Planes: Fire & Rescue

Voices of: Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Curtis Armstrong, John Michael Higgins, Hal Holbrook, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Stacey Keach, Cedric the Entertainer, Regina King, Jerry Stiller, Fred Willard, Patrick Warburton, Erik Estrada, Brent Musberger, John Ratzenberger
Directed by: Roberts Gannaway
Rating: PG
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Dusty (Dane Cook) learns that an engine malfunction means he may never race again. He decides to join a firefighting squad to train as a firefighter.


Review:

Tim: So, I get that I'm probably a sucker for enjoying the first Planes movie. It wasn't up to "Pixar" quality to many people, but I found it to be an exciting, fun little animated movie. For the merchandise, we got a sequel. This would surely be my chance to amend for past mistakes, right? Wrong. I actually really enjoyed Planes: Fire & Rescue. Maybe I'm crazy, but I thought this film was comparable to the first film. I once again had fun, and I'd consider this a good movie. I know many critics will disagree, but what do they know? This is an enjoyable movie.

It would have been really easy to play it safe with this film. The original was about Dusty racing, so let's make another race with a bigger, longer, more dangerous race! That's how this easily could have gone. Instead, the writers took Dusty into a different direction, which still provided opportunity for excitement, adventure, some comic relief, and a positive role model for young kids. The idea of Dusty not dusting crops or racing, but becoming an airtanker and waterbombing fires is a brilliant one. It's different enough to help separate this film from the first one, but it's still an exciting adventure. I had great fun seeing Dusty transform and have to start at the bottom again. Part of the fun of the first film was seeing Dusty on his journey, as he learned to master the art of aerial racing. Here, he had to go back to the basics and once again, we get to watch him as he journeys to firefighting greatness.

The voice cast is once again good. While a number of cast members from the original come back, their roles are fairly small. Dusty meets a new group of friends who have significantly more screen time. I was fine with that. Most of the cast disappear into their characters, anyway, and no one has such a recognizable voice that it detracts from their character. Dane Cook is good as Dusty once again. I liked the addition of Ed Harris, and he's good as well. The voice cast is strong overall.

I like how the movie looks- the colors, the clever nods to this world without people, inhabited by anthropomorphic vehicles, the humorous twists on names. This was all established in Cars, but this sequel to the spin-off continues that tradition, and it's one I enjoy. While people love to criticize these movies, I find them an enjoyable departure from the norm. It's fun to sit back and be whisked away to these colorful cartoon world.

So, like I did with Planes, I find that I like Planes: Fire & Rescue far better than many critics. Neither of these movies is among the upper echelon of animated films, but they offer fun escapism and deliver an experience that appeals to audiences of all ages. I love that this film took a different approach to the story. There's no guarantee we get a third movie, but I for one am interested to see what adventures Dusty gets into next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Planes, Cars, Cars 2