Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014) User Reviews (73)

Surprisingly Exceeds my Expectations.

[michaelhirakida · 7/10 · 26 July 2014]

Surprisingly to my knowledge, Planes: Fire and Rescue is not a cash in on the Cars Series. Unlike most sequels, The film was made to show the day in a life scenarios of firefighters fighting fire season where here in British Columbia where I live, the fires threaten many people. This is one of the best things about the film, Disney Toons, who is the studio behind the first Planes movie shows they're capable of living up to the standards of their Farther and Mother animated studios which shocked me.

At 84 minutes long, the movie opens up with a message dedicating this movie to all the firefighters who risked their lives. So now on to the film, Dusty Crophopper has won many trophies. But on the eve of a festival in Propwash Junction, his gearbox is damaged and his friends tell him he may never fly again. After an accident, the main town firefighter Mayday is in danger of losing his job and Dusty tries to get himself Certified as a Firefighter to get his job back. But is in danger of a greedy lodge owner trying to ruin everything and his life.

The most memorable characters I found in the movie was Dipper. The main girl plane of the movie. Like Ashanti from the last film, she is a new 'Friend' of his. I put it like that because she is actually a very creepy stalker. I felt uncomfortable around her because I was worried this relationship might lead to something creepier. Also, Blade Ranger played by Ed Harris is memorable mainly because this lead firefighting plane was in a show called 'Chops' which is the Cars Universe equivalent of Cops and Magnum PI.

Animation wise, it got better. The animation is lively and thanks to the sound effects it makes the animation more convincing when Dusty and the gang are out battling fires.

The story I liked. Because it has some flare to it. It gets sad within minutes, it gets evener sadder without an hours running time and is more serious than the first. More maturity to it, more life to the world, more character development, it is bigger and better. Some of the stuff is funny too. In one scene, Dusty is shown a VHS tape with the Cover of Howard the Truck, then to see its not that, but 'Chops' as I said before. I was laughing so hard when they showed that.

Overall, Planes: Fire And Rescue proves that you can do more with a sequel than just cash in on it, you can tell a engaging story that will tell you about life. It really was a better sequel and should be shared with the whole family.

78/100 B

P.S: THE MUSIC STILL ROCKS! THANKS MARK MANCINA!

Expected worse

[banosd · 6/10 · 19 July 2014]

Took my 5 year old to see this fully knowing the franchise is worn out after having seen the disappointing Cars 2 and the first Planes. The plot is more interesting here as it plays out like an 80 minute episode of Rescue Heroes.

The animation is fantastic as you would expect. Having animated planes allows for more panoramic views of the woodlands and fires.

Sounds like kids were bored during the sad parts. The story didn't really need this as it's all predictable. You knew Rusty would defeat the odds to save the day in the end. Dane Cook voiced Rusty similar to Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen, very down to earth without being over the top.

There is certainly nothing groundbreaking here but the action scenes were good enough for my son to say he liked it (which is all that really counts!).

actually better than the first

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 20 February 2015]

Dusty Crophopper is now a successful famous air racer. He returns to Propwash Junction to promote the upcoming Corn Festival. His gearbox malfunctions and there are no replacements. His racing career is over. He recklessly pushes to the limits and crash lands at the airport. Old fire truck Mayday barely is able to put out the resulting fire. Government inspectors put the airport on notice. They need another firefighting vehicle. Dusty decides to get certified as a firefighter.

I like the start of this movie a lot. I like Dusty's problem. I really like Mayday. I don't really like the move away from Propwash Junction. First it feels unlikely and unwarranted. Also it's just better to stay with some of the characters especially Mayday. The fire and firefighters could easily come to Propwash Junction. The stakes would be elevated if his hometown is threatened with destruction. The fire fighting scenes are quite exciting and a vast improvement over the first movie. This is generally a better movie than the first. It's rare but I think this movie is too short. There is a straight to video quality to this that better writing could solve.

The "CHiPs" Reference was the Best!

[3xHCCH · 6/10 · 21 August 2014]

The first "Planes" was a pleasant surprise. It may have had practically the same "race-against-all-odds" story as "Cars", "Turbo" and many other animated films. But "Planes" still managed to be distinct and charming on its own, for both kids and adults.

We get a lot of this homespun country charm again in this second installment called "Planes: Fire and Rescue." Our hero cropduster Dusty is having problems with his gear box and cannot push his engine to racing anymore. A fire at his hangar revealed the inadequacy of the fire-fighting capabilities of his area, so Dusty decided to try and have himself accredited as a Fire-Fighter.

For adults, this may be an average affair for the most part. Even my tween kids did not too interested about watching it. Personally, my favorite part was when it was revealed that Dusty's stern mentor Blade Ranger (authoritatively voiced by Ed Harris) was once an actor in a TV cop-show called "CHoPs", which had the very familiar theme song of 70's motorcycle cop show "CHiPs"! The nostalgia brought a smile to my face.

