Synopsis: Dusty Crophopper, a small town farm plane, finds his way into the world's biggest air race. Facing obstacles both inward and outward can he overcome them to win the race?
My thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by this film. Being that it is a spin off of Pixar's Cars franchise, and it not being produced by Pixar or Disney Animation Studio; instead by Disneytoon Studios, I wasn't expecting much. Add in Dane Cook voicing the lead and I was ready to cringe as I viewed the movie with my 2-year-old at home.
Dane Cook was my first surprise he wasn't his typical loud annoying self. Many times when an animation studios choose to use a traditional actor to voice a character, instead of a voice actor, I can never get into the character. All I can hear and see is the actor and that can be a huge problem when you are not a fan of the actor. For example I can't watch The Croods without seeing Nic Cage in a caveman outfit. Kudos to Mr. Cook for letting Dusty be Dusty instead of making Dusty be Dane.
The story itself isn't anything new a typical rags to riches tale but they manage to have fun with it. The flying scenes are pretty spectacular to watch. And much like the original Cars, Planes has some actual history/planes sprinkled in for plane enthusiasts. Thankfully Mater and Lightning didn't make any cameos, at least not any that I noticed.
Being from the world above Cars I can't help but compare them. It holds up strong against the original franchise. It doesn't quite have the charm, whit, and voice cast as Cars, but does a better job of capturing the fun of globe trotting then Cars 2. It also treats our working class hero as an intelligent capable person, unlike Cars 2 and doesn't depend too much on the fish out of water and toilet jokes. There are toilet jokes but not enough to make me care. Overall it's a close second to the first Cars for me and a much stronger film then Cars 2.
Should you see/own it: I wouldn't run out and buy this film but renting it for cheap to watch with your children is worth it. If your child falls in love with it I don't think it will be a movie you regret having on your shelf.
Final Grade: A strong C+ or weak B-.
Thanks for reading. Let me know what you thought about Planes or give suggestions on future reviews or topics.
