Planes: Fire & Rescue

The sequel to “Cars” spinoff “Planes” touched down into theaters a couple weeks ago. Produced by Disney’s secondary animation studio, DisneyToon Studios, “Planes: Fire & Rescue” stars Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Danny Mann, Teri Hatcher, Julie Bowen, Ed Harris, Wes Studi and Dale Dye. It was directed by Roberts Gannaway, known for his work on various Disney cartoon series.

After world famous air racer Dusty Crophopper’s (Cook) learns he may never race again after his engine becomes damaged, he shifts gears and flies into the world of wildfire air attack. Joining forces with veteran rescue helicopter Blade Ranger (Harris) and his team, Lil’ Dipper (Bowen), heavy lift helicopter Windlifter (Studi), ex-military transport Cabbie (Dye), mechanic Maru (Curtis Armstrong) and the Smokejumpers (Regina King, Corri English, Bryan Callen, Danny Pardo and Matt Jones). The team battles a massive wildfire, leading Dusty to learn what it takes to become a true hero.

“Planes: Fire & Rescue” is a pretty decent film. The animation is quite good with more than a few well done shots, fun characters and an engaging climax. The humor is also done well, able to entertain the kids and make adults laugh with jokes that will go over the kids’ heads.

The film is animated fairly well and has many good shots and angles, mostly involving the rescue team doing their job. One example is a scene that’s been built up the entire movie, which involves Dusty going under a bridge and pulling up on the side of a waterfall. Each time, he pulls up before reaching the bridge out of fear of pushing his engine too hard. During the climax, he finally pushes himself, reaching the waterfall to fill his tanks and the shots do well in conveying the intensity of the situation. On the other hand, some of the backgrounds aren’t exactly up to par with the rest of the film, lacking the depth other backgrounds have. The scene where Dusty is starting his trip to reach the base stands out the most. It’s not badly done, but the quality is different than other spots and it really sticks out.

While most of the characters are one-sided and defined by their quirks, they’re still quite fun to watch. Blade is the rough leader with a past, Dipper is the overexcited, stalkerish fan to Dusty, Maru is the eccentric mechanic, Windlifter is the stand-in for the mysterious American Indian and the Smokejumpers are the team daredevils. The park superintendent (John Michael Higgins) is the weasel that cares more about his travel lodge than the work the fire vehicles do. On the other hand, Dusty is quite a well-rounded character. He wants to prove himself as a good aerial firefighter, but the problems with his gearbox make him afraid to push himself. It’s not until he realizes that people depend on him does he understand that he has to push himself despite the possibility of engine failure.

The film’s climax is done well. While an element of it can be seen coming almost a mile away, that’s only a part of the whole. The film’s version of Yellowstone National Park becomes almost entirely engulfed in flames, endangering the travel lodge and threatening two old RVs recreating their honeymoon (Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara). Despite it being a kid’s film, it’s quite intense and provides Dusty’s finest hour.

There’s also some good music, including “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC and a song by Brad Paisley written for the film.

As the sequel to the spinoff of the sequel to one of Pixar’s less popular films, “Planes: Fire & Rescue” is fairly decent. It’s not better than “Cars” but it’s entertaining. It’s an enjoyable film for the kids and can keep the adults from getting too bored. But if you hate Dane Cook, then this might not be the film for you. 

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