While it might be considered the weakest movie in Pixar's library, not having the heart or charm of Wall-E or Toy Story, Cars has proven to be a huge with the younger members of the cinema going public, who lap up the anthropomorphic vehicles in any form, be it moving picture or toy. Now DisneyToon Studio's are taking charge, expanding the universe with Planes.
As you can guess from the title, this film takes us from the roads to the skies, with a story that can best be described as a reverse Cars, sharing elements from the original, from the grumpy old mentor with a secret, to the loudmouthed comedy sidekick, to the egotistical bad guy who also has a green paint job. But hey, if ain't broke, don't fix it. Dane Cook voices Dusty Crophopper, a crop duster who dreams of leaving small town life behind and making it big in the racing circuit (see? Reverse Cars). But the one big problem getting in his way? He has a fear of heights. Finally the chance to enter a gruelling round the world race, he must dig deep and overcome all the odds.
DisneyToon studios do a great job here, animation wise, emulating the style of the Cars movies. At times, you'll be tricked into thinking your watching a Pixar film (especially since they throw Bard Garrett in for good measure), but that's where the similarities end. The story is quite light on the details, and takes it's time to actually get going. After a completely redundant early fake out (which will probably have even the kiddies rolling their eyes), it picks up when we finally get to the racing, the various racers different personalities, from John Cleese being his most British as Bulldog to Roger Craig Smith's (better known as Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin Creed games) Ripslinger, adding a lot to proceedings.
There is quite a lot of humour on display here, if aimed a bit lower for the movies intended audience. The film moves at a nice pace, and wraps up everything in a satisfying fashion, not once out staying it's welcome. It can be a bit heavy handed at times with it's various messages, but it doesn't hammer you over the head with them. For the most part, the voice work is top notch, although Dane Cook comes off extremely flat on more than one occasion. The most enjoyable character has to be Carlos Alzraqui as El Chupacabra, his enthusiasm for the role absolutely infectious, and the fact he is the movie comic relief bagging him most of the laughs.
Fans of Cars will know what to expect from Planes, and while there is not a lot here for adults, DisneyToon Studio's have made a perfectly enjoyable installment in the Cars franchise.
As you can guess from the title, this film takes us from the roads to the skies, with a story that can best be described as a reverse Cars, sharing elements from the original, from the grumpy old mentor with a secret, to the loudmouthed comedy sidekick, to the egotistical bad guy who also has a green paint job. But hey, if ain't broke, don't fix it. Dane Cook voices Dusty Crophopper, a crop duster who dreams of leaving small town life behind and making it big in the racing circuit (see? Reverse Cars). But the one big problem getting in his way? He has a fear of heights. Finally the chance to enter a gruelling round the world race, he must dig deep and overcome all the odds.
DisneyToon studios do a great job here, animation wise, emulating the style of the Cars movies. At times, you'll be tricked into thinking your watching a Pixar film (especially since they throw Bard Garrett in for good measure), but that's where the similarities end. The story is quite light on the details, and takes it's time to actually get going. After a completely redundant early fake out (which will probably have even the kiddies rolling their eyes), it picks up when we finally get to the racing, the various racers different personalities, from John Cleese being his most British as Bulldog to Roger Craig Smith's (better known as Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Assassin Creed games) Ripslinger, adding a lot to proceedings.
There is quite a lot of humour on display here, if aimed a bit lower for the movies intended audience. The film moves at a nice pace, and wraps up everything in a satisfying fashion, not once out staying it's welcome. It can be a bit heavy handed at times with it's various messages, but it doesn't hammer you over the head with them. For the most part, the voice work is top notch, although Dane Cook comes off extremely flat on more than one occasion. The most enjoyable character has to be Carlos Alzraqui as El Chupacabra, his enthusiasm for the role absolutely infectious, and the fact he is the movie comic relief bagging him most of the laughs.
Fans of Cars will know what to expect from Planes, and while there is not a lot here for adults, DisneyToon Studio's have made a perfectly enjoyable installment in the Cars franchise.