The story is pretty slim, standard and predictable, so this episode spent a lot of time showing grand forest vistas, amazingly realistic and scary fire scenes and more amazing aerial feats by Dusty and the other fire-fighting aircraft. Despite the fact that this is a film for kids, I give it props for tackling a form of heroism not usually shown on the big screen -- fire and rescue teams.

Decent but not great

[postaldude1013 · 7/10 · 16 April 2015]

I had great expectations for both "Planes" and "Planes: Fire and rescue". Both were letdowns! Neither film had the humor, heart and charisma that have characterized previous Pixar films. Ever since Disney bought out Pixar I have noticed a distinct decline in the quality of films made under the Disney Animation Studios logo. Disney has, in my opinion, ignored great Pixar directors like Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, and Lee Unkrich. These directors have made the best animated films on the planet and Disney doesn't use them! I have also noticed much of the production work is done in India with Indian animators and production staff. Is there a reason for this? I am not saying they are worse or better than animators in America. They are good. Disney needs to bring back Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor and Lee Unkrich.

An excellent adaptation of a Tennesee Williams Play

[moonrazer-487-184393 · 7/10 · 19 July 2014]

OK maybe not, but Planes Fire and Rescue is a good kid's film that parents should be able to enjoy as well. The animation is gorgeous, much better that the original and the fire scenes are really well done. The plot is better than the original Planes but there aren't too many surprises. Dusty is forced to face his mortality and the end of his racing career when he learns that his gear box is failing and he can no longer get maximum power out of his engine. The Doctor at Propwash says that the gear box is out of production and finding a replacement is unlikely. Dusty, in a fit of depression, takes a late night flight and upon landing starts a fire at the airport which all of the Propwash characters must work together and struggle to put out. Once the fire is out, the investigation begins. The airport at Propwash Junction is closed by authorities when they determine that Mayday, the airport's long time fire truck is inadequate to deal with emergencies. This is especially bad news since the annual Corn festival is close at hand. (Geek Note: while most of the characters in this series are based on real aircraft and vehicles, I've had trouble identifying what kind of truck Mayday is. This is particularly embarrassing since I'm a past chapter president of the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Motor Antique Fire Apparatus in American, SPAAMFAA, and yes it is a real organization. My guess is that he is likely British, possibly based on a Bedford chassis used for airfield crash trucks by the RAF during WWII) To reopen the airport, Mayday must be upgraded and a second firefighting unit put in service. Since Dusty is no longer able to race and really doesn't want to go back to cropdusting. (The job offer he gets is pretty funny) Dusty decides to become the second fire fighting unit at the airport. His mentor Skipper has a friend named Blade Ranger who commands an aerial firefighting unit at Piston Peak national park. Dusty takes off to receive his training and certification. At the airbase, Dusty is given some female attention from Lil Dipper and the star treatment from everyone except Blade Ranger. We meet several other characters including Wind Lifter. Wind Lifter, a former lumberjack turned firefighter provides a Native American perspective and serves as a spirit guide to Piston Peak National Park. His stories are both poignant and hilarious. He's like a rotary wing Tonto, although Tonto was a Planes Indian, sorry Plains Indian. It's revealed that Blade Ranger also has a storied past as a TV star. Dusty is fitted with a pair of pontoons for scooping water. While in the hanger he sees a bulletin board with spectacular pictures of firefighting aircraft and wants to know how he can get his picture on the board. He's told that "You have crash". One night the firefighters gather in a hanger to watch some of Blade Rangers old show called CHoPs, California Helicopter Patrol. It's an excellent parody of the 1980's CHiPs based on the exploits of two California Highway Patrolmen played by Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada. In CHoPs Blade is teamed with his partner Nick "Loop'n" Lopez to fight crime around Los Angeles, they even use the same radio call signs as they did in CHiPs . Lopez is played by none other than Erik Estrada himself, who seems to have made a career of playing himself in parodies of CHiPs. We learn from one the characters that Lopez was lost in an accident on set and that Blade was there but did not know what to do to save him. The show ended and Blade became a firefighter to compensate. It's told as a story so it's not very intense, little kids should be OK. (Geek note: This is very similar to what happened to the 1973 Ward LaFrance fire engine that was used on the TV show Emergency. This truck had a brief cameo appearance on CHiPs. Once the show had ceased production, the fire engine provided fire protection in Yosemite National Park for about 15 years before coming back to the LA County Fire Museum.) The training and firefighting is pretty much a Top Gun meets Backdraft meets Thomas the Tank Engine kind of thing but for the most part works. Before Dusty takes off for his first mission the mechanic says "Say Cheese" and snaps his picture. Dusty asks what that was for and he's told it's for the board. As I said before the animation is very good at times almost breathtaking. Some of these scenes might be intense for younger kids although I didn't hear any screaming in the theater. I won't reveal the rest of the story but suffice it to say, it's nothing that hasn't been done before although I think it was well done. Now I'm off to Target to if the new diecast toys from this movie are in. I want to get Mayday, Dusty, Lil Dipper .....

