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| Crop duster Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) prepares for the Wings Around the Globe competition. |
Little over a month ago, Disney received plenty of heat towards their underwhelming big budget interpretation of The Lone Ranger, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Originally intended to a direct-to-video release with its sequel to follow in 2014, Planes flies into theaters to capitalize on the studios lucrative Cars brand. Perhaps this spin-off would have been better off grounded for a home media release.
The first image in the animated film reiterates in big bold letters that Planes happens in the world of Cars if the borrowed character designs weren't already a dead giveaway. Forget Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater as they're nowhere to been or heard from. The duo hailing from Radiator Springs get swapped out by second-rate replacements who find their adventures up in the air.
Enter Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook), a crop dusting plane with ridiculously high hopes to fly against the big boys in competition. With his team of misfits from Propwash Junction behind him, Dusty gets that once in a lifetime opportunity when selected to compete in the Wings Around the Globe race. Dusty's underdog story is as stereotypical as it gets, too painful to watch at times for anyone expecting the slightest effort in twisting the age-old plot.
Kids won't care, being too preoccupied in the already established Cars world that's been a huge money maker for Disney. With a new cast of boring characters, this expansion serves only one purpose - to keep milking the franchise even further with even more toys and merchandise. Disney's smart by expanding Planes to a global scale, but widening the scope of the world doesn't bring any depth for audiences of all ages to enjoy.
If Planes remained a direct-to-video release, there'd be a tad more slack cut for the lazy scriptwriting and lack of ambition the film has. But who cares who's actually winning the Wings Around the Globe at one point of the race or another when the end result is still too predictable. Planes suffers from being too much of a cut and paste job of the first two Cars movies. Many of the side characters are characters from the first two movies except for the fact that they're planes. There's even a dim-witted sidekick fuel truck voiced by Brad Garrett that could pass off as this film's Mater.
Planes' only saving grace is that it feels part of the Cars world, even if it's an absolutely unnecessary addition. The characters and environments are designed to match with McQueen, Mater and the rest of the gang, so continuity is a plus. And director Klay Hall doesn't force in any more Cars references than he has to. There's a pint-sized mechanics from the previous movies throw in for logical purposes, but we don't have to worry about some Mater cameo during the competition.
Except for the lovesick stereotypical Mexican plane, El Chupacabra who provides a few laughs throughout Planes, the other competitors in the Wings Around the Globe competition are easily forgettable. Except for the cocky Ripslinger (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) and his villainous agenda, Dusty befriends every other plane in the race at one point or another, sugarcoating any elements of serious competition for a contemporary audience where there are no losers. Once again the generic plot panders to the kids, not the adults.
Even if Cars and Cars 2 are deemed two of the least received Pixar films to date, they're both miles ahead of this lackluster spin-off. While a sequel, Fire and Rescue is already in the works for next summer, Planes has little trouble already sending the franchise into a disturbing nosedive.
GRADE: D+ (3/10)
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