Opening 29 Aug 2013
Directed by:
Klay Hall
Writing credits:
Jeffrey M. Howard , John Lasseter, Klay Hall
Principal actors:
Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Planes takes off with full speed, packed with action, adventure and comedy, telling the heartfelt story of Dusty (voiced by Dane Cook), the single-engine plane. He dreams of competing in a famous racing contest. There seems to be little hope for him as he is not only a crop-duster but also afraid of heights. But where there is a will, there is a way. The old Skipper Riley, a Navy Corsair (voiced by Stacy Keach), becomes his mentor. Dusty takes his advice, works hard and is desperate to overcome his fears. When actually making it to the racing world his true troubles start. Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith), the confident and tough head of the racing team, despises him and doesn’t shy away from foul play. This brings El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) to his aid. The cheerful South American is always in love with beautiful lady-planes. On the tour around the world one of the landing places is in Germany, where Dusty is cheerfully greeted by his astute fan, a German car that can also work as a plane, called Franz Fliegenhosen (voiced by comedian Oliver Kalkofe). Not to forget, there is also Dottie the forklift (Teri Hatcher), with her continuous encouragement and practical help.
The animated planes are cute and lively – thanks to the international cast lending their voices. You totally forget that there are no people in the entire movie. The storyline is easy to understand for children and amusing enough for parents. An entertaining family film to watch in the theatre or on DVD.
Planes was announced by the Disney Toon Studios (producing direct-to-DVD movies) as a spin-off and airborne version of Cars, the very successful series by Pixar. John Lasseter, chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, and director of both Cars movies, is one of the producers. (Birgit Schrumpf)