More of the same, with a smaller story

[infoalwaysacritic · 6/10 · 1 January 2016]

Presenting itself as an episode, and not a sequel was key for Disney - Pixar in releasing Fire and Rescue. The subject, by all appearances in the trailer, sounded more like a children's TV show than a hour plus experience. As such, expectations of viewers are adequately set low for this pseudo sequel. Following the old adage, promise low, deliver high, Planes Fire and Rescue does just that; it promised little, and delivered more, showing that they may have learned from the lackluster cars 2.

The key here is that they delivered more, not to be confused with being great, and with sober expectations, can be enjoyed for what it is; a warm and fuzzy story for kids that is relatively content safe and funny. Strengths include revisiting a consistent portrayal of their source material, which is growing expansive. As such there are nods, often irreverently funny, to some of the recognizable entities in their other films. Rusteeze medicated bumper ointment and Dusty's former employer's pungent fertilizer make a return, one even justifying a short film on the Blueray/DVD release.

When looking at the plot itself, the writers come harrowingly close to undermining the basic point of the first film. By the end of the movie, they have corrected the deviation, though only by resolving things through the most obvious of manners. This resolution was so glaringly obvious that my own small children complained they could see it coming, though this shouldn't detract from the journey of getting to the end, which is a visual spectacle. They may have gone a little overboard on the fire, but the concern for Dusty is the anchor that keeps you engaged throughout the film.

With a significantly smaller story, and an ever ready abundance of new characters, this movie is sure to delight the small child audience for which it is intended, though sacrificing the depth of the original. Parents should know that there is more innuendo in this film, and like the original also contains several stereotypes that may offend. These include an native Indian helicopter and an inappropriately behaved fan who is present through most of the film.

Missed the mark

[cinematic_aficionado · 5/10 · 12 August 2014]

The story revolves around Dusty a lovely plane who learns he cannot race anymore as his engine is about to burst. Not one to give up he tries to prove he can still be useful.

Whilst it is admirable for one to not lose spirits in the face of adversity the way this has been displayed in this animating adventure has proved ineffective.

Dusty comes across as a stubborn plane who in his refusal to accept he is damaged and stay put manages to constantly endanger himself as well as other planes. There is a failed attempt, a telling off, then another incident and another etc... Given he cannot race he opts for becoming a fire-fighter but the problems remain, his engine is not up to the task. More failed attempts and endangerment.

Whereas the spectacle/cinematography is acceptable the moral of the story falls short and given how the cinema was filled with youngsters something tells me it did not convey a very poignant message.

Decent kids' animated adventure - impressive looking

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 15 August 2014]

Prize race-winning plane Dusty Crophopper is told his racing days are over, so he joins a team of forest fire-fighting aircraft and appliances.

The first Planes film, set (by Disney) in the same universe as Pixar's Cars, did little more than move the plot of Cars 2 off the road and into the air. This sequel is very much better. The rescue scenario lends itself to some wonderfully realised visuals and a genuine sense of jeopardy. The characters seem more likable this time round, too.

A high profile voice cast does well by serving the film and not imposing themselves, but this film - for me - was mainly about the terrific visuals.

Vast improvement over the first.

[bbickley13-921-58664 · 5/10 · 29 July 2014]

In the year were every movie seems to be a Sequel comes Plane: Fire and Rescue which turned out to be Way better than the original planes, but that's not saying much.

What I like particularly about this Sequel was that the original planes came out less than a year ago and there is already a sequel. I guess if the first was more successful it would have taken longer to come up with a decent sequel.

The animation has not change since the first movie and the first movie was not impressive when it came to that. What this movie does have that's better than the fist was the story premise. Dusty Crophopper is having engine problems that take him out of the racing game so he finds a new occupation as a firefighting aircraft, but he has to receive training.

The action sequences with the planes fighting fires was actually great to look at and the new characters that make up the rescue team are very interesting. I also like the musical score which added dramatic tension to the action.

The movie was dedicated to fire fighters so I hope they got a kick out of the upgrade story. I still prefer the Cars franchise myself.

Fly Away

[abcvision · 8/10 · 23 July 2014]

Planes: Fire and Rescue is about second chances. Dusty is a hot shot plane until one day he is at a crossroads in life, so he decides to join the world of fire rescue. Filled with a cast of fun characters this movie touts on bravery and the forgotten machines that protect us during unexpected natural disasters. In this case it is fire. There is a little bit for everyone, excitement, romance, and team work. This movie is cute and has a fun story line. The animated characters give a reality to the behind the scenes of fire fighting. It also gives you a boast on the optimism of new opportunities. No matter what happens you are able to reinvent yourself and be a part of the team. Colorful and enigmatic Planes: Fire & Rescue make you ready to take on a life of adventure.

