In 2013, Disney released their film, Planes, theatrically. Sort of a Cars in the air, it proved to be a modest success. Disney was so sure of this happening that they even planned a release date for the sequel BEFORE the first one was even released! And it’s this sequel we’re looking at today!
So, Planes: Fire & Rescue continues the story of our protagonist plane, Dusty Crophopper, voiced again by Dane Cook. In this film, Dusty suffers a mechanical problem that limits how fast he can fly. If he goes over a certain speed, he malfunctions in midair.
This proves to be a problem since he won’t be able to race anymore. At first, he doesn’t care about it and tries flying fast anyway…which results in him malfunctioning in midair, crashing down to the runway below, and causing a fire in one of the buildings on the runway that has to be put out by bringing down an entire water tower.
After a fire inspection team comes to look over the damage, they declare that if the local firefighting truck, Mayday, voiced by Hal Holbrook, doesn’t get another firefighting vehicle to assist him, the runway will have to be put out of commission.
Dusty, feeling bad for the damage he’s caused, decides to train to be a firefighting plane. He flies to Piston Peak National Park where he learns from a firefighting helicopter named Blade Ranger, voiced by Ed Harris, who seems to have a secret of his own.
So, what can I say about this movie? Pretty much, it’s like the original. It’s not a good movie, definitely not worth a theatrical release. But as a direct-to-DVD film, it’s decent.
I especially love the intensity that occurs during some of the firefighting scenes. It’s quite intense for a children’s movie.
One thing I do admire about this movie is that it brings to light how dangerous firefighting really is. And it’s done in a way that little children can understand and be in awe of.
The voice acting…eh…nobody stood out to me as being amazing, but I can’t say that anybody made me cringe either. And for all you Pixar lovers, John Ratzenberger has a cameo in this film too!
One of the biggest problems that I have with this movie is the animation. Sometimes the animation is spot-on, but there are many instances when the animation is sub-par. Then again, if it were a direct-to-DVD film, it would be expected.
Summing up, if you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll enjoy this one. If you disliked the first movie, you’ll dislike this one.
The Animation Commendation 
You summed this up a lot nicer than I did. The plot was thin as hell, the characters are even flatter in this film, the animation is decent, and while I like the homage to firefighters, it does not mean that the film is good. It is like an hour and 10 minutes. Pathetic.
Oh yes, this film is definitely not good.
But, I feel the hour and 10 minutes was just right for it. Had it been longer, oh boy!
I did feel like the hour and 10 minutes was a bit too long because it was a colossal bore, but still. A film should never be that short.
A few weeks ago the woman across the street from me invited our family to dinner. I came to her house and saw her 3-year-old grandson was playing with the DVD of this movie, carrying it around and turning it over.
That probably says all that needs to be said.
Ooh, burn!
The world of cars and planes is so goofy that I didn’t mind this. I think you kind of have to accept the world for what it is and not overthink it. I thought it was serviceable and I loved the visuals. It’s definitely bottom tier animation but for what it was I didn’t hate watching it.
My thoughts exactly!
I think Cars is just okay and I never watched Planes, so I have no interest in the sequel. But I can see how it’s something that little boys might enjoy! Nice that it’s short, too.
Yeah, it’s something to pop in the DVD player to keep them busy for a while.
Well, you warned me alright, cause I detested the first Planes movie… Thanks for the review!
Yep, better stay away from this one then.
You’re welcome! And thank you for your daily animation reviews too!
I haven’t even seen the first film and probably never will, and the same goes for this film.
On a side note, I have a different idea for a blog project. Instead of doing something Disney related, I thought I’d do something TV-related. I’m thinkig of reviewing every episode of the show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” since I recently became a brony. I’d never seen anyone in these animation blogs review a TV show yet, so I decided, “Why not?”
Yeah, that’s a good idea. I too was thinking of reviewing all the episodes of a TV show, but gave up on it. Let me know when you start a blog.
But of course!