Review of Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) by Forrestgump1 — 30 Jul 2014

Going into the latest Disney tent-pole, and the sequel to last summer’s snooze fest (Even by kiddie fare standards), “Planes: Fire & Rescue” I had my fair share of low, and I mean, low expectations. The trailers build this up to be one big sap fest, the first preview had the very good Spencer Lee singing the titular song “Still I Fly”. Which, yes makes it’s way into a slow montage in the film. To be expected, the film is not in the high winds of what it’s animation department is actually capable off. (Have you seen “Frozen?”) . Parents will find the film utterly predictable, but the younger children will more than likely be put in a trance, as soon as Dusty Crophopper swings into the big screen. To say the least I was truly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed this follow up sequel.

Having only been less than a year since we saw the last Planes, Dusty is now a big time celebrity, and world champion. However when his gearbox reluctantly fails -- this causes Dusty to find a new calling, as he most likely will never race again. After a terrible accident leaves his hometown in ruins Dusty takes new leave, and begins investing into the world of firefighting. Serving alongside the heroes he aspires to be.

You may not believe it at first, but there actually is some touching moments sprinkled throughout “Planes: Fire and Rescue”, not to mention, most of the scenery is gorgeous to look at (a vast improvement over the first outing). The directing staff actually studied for months on the actual depths that these firefighters go through. Which truly is showcased in the very cool air stunt sequences, which are easily the film’s greater strengths. Ideally, what propelled the film even further was the addition of a new band of characters, that are superior to the previous entry. Characters that I actually cared about. Of course, with new characters comes with a new cast..lead by Julie Brown (Modern Family) as Lil’ Dipper. Ed Harris, Wes Studi, Hal Holbrook while Dane Cook returned to voice Dusty.

So much went wrong with the first “Planes” that it actually set a low bar for the standards of Disney, and for that I was truly shocked. It has become apparent that this crew saw those faults and drastically altered them. Resulting in a more than passable escapism for the younger crowd..and even slight enjoyment for the adults as well. The film is nowhere near the likes of “LEGO Movie”, “Frozen”, or “How To Train Your Dragon 2”. Running at a smooth 1hr and 15 mins, is just perfect enough to entertain the kids..and not drag down the parents along the way.