Planes: Fire and Rescue

[phubbs · 7/10 · 21 October 2014]

Well here we are with the sequel to a poor movie that was a spin off of another half assed kids movie, yet bizarrely this movie is actually pretty good! The first adventure in the skies was basically a very dull very poor 'Cars' spin off that didn't do anything we hadn't already seen in the 'Cars' movie. It was quite awful with seriously lackluster characters truth be told.

Yet despite this something has happened here which has turned the franchise upside down...almost. Yes its all the same dubiously clichéd and stereotypcial characters and yes the plot isn't exactly the greatest piece of original writing ever to touch down...but its actually fun! Put simply, Dusty the Air Tractor has ruined his internal bits n pieces with too much hardcore racing. Whilst being the arrogant cocky little sod that he is he crashes and causes a fire which in turn alerts some fire safety inspector truck dude to close the airport due to lack of a decent firefighting crew. In order to restore the airport to its former glory Dusty goes off to Piston Peak National Park (GREAT NAME! and presumably in the Wyoming/Colorado area of this universe) to learn to be a firefighter plane.

From there on its the predictable overused age old scenario where at first Dusty finds it hard mixing in with the fire crew. He slowly gets to know the team, discovers one female plane fancies him but the chief Ranger chopper thinks he's no good for the team, he won't make the grade. After numerous training sequences, whinny sulky moments, some heart-to-hearts and one to ones...a major fire breaks out which means its time to get down to the business of saving the day hero style. Essentially its the underdog schtick all over again with a highly obvious outcome all round for every character...the little plane that could.

I think the main difference from the first movie is the fact the visuals here look really really nice. Don't get me wrong its nothing that's gonna blow you away in a shower of epic CGI rainbows...it just looks very good and way way better than before. The first movie looked like an obvious made for TV flick and very basic. This time its been upgraded with a fresh coat of Turtlewax and its gleaming in every frame, background foreground and all the vehicle characters.

There is a wide selection of characters in here also but surprisingly that doesn't compromise the story. Actually many of the new characters are highly likable and really add a much needed to boost that was lacking before. Ed Harris as the Fire Ranger chopper is as you would expect...stern serious and without a sense of humour, but he's still a likable fella because he fair and righteous (not in an all American way though), and he looks good as a fire engine red chopper. Wes Studi voices a character that seems to be of Native American descent...I'm guessing by the way he speaks as I don't think its mentioned. This might seem incredibly clichéd by now...which it is...but again he's a great character. His large green Skycrane design does eerily suit this Indian notion to a tee with its long curved blades that kinda look like long drapes of black hair and of course the helicopter wrap or colour scheme design seems to replicate typical Native American warpaint/face paint (around the eyes).

Gotta give kudos to the cool little team of smokejumpers that are made up of small JCB construction/excavator vehicles. Not only do these guys look quite cute nippy and cool, they are also quite amusing and not in any way annoying! I half expected them to leap into action by combining together to form a large Transformer-esque Constructicon (nerd smirk). There is a large voice cast in this movie, many small and large characters but at no point does it ever feel swamped, its handled well.

Despite the plodding exhausted plot premise at least they have tried to expand the story without retracing their steps. Yeah sure we've seen this kinda of thing before but the fact they make the old characters push forward into new territory creating a fresh angle for themselves (firefighting), and not going back to the old original plot premise of crop dusting/racing (which is hinted at but swept aside), is a big positive. I was sure at one point that Dusty would probably go back to his racing ways (predictably)...but no! he doesn't, he moves on and this in turn generates a nice new chapter for the franchise.

In that I wouldn't mind seeing another entry here. The blend of various vehicles is fun to watch if totally ridiculous at times, why would they need certain buildings like restaurants ? why would they have drinks in glasses at a function? wouldn't every building be humongous to house certain vehicles like large planes etc...Try not to get too technical with this incredibly insane premise as it is after all completely a kids flick and in no way meant to be taken any other way. Miles better than the first movie, leagues ahead with quality and some nice little visual gags for us older folk...Boat Reynolds! 'CHoPs' instead of 'CHiPs' (old 70s/80s TV show, in this universe its based around choppers/helicopters) and 'Howard the Truck'.

7/10

No Frozen & No Masterpiece

[james1844 · 5/10 · 20 July 2014]

This was a huge disappointment from my perspective. It lacked any substance of storyline and fell short on keeping the audience (Kids) interested for the hour and a half. Really boring at points. The only redeeming aspect of this animated film for families was the very impressive look of the film. Great scenery and camera shots putting the viewer right in the cockpit of the planes. This film will fad in time and will only be considered so-so for most viewers. Kids deserve better than this and the level of quality should be more interesting of characters. Disney deserves better material and clever comedy to entertain an audience. Family films coming up short this summer sadly.

