt, before high-speed superhighways transformed cross-country travel.

That message seems more than a trifle ironic, considering its presence in a computer-animated movie that represents yet another advance in the state of the art.

Aside from creating endearing, fleshed-out characters out of (make-believe) metal and chrome, the wizardly Pixar animators place them against amazingly persuasive photo-realistic backgrounds representing everything from the racetrack to dusty desert roads.

They're a lot more impressive than "Cars' " sometimes clunky script (by Dan Fogelman, director John Lasseter, co-director Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray & Phil Lorin and Jorgen Klubien), which seems cobbled together from spare cinematic parts (a "Doc Hollywood" chassis here, an "American Graffiti" fender there ...).

And director Lasseter (co-director Ranft died last August -- in a car crash) doesn't always keep the story in gear, frequently slowing down for side trips.

Sometimes, they turn out to be inspired comedic set pieces, as when Tow Mater introduces Lightning to the Radiator Springs equivalent of cow-tipping. At other times, they're awwww-inspiring, heart-tugging moments that threaten to become the cinematic equivalent of gunk in the engine.

And yet every time "Cars" looks like it's running off the road, its visual wit -- and its all-star vocal cast -- save the day.

It would take multiple viewings to catch every delicious visual joke. (For bonus points, stay through the credits, which feature a highly amusing salute to John Ratzenberger, marking his lucky seventh Pixar role, and a touching tribute to Ranft.)

And, adding all-too-human dimension to their internal-combustion characters: such vocal standouts as George Carlin (alias a hippy-dippy Volkswagen bus), Cheech Marin (as a paint-wielding Chevy low rider) and "Monk's" Tony Shalhoub, playing a highly excitable Fiat who dreams of someday encountering a Ferrari from back home in Italia.

They all make for endearing company -- and, as a result, they help make "Cars" a road trip well worth taking.

Just don't expect it to take you as far as movie nirvana. Because this is one Pixar movie that doesn't have enough engine power to get there.