Review of Planes (2013) by Disneymovierev — 10 Aug 2013

This review took a while to write. I was trying to decide whether my casual interest for airplanes was clouding my judgement. Then I got confused about whether I was rooting for DisneyToon Studios to succeed or fail in its first theatrical effort in nearly seven years. What I came away with was this: Planes is a good movie.

Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) is a crop dusting plane who dreams of racing. Besides the fact that he is afraid of heights, Dusty is hampered by his lack of speed. Still, he chases after his dream and, through a series of incredibly predictable events, he ends up in a race around the world.

There are some things to dislike about this movie. The most obvious is that it starts with a title screen that says “From above the world of ‘Cars.’” It’s like Disney was shouting, “We hope you saw that movie because that was really cool. This will try to be that, but it’s going to fail.” Beyond that there were a few parts that were a little hokey. Some say “Planes” has weak script writing, but I think the real weak link is Dane Cook. Every time I heard Dusty talk, I kept thinking Owen Wilson would have been great in that role. Then I remembered that Owen voiced Lightning McQueen, the main character in “Cars.” There is no way they would reuse Owen’s voice for what is essentially the same role in a movie that is so connected to “Cars.”.

Still, Planes won me over. Roper (Sinbad) and El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) were hilarious. I liked how Disney showed multiple cultures and gave each its individual identity. They even got a Bollywood actress to voice the Indian plane Ishani. This is a great movie for kids who wonder when they will ever need Science or Math, as the planes constantly talk about gravity, drag, tail winds and moisture levels. It will further bolster arguments that those subjects are good for lots of things.

You don’t need to see Cars before you see this, but there are some ties to that movie. Planes doesn’t have the Radiator Springs emotion of Cars, but it tries to make up for that in other ways. If you liked cars, you will like this.

Final Verdict:

I’ll let others debate whether this should be a direct-to-home video film. If you have nothing else to do, Planes is a solid movie for you to see. It gets a solid 7 out of 10 in my mind. It doesn’t soar to high heights, but it doesn’t crash and burn. Cars was a favorite with kids and I suspect this series will be as well.

Themes: Friendship is the biggest theme. Dusty’s friendships are strong and he relies on them a lot. His friends also rely on him. Truth and Honesty play a huge role in the movie as well. There is even a slogan about “flying for truth.” And obviously, there is the theme of doing more than what you were “built” to do. I don’t think they really do enough with this or with Dusty conquering his fear of heights, but it’s there.

Disney Nods: I’m pretty sure there is a hidden Mickey in Dottie’s shop. I think the Mexico pavilion from EPCOT in Disney World makes an appearance as well. And of course, there is that blatant title scene designed to tie the movie to ‘Cars.’.

Bathroom Break: Early in the movie, there is a montage where Dusty is being trained for the world race. This is a great time to go to the bathroom. You’ll miss the increase in torque and Dusty’s revelation that he’s afraid of heights. That’s the best time. If you have to go later, there is a time where Chupacabra sings and tries to win someone’s heart. I found this part to be very entertaining and would hate for you to miss it, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.

Credits: There is not an ending scene after the credits. DisneyToon takes a page from Marvel and reminds us “Dusty will return in Planes: Fire & Rescue.

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