Better than the first

[email-393-982430 · 6/10 · 2 January 2021]

The first film is fine, nothing great. This is a little better, and more enjoyable

Fun, Simple, Kids Film

[rgkarim · 6/10 · 18 July 2014]

Another weekend, another Disney movie in the form of inanimate objects being brought to life and giving them personality. My first film to review is a pickup of a Pixar abandoned world that transitioned from the hard paved racetrack to the free roaming wilderness of the open sky. You have guessed it, my movie is on the latest Disney sequel Planes: Fire and Rescue, a movie that many see as another addition to the world of kid's movies to appease a growing population. Is this the simple stereotypical kid's film or does it stand out from the flood? Let's cut the chatter and get to the review.

Let's face it, the one certainty you have when it comes to Planes is it is going to be kiddy and they meet your expectations. Disney has made a nice friendly movie, lacking the secret naughty jokes that adults love, for good simple fun in a nice convenient package, where everything happens in just the right circumstances to drive the story. The colorful world will grab most children's attention, depending on their energy level, and leave their eyes wide with excited fun. The animation is hands down impressive, a nice collage of anthropomorphic movements interlaid with smooth flying through a beautiful world as they start to catch up to their former partners. My favorite parts of the movie involved the majestic flights through the generated world of canyons, lakes, and forests, often putting us in a first person perspective that makes you feel you are in the cockpits and perhaps a little dizzy. To help give it some suspense, the planes dive into some turbulent skies as the fires, which seems to start up so quickly, create a dark haze for our cast to travel in. While kids may get tense, and our brave men and women of service may appreciate the "edge", it did lack some edge, more on that later.

Now you might be thinking, "This is Disney, surely something sad has to happen that will make my little one cry?" Well surprise, surprise Planes flies over the depressing twist and keeps the movie lighthearted for the most part. With the opening message and dedication to the brave fire fighters, you expected a little more drama to drive the plot, yet Disney chose to keep the fun going with as little stress as possible. While this should keep your kids laughing and smiling, or in some cases running across the theater mimicking the planes, it leads to a simplistic film that may leave older audience members bored. Planes lacks a lot of excitement and zest that some of the previous Disney films contained, that creative spark that entertained us for so many years lost to the lower threshold of entertainment we have all set for ourselves. Now this doesn't mean all is lost, for Planes has some rather witty puns that had me chuckling from time to time, but aside from that the humor is based on your ability to appreciate cultural references and how child like your humor is. The good news though, is that parents won't have to spend too much time in this light hearted movie, for it runs less than 90 minutes, which is a great time span for a movie such as this.

So what else is worth mentioning about this film? Let's talk a little about the voice acting. Planes Fire and Rescue stars Dane Cook, the crude comedian again diverging from his usual stand up to give a mediocre performance. The animation, more than the voice acting, captivates the emotion more, but Cook's monotone voice is easy to understand and fitting for the character. Ed Harris does a nice job as the stern trainer, somehow being harsh, but packing wisdom and experience that mimics his years on the Silver screen. Fans of Modern Family will be happy to see, or hear in this case, Julie Bowen whose overdramatic/overacted character has been captured in plane form. The audience was laughing at her delivery, her character both creepy and yet endearing as she tried to guide Dusty through his training. Yet my favorite voice was from former Nerd Curtis Armstrong, whose rough, cut to the point, honesty never gets old for this reviewer, especially when it comes out of a little pipsqueak like Maru. Voice acting aside, the designs of the characters is well done, taking common patterns and colors of rescue vehicles and crafting them into symbols that match the ethnicity they represented mainly for the Native American helicopter.

Planes is a fun, family adventure that brings joy, happiness, and very layman humor that will entertain the young. Again the visuals are nice, the story very easy to follow, and the world colorful and fun, with little emotional diversity. Yet, Disney could have easily made this one of their original movies, and put it on TV, not only sparing us a carbon copy of their teenage romantic plots, but also saving us some money as well. My suggestion in to forego this movie, unless you really need something to curb your children's energy, or you are just looking for simple animation. Otherwise save your money and stay home in the comforts of your own home, waiting for a few other films coming in the new few weeks.

