[twitter]Disneytoon is not Pixar. The Cars series came from Pixar, the Planes series is from Disneytoon. They’re cousins, not twins.
Planes Fire and Rescue takes Dusty Crophopper away from his friends in Propwash Junction and off to Piston Peak National Park to learn how to become a fire plane.
The themes for this are right up the alley of the 8 and under set. Planes, trains, cars, diggers, trucks, helicopters, rescue heroes, all the good stuff my boys eat up all day long. When we heard that a Dusty Crophopper model was going to be at the Calgary Stampede, the boys demanded we hunt him down to meet in person (top).
For the 2 weeks since they have been counting down the days to the release of Planes: Fire and Rescue. They’re fans, big fans. But.. something is missing. One review noted it lacked heart. Others called it generic. Most all agree that it exists just to sell toys.
I spent the 84 minutes trying to spy Easter Eggs in the movie to keep me entertained. I noticed the back end Lightning McQueen pulling up to the VIP line in a big party scene, I paid attention to the rock formations in the background (they look like planes in Propwash Junction, they look like trains in Piston Peak Park). While many complain of the puns, I find the thematic integration to be clever. Fusel Lodge as the name of the main chalet in Piston Peak Park made me smirk.
Still I wonder how long before Cars and Planes turns into Boats and Trains (appearances from the latter make appearances in this feature).
The boys enjoyed it. Zacharie‘s favourite part was when Dusty became a fire fighter, and Charlie liked Dusty putting out a big fire. Some parent friends said their kids found the fire scenes to be a little intense, our boys fed on it.
SEE IT OR SKIP IT?
Skip it.
The kids will love the rescue themes and the new characters, but there’s just not enough in this film to make it worth a full family night out at the theatre. Wait until it’s on DVD or digital, and add it to your home viewing roster there.