For the Kids: Planes: Fire & Rescue Delivers Enough to Satisfy

Planes: Fire and Rescue is more than just a sequel. While the movie picks up right where the first movie left off, it can easily stand on its own. Fire and Rescue follows the post-victorious exploits of Dusty Crophopper, the underdog Race Around the World Champion, as he continues to ride a roller coaster of fame. The trailers for the film do not do it justice in that no reason is given for Dusty’s switch from air racer to firefighter. But we quickly learn within the first ten minutes that Dusty continues to push himself beyond his physical limits, causing engine damage that is beyond his mechanic’s repair. This news only causes Dusty to push harder resulting in a catastrophic crash that causes damage to his home airport in Propwash Junction. The old-timer fire truck, Mayday, finds himself in the hot seat due to an inability to effectively handle the fire caused by Dusty.

Dusty and his crew are given an ultimatum to update Mayday and find a second certified firefighter or else the airport is shutdown and if no one can land, then the lucrative Corn Fest is doomed. Here at the end of Act I, knowing his racing days are most likely over, Dusty volunteers to go to Piston Peak to train and become certified as the second firefighter.

As was the cause for commercial success in the second Cars movie, a new slate of extremely dynamic and entertaining characters keep this sequel fresh, avoiding being at all derivative of the first film. While Dane Cook returns to voice Dusty Crophopper along with all the voice talent from the first film, a slew of additional stars speak for these new characters. These include hilarious performances from Curtis Armstrong (Booger from Revenge of the Nerds fame) as Maru, the genius mechanic forklift in Piston Peak, Regina King as Dynamite, leader of the parachuting crew of bulldozers who fight fires on the ground, and Julie Bowen who plays an amphibious tanker named Lil’ Dipper who stalks the famous Dusty while he trains. But stealing the show is Ed Harris who plays the mentor figure Blade Ranger, the bitter old captain of the fire fighting team. While hard on Dusty at first, he trains him to become certified as a fire fighter and even when Dusty chooses to give up by not listening to Blade Ranger’s directions, he still puts himself in peril, saving and protecting Dusty.

Planes: Fire and Rescue presents just the right amount and level of innuendos and laughs for parents and grown ups. Director Roberts Gannaway (Secret of the Wings) makes his feature directorial debut on the big screen and does not disappoint. The imagery and scene details of a Yellowstone-esque  national park, Piston Peak is both stunning and beautifully animated from the perspective of the planes in flight.

Avid fans of Cars, Cars 2, Planes, and basically everything else Disney, will definitely enjoy Fire and Rescue thanks again to executive producer and Disney/Pixar masthead John Lasseter. He once again delivers a quality film that entertains while conveying the message to never give up and with hard work and perseverance; you can be whatever you want to be.