My scores for Planes are:

Animation/Adventure/Comedy: 6.0 Movie Overall: 5.0

This cartoon is intended to teach our kids that management . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 24 July 2014]

. . . represented here by National Park Superintendent Cad Spinner, is bound to get us all killed unless the Card-Carrying Union Folks are able to step in at the last minute to clean up the mess and save the day. After nearly burning down his home airport of Propwash Junction, along with his fawning friends, on one of his "What's in it for me?" ego trips, main character Dusty Crophopper decides to make amends by obtaining a Fire and Rescue Union Card certification. Fire fighters are perhaps the most heavily unionized profession in America, so it is no surprise that the Disney people would select them as an exemplar to the kids of the United States to teach how a band of brothers (and sisters) learns to take care of its own while protecting public safety. Another group of fully-unionized government workers held up as role models in PLANES 2: FIRE AND RESCUE are park rangers, represented here by "Ol' Jammer," the wise "woody" station wagon with a park ranger hat atop its roof. Even the U.S. Secretary of the Interior realizes by the end of the story that the One Per-Centers, such as Spinner, are only out to sacrifice the common good for their personal aggrandizement, and have no place in a civilized society (he's later shown exiled to Death Valley). Ol' Jammer is given a field promotion to put the Union in charge of the park everyone visits (where it should have been all along!).

Good Movie

[theraparmour12 · 7/10 · 23 August 2014]

At first, I really thought this movie was okay and was a little bland, but the second half made it a little better. Also, the comedy raised it to a 7 for me, there were hilarious jokes on there that made me laugh. I like this better than the first Planes, because this story is more original. The first planes is just basically Cars on wings, it's based off of Cars making the story less original. Planes 2 is original and is about something different than racing. Sort of like Cars 2, which is racing/fighting action. But Planes 2 is better than Cars 2, because the 2nd movie still has the Planes vibe, whereas with Cars 2, it's nothing like the first Cars. Planes 2 had a few things like comedy and a great second half that made a comeback and saved it from having the pleasure of being a 5.0 movie. But a few comments. 1. There are continuity errors like the fact that he can't push his engine to like 250 mph without his engine having an error, but in the first one, he can outrace supersonic jets that go 700 mph. 2. Another continuity error, the girl he was with in the first one was completely forgotten. As if they don't really hang out anymore, and has a new girl in the movie that just sweeps aside the girl in the first Planes movie. However, I think the 2nd girl was more exciting in my opinion. 3. I think that fancy car should have been more of an enemy just to make the story interesting, he would make a great villain. For example, if he wouldn't let Dusty save the people, only the landscape. But yeah, overall, this movie gets a 7(Good).

There's something for everyone

[Gordon-11 · 12 December 2014]

This animated film tells the story of a winning racer plane who goes to another a place in order to train as a firefighter.

"Planes: Fire & Rescue" has nice visuals, as the forest and the surrounding natural scenery are very beautiful. The characters in the film are cute and likable, especially Dusty and his friends. How they convey emotions using the shapes of their eyes is quite fascinating. Young children can learn about emotions, courage and also enjoy an adventure. Older children will like the thrill of the plot, while adults can enjoy the several one line jokes aimed at adults. There's something for everyone in this animation, and I envied watching it.

Planes: Crash & Burn

[LaundryMatt20 · 3/10 · 3 March 2021]

It can justify its existence even less than the first one. The main good thing I could say about it is that it felt a lot shorter than it was.

Much improved over the first film

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 10 August 2014]

From personal opinion the first Planes film was dull and lazy though not without its moments. Its sequel Planes: Fire and Rescue is not great as such but in more ways than one it's (far) superior to its predecessor. The story, while still improving on that of the original, is very slight and predictable with an unfinished ending and Dusty's character arc being laboured and with tedious exposition between him and Blade. Some of the music is mismatched, parts have genuine tension but others have a slow-paced country-bar music vibe and it just doesn't fit. The characters are mostly very likable, especially Dipper but others including Dusty lack spark. Dane Cook didn't really do it for me either as Dusty, some of his comic timing is good but he often has too much of a smug approach to a character that would have fared better being played straight. Planes: Fire and Rescue does have a lot of very good things, particularly the animation which is outstanding and even better than that of the original. The colours are richer, the backgrounds and landscapes more textured and the photorealistic animation in the fire fighting sequences is far better than any of the animation in the first. Children and adults will appreciate the witty lines and easy-going humour as well as that it is nowhere near as derivative as the story of the first film and that the messaging is surprisingly gentle for a message movie, though with the odd preachy moment. The pacing is crisp while also gentle, and the fire fighting sequences are tense and exceptionally well animated with a truly thrilling climax. In fact the aerial sequences all soar and the action blazes. The voice acting is very good, with Cook being the only reservation. Especially good were Julie Bowen, who brings lovable sass and hilarious comic timing to Dipper, Ed Harris who brings grit and bite to Blade and Curtis Armstrong who's a warm presence. Wes Studi has his moments as well but his character could have been better fleshed out and more sensitively written. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara have a very heartfelt moment together too. To conclude, not a great sequel but one that improves vastly over the first Planes film. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Still not an improvement from the original movie

[Seraphion · 4/10 · 28 July 2014]

So after winning the Wings Around the World, it turns out that Dusty's gearbox gets faulty and Dottie the mechanic warns him not to red light his engine or he'll crash. One day a fire occurs in Dusty's hometown airport and the government finds the airport doesn't have adequate resource for handling fire accidents. After tidying up, the only thing left to have is another member for the fire fighter crew. Dusty volunteers and is then sent to get his certification with Blade Ranger in Piston Peak. Blade teaches all the firefighting technical things, but Dusty still holds back his top speed in fear of red lighting and crashing. It's then revealed that Blade was a TV star but he got into fire fighting after he lost his partner at a shooting accident. Meanwhile, the superintendent of the Piston Peaks resort is having a party at his new lodge and avoiding the wildfire danger.

