Though it came into existence as a direct-to-DVD feature, Disney’s Planes will soon be ready to take all of your money in theaters, both in 2D and 3D. (And undoubtedly in department stores, as Disney does not skimp on the marketing. ) And while the film’s cast is massive and talented, the memories of Cars and Cars 2 are strong with this one.
The above trailer does very little to raise enthusiasm for the film as a whole, though I am very intrigued to catch it in 3D should I decide to watch it. The aerial visuals and the fluid camerawork are certain draws for adult audiences, and though the animation style is quite generic, it’s all pretty amazing nonetheless.
But there’s still no sense of story, given the complete lack of dialogue, replaced by a feel-good track that sounds like something that would play over the end credits of an introductory workplace video. I mean, credit where it’s due for not giving us a fart joke or a groan-worthy tagline voiceover in its second look at the film, but there’s still something to be desired on that side of things. But it’s evened out by the constant motion of Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) as he gets over his fear of heights, zipping and flipping through the air. There is an almost endless number of places the 3D could go here, and if that’s the only thing I can latch onto this film to get me excited about, then I’m taking it. Also, I still think “From the world above Cars” is a clever line.
Besides Cook, the film stars Stacey Keach, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Cleese, Sinbad, Gabriel Iglesias, Roger Craig Smith and Cedric the Entertainer. And there’s more. It will hit theaters August 9, 2013. And while it would make sense to show the short teaser trailer Disney released for Planes here at the bottom, I’d rather go with the classic cartoon Pedro, featuring the most awesome mail plane in the universe. If Planes is half as good as this 7-minute short, it will be a victory for Disney.
