Disney’s Planes Review: A Family Adventure with Warmth and Humor

While not quite the Concorde ride offered by Pixar’s best, Disney’s Planes is hardly a commuter flight, either. It seems certain critics were primed to hit a moving target when word that this once-planned DVD release was going to get a theatrical release. And while it does replicate the narrative of Cars 2, practically rivet for rivet, Planes still soars as a family adventure with warmth and humor.

Taking the time-honored phrase “the sky’s the limit” to heart, Planes chronicles the journey of a crop dusting plane named Dusty seeking a better life. Determined to be a racing plane, his dream of becoming something bigger is aided by a colorful squad of friends, who band together to stave off the threats supplied by the bad planes. It all comes down to the simple morals that define the Disney brand: its not being afraid to fail that will make you a success.

Like Cars 2, Dusty’s life is changed when he manages to compete in a global race with some of the world’s best planes. Among them, Mexico’s superstar (with the ego to match) El Chupacabra (voiced with élan by Carlos Alazraqui), a veritable luchador for the heart. Of course, representing the flip side is the nefarious Ripslinger (voiced by Roger Craig Smith), whose minions, Ned & Zed (both voiced by Gabriel Iglesias) work overtime to give Dusty a bumpy ride toward self-realization. And, for a film that honors most high-flying tropes, why not have Top Gun’s own Goose and Iceman, Anthony Edwards and Val Kilmer, along for the ride as jets?

Simplicity is key in Planes, which is actually its strongest asset. Overly complicating the plot, action and visuals would distort the fact that the film is quite an entertaining romp with a healthy dose of warmth. True, it does lack the more sophisticated and emotional complexity that is Pixar trademark. But director Klay Hall has employed a hard-working combination of distinctive voice talent (which includes Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher and the great John Cleese) and colorful visuals to keep this Disney ‘toon afloat. It may not satisfy most hard judging critics, but families will be keen to embrace the film for what it is: a nice time at the movies. Taking its cue with Cars may have been a calculated decision. But, Planes still offers something quite pure with its sincere message of being true to one’s self to take flight.

Planes is now playing in 3D and 2D (USA).