As the rescue attempt goes on, Dusty goes his own way and disobeys Blade's orders repeatedly, resulting in the both of them stuck in their own ways and they have to et the fire burn through as they take cover. Blade shields Dusty from the fire thus he 's weakened and is downed as he tries take off. In Blade's absence and under the push of situation Dusty is then able to red light his engine. At the same time Blade, still injured but pushes on, helps Dusty to save the old RVs trapped in the same bridge where Blade teaches Dusty low flying. But immediately after red lighting, Dusty's engine stops mid air and he crashes. After five days of treatment, Maru, Blade's mechanic succeeded in repairing Dusty, even repairing his faulty gearbox. Thus Prop Junctin is reopened with Dusty as the new fire fighter member.

It's bad that after the flop of the first movie, the development team didn't really learn a good lesson from it and cook up a better movie in this one. The story moves from a classic of hope for a competition's underdog to an even more common one of a newbie ended up being a hero. There's no twist offered in any of the story element, just all those predictable story developments.

What's even worse than the first movie is that this time there's less laughable jokes around. Considering that the story changes from a competition into one more seriously toned story of saving lives, yet it shouldn't be a reason to cut back on the jokes. Besides, it's an animation after all.

And also, again, there's no cameo or any sort of appearance of the characters from the original Cars world to really connect the two franchise together, when on the other hand the movie's story has so many spots to do so nicely and smoothly. For example, when Dusty travels from Prop Junction to Piston Peaks, he could've been shown as flying pass Radiator Springs. But no, the developers didn't bother to do it.

My final say is that Planes: Fire and Rescue (2014) gets a 4 out 10 score from me, the same score I gave the original Planes (2013). It's an entertainment, a decent one at least, but I think we can all find better animations than this one.

Quite decent movie from Disney

[poomann · 8/10 · 19 July 2014]

OK, maybe wasn't the year movie but it's quite decent, it's much, too much better than cars 2 and for one instant i thought that it was a Pixar movie, okay, okay, maybe doesn't reach the quality from Pixar but Disney is improving in the stories and it left a very good taste. The scenes and animations are excellent and the story isn't only for kids, on the contrary it's quite decent for the adults, the characters feel like a real persons and its much better than the first movie. The only bad thing that i see is that Disney could improve the background of the leader copter or even change it, because Disney follow the same way since the cars story, one ace that teaches or trains for a bad past happening, maybe this doesn't bad but could be better. In summary it's an excellent movie from Disney and without songs, yeah!

Better than the first

[michaeljhuman · 6/10 · 27 July 2014]

The worst thing I could say, given the genre constraints is that this is the exact plot you expect. Dusty has yet another issue preventing him from being all he can be.

So he joins the firefighters. I was personally interested in firefighting as I live in a city that was devastated two years in a row by two fires, I know people who lost homes, but I guess that's irrelevant except to say that's why I gave #2 a chance even though I found #1 a bit dull.

The visuals were great. I watched in in 2D. There was a scene where the firetruck, feeling sorry for itself was in the garage and I was really impressed with the subtle artwork in that scene.

Be prepared for a whole slew of puns obviously. The dialog is strictly average, but some of the puns made me laugh ( I like puns.)

I think what made the movie watchable were the following- * Great CGI * Good action * Likable characters * Me personally resonanting with the firefighting theme and the dangers faced by brave firefighters

If you disliked Cars or Planes, don't bother. If you thought Planes was only OK, maybe give this one a shot. If you generally like CGI movies with the typical Pixar zero to hero plot, go see it :)

Never Takes Off.

