Planes (2013)

Even though 'Planes' has the same style and animation as Pixar's 'Cars' and claims to take place in the same world, the Pixar name doesn't appear anywhere on-screen in it. This little animated film was produced by DisneyToon Studios (Disney's direct- to-video division), but the powers-that-be decided that they could make more money in toy sales if the movie got a theatrical run first. That seems to be the only driving force in this sub-par kid's flick. I expect a decent box office gross, but its blandness might hurt its lasting appeal when it's actually released on home video, like it was originally supposed to be all along.Almost everything in 'Planes' is ripped off from 'Cars', from the characters to the colors and the locations. The movie starts out in a small rural town very similar to Radiator Springs. A crop-duster named Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) wants to enter an annual race against the fastest planes in the world. An elderly, crabby war plane named Skipper (Stacy Keach) teaches Dusty how to fly with the help of Dottie (Teri Hatcher), a mechanic forklift, and Dusty's simple-minded fuel truck Chug (Brad Garrett). Sounds a little too familiar, huh?Due to a technicality, Dusty is accepted into the big race and begins his worldwide trek to the finish line. He's opposed by some bad planes who would rather see him crash and burn than finish the race. However, he also meets some other nice racers along the way that help him conquer his biggest fear. You guessed it – Dusty the plane is afraid of heights.Director Klay Hall is primarily known for many episodes of 'King of the Hill'. He does the best he can with the script he's given. The characters don't have a lot of depth and story points are predictable. Voice acting is sub-par as well, with Julia Louis- Dreyfus, Sinbad and Carlos Alazraqui giving the better of the vocal performances. The movie just lacks the Pixar flair for good storytelling. Sure, it has some aviation references and some cute moments here and there, but overall, 'Planes' is just for little kids and is a barely-disguised attempt to get you to buy toys.

As straightforward as spinoffs can get, really. Kids love talking cars, and kids love toy airplanes, so kids will love talking airplanes too, right? And they do, or at least mine do, even if none of this cast has half the sparkle or charisma of a Lightning McQueen or a Tow Mater. Which should speak volumes, since both are pretty much the bottom of the barrel in Pixar's repertoire. As competition-focused racing movies go, it's middle of the pack - energetic and often lovely, but flat as a board and thoroughly predictable. Younger audiences will thrill to the frequent chase scenes, with a good mix of terrain thrown in as appreciable spice, but their chaperones won't find much material hiding beneath the surface. Cars had a timely message about the loss of the great American highway lurking under there, and at least Cars 2 had some buck to its script, but there's really nothing more to this one than a simple played-out underdog sporting saga. And hey, that's perfectly okay. There's plenty of room on the screen for bright, shiny, cookie-cutter kids' fare, and it certainly doesn't offend. It's just no comparison to the Pixar-branded forerunners that paved these lanes. Good enough for a quiet evening, no more, no less, and it gave my three-year-old boys a good dose of imagination fuel.

About halfway through "Disney's Planes" (hereafter "D's Planes), one of Ripslinger's (voice of Roger Smith) bumbling lackeys (Ned or Zed, I couldn't tell) admits Dusty Crophopper's (voice of Dane Cook) efforts to compete in the worldwide flying race is a "compelling Rocky tale". I think he's mostly right, except "Rocky" ends a little bit differently. But "D's Planes" has the other "Rocky" clichés in abundance.We have the underdog, a determined but outclassed and unlikely racing contender in the form of a low-flying cropduster (Dusty) who has the added handicap of acrophobia (fear of heights, but in this case, heights over 1,000 feet!). We have the underdog's loyal buddy and moral support in the form of the Mater-like fuel truck Chug (voice of Brad Garrett). We have the grizzled, gravelly-voiced, demanding racing trainer (and Dusty's idol) in the form of heroic veteran aerial bomber Skipper Riley (voice of Stacy Keach) who harbors a shameful secret. We have the unscrupulous, sneaky current flying champion, the aforementioned Ripslinger, and his minions (not THOSE minions) Ned and Zed (voice of Gabriel Iglesias), willing to do anything to knock Dusty out of the race. Finally, we have the diverse, colorful, if stereotypical fellow racers and opponents such as the veddy British Bulldog (voice of John Cleese), the flirtatious Rochelle (voice of Julie Louis-Dryfuss), and the flamboyant Casanova El Chupacabra (voice of Carlos Alazraqui).Yup, we have the millionth version of the underdog tale. But, in the final analysis, so what? How many films are really that original anyway? And everyone likes a well-told, inspirational underdog story, no matter how many times we've heard it, right? Right? Well, anyway, I contend that "D's Planes" has several positive qualities that make this same old tale well worth watching.The first, most striking one is its visual artistry and photo-simulating effects. Even though like its obvious ancestors "Cars" and "Cars II" we're dealing with sentient, living machines, the backgrounds and scenery feel so meticulously real and accurate. A second quality is "D's Planes" mechanical and aviation knowledge which I guess was inaccessible to most watchers except machine experts, but didn't make you feel stupid that you didn't know it (like me). I still found that knowledge was impressive. A third one is the race from the perspective of the airplanes - the bankings, the divebombings, the barrel rolls, the acrobatics- that convince you that absolutely nothing beats flying as the single most exciting, exhilarating activity on earth.However, the most important quality is the underdog Dusty himself, on whose wings the movie hangs. Dusty is ambitious and determined to be more than a farm worker, but he is not brash and cocky. On the contrary, he is humble, hardworking, and gracious and helpful to everybody, even to opponents like Bulldog and El Chupacabra. As a result, Dusty begins to grow on others who would never have given him a chance before, and even begin to help him. Kindness CAN pay dividends. Dusty even persuades the reclusive Skipper to not only train him, but to even overcome his own stigma to come to Dusty's aid when Ripslinger tries to sabotage him. Yes, Dusty is a fine role model.In conclusion, even though "D's Planes" lacks the adult sophistication of Pixar movies, and is going, more or less, where you think it's going, it makes the journey worthwhile. Besides the previously mentioned qualities, it's clean and family-friendly, except for a risqué bit involving removal of Dusty's "sprayer" to reduce weight and drag ("You can reattach it, right?"). The race showcases the globe well and the geological and climate obstacles the planes face. It convincingly converts the soul classic "Love Machine" into a ballad El Chupacabra uses to serenade Rochelle. Most effectively, though "D's Planes" doesn't insist upon it, like "Rocky", it convinces us that, regardless of the outcome, those who never give up are always winners.

Dusty Crophopper is a crop duster plane who has big dreams of racing in the Wings Across the Globe competition. He gets the help of WWII fighter plane Skipper to train for the international race. He isn't quite fast enough and he's afraid of heights. He is the underdog in a race of international speedsters.This suffers from a lack of imagination. Director Klay Hall tells that John Lasseter just figured Planes would exist in the Cars world. It's the laziest of story writing. They have a good selling franchise and they decide to clip on an extension. If they want to include planes in the Cars movie, then I would feel fine about that. This is just recycled bits and pieces of other movies. There isn't one speck of originality in this. The voice work is rather blend and there isn't any particularly funny jokes or hilarious characters. It gets by solely with its stylistic association with Cars.