[anaconda-40658 · 5/10 · 30 July 2015]

Planes: Fire and Rescue (2014): Dir: Roberts "Bobs" Gannaway / Voices: Dane Cook, Julie Bowen, Ed Harris, Stacy Keach, Teri Hatcher: Sequel to Planes where it examines new talents and the extremes one could go to exercise potential. Hero race plane Dusty Crophopper is troubled when he has a engine trouble where in the replacement is near impossible. When a fire breaks out they are under threat when containing it caused so much damage. Dusty decides to assist the ageing fire engine by going off to be trained to be a fire fighting plane. This plot is similar to Cars both in story and character yet it still manages detail. What is most alarming is the amount of fires that seem to pop up constantly keeping these vehicles with minds of their own busy. The outcome is easily predictable but the screenplay is surprisingly sturdy. Dane Cook voices Dusty and unfortunately he is the only character of interest in this scrap heap. Dusty is hindered of his passion yet finds opportunity elsewhere where new abilities are harnessed. Other characters are not so colourful. Julie Bowen voices a creepy female plane who seems to enter Dusty's space a tad too much. Ed Harris voices an ever familiar personality of a helicopter with a past that he tries to forget. Stacy Keach voices Dusty's mentor, and Teri Hatcher voices a forklift. Despite themes of courage and ability this film only exists to cash in on the first film, which in itself, was just a cash in on Cars. The animated characters are colourful but many of their personalities die like an engine that is long overdue to be replaced with something far more interesting than this. Score: 5 ½ / 10

VIEWS ON FILM review of Planes: Fire & Rescue

[burlesonjesse5 · 6/10 · 28 July 2014]

Planes: Fire & Rescue (the animated film I'm about to review) is pretty much about talking planes. Don't worry though, you'll still get to see a host of talking cars as well. As expected, "Rescue" is clearly a spin- off, a sequel, and an influx of inspiration spawned from 2006's highly successful Cars. There were parts of it that I liked being the obvious yet clever mix of adult/kid humor, parts of it that I could have done without such as the uneven combination of hard rock and country songs in the soundtrack (for kids films, I'm OK with just some feasible background music), and parts of it that didn't quite add up to a whole ("Rescue's" short running time for instance, is a poultry 83 minutes). My mixed review is ultimately gonna stem from the fact that I wasn't able to see it in 3D. If I did though, I think I would have enjoyed it more (I saw it in the more traditional, 2D cropping style). The computer animation is lush and the way certain scenes are cut and angled, I'm thinking that what's on screen might have catered more to a 3D setting. Perhaps I could upgrade to a more positive review via a second viewing by wearing those goofy, plastic blue glasses. Only time will tell.

Directed by Roberts Gannaway (who subsequently does some of the voices in his films as well) and meshing effectively, the adage of a humanistic-laden background combined with the palate of an animated background (just like with 2013's Walking with Dinosaurs), Planes: Fire & Rescue follows one crop duster plane turned racing phenom in Dusty Crophopper (voiced by foul-mouthed comedian Dane Cook who's vocal delivery seems tailor made for the role). As "Rescue" opens with some high flying, eccentric-looking stunts, Dusty is glowing from being crowned the Wings Around the Globe race winner (the main event or plot point that occurred in Planes). However now, he can't gain speed or race like he wants to because his quote unquote "gear box" has become damaged. This provokes Dusty to take a break from the whole racing scene and train to become a firefighter. He is aided and put through the ringer sort of speak by a helicopter commander (and former TV star quiet as it's kept) named Blade Ranger (voiced by the venerable Ed Harris).

As mentioned earlier, "Rescue's" greatest strength lies in its ability to throw in a zinger or two. This keeps the adults happy (most kids can't go to the movies alone so the parents, aunts, and uncles have to accompany them) and garners a few chuckles along the way (with my nephew sitting beside me, I actually laughed out loud once or twice). The humor featured is cultural referenced, pun induced, and even celebrity based (a version of the actor Burt Reynolds is assigned to a talking boat and his name is "Boat" Reynolds, get it?). There's nothing racy or satirical about it so I was actually scratching my head trying to figure out why the MPAA board gave it a PG rating. Regardless, I remembered the following tidbits: 1. there's a bar where sleek cars and even sleeker planes go to called "Honkers" (ha ha). 2. a male car actually hits on a female car in said tavern and the female says, "I don't really like pick-up trucks" (get it, pickup trucks). 3. an older car announces to everyone in context, "I have gas" (ha ha, knee-slapper). 4. some of the planes prefer to drink a "motorjito" (as opposed to a mojito). 5. and finally, a show playing on television in "Rescue" is entitled "CHoPPs" (or choppers which is a slang term for helicopters). It's the aerial version of CHiPs and if you were alive when that show aired, the theme song still rocks!

All and all, Planes: Fire & Rescue is short, brainless, contains an unsatisfying conclusion (does the main character go back to racing or frolic in the aspect of saving countless firestorm victims? We never really know for sure), and feels completely rushed to hinder to its quick-minded, closing credits. With neither a hint of another upcoming sequel or possibly a funny outtake sequence (all the computer-animated films seem to hightail this trend), "Rescue" feels undernourished and ultimately unfinished. In the future what's left, a computer generated, inspired farce called Trains (you know, a flick about talking locomotives who's personas don't creep you out like the ones in 2000's Thomas and the Magic Railroad)? Who knows for sure. Planes: Fire & Rescue isn't the least bit terrible as turn-the-brain-off entertainment. Editing wise though, it probably needed to be "rescued" from itself.