Customer Reviews

Planes Fire and Rescue (2-Disc Blu-ray +DVD + Digital HD)

In the summer of 2013, I rather reluctantly went with a couple of family members to see the Disney movie PLANES. I am a huge Pixar fan and, as someone who was raised in mid-America, CARS is a much better movie than the critics have ever given it credit. However, in my mind PLANES was just a rip-off of CARS and a clever attempt to further milk the cash cow. PLANES isn’t a bad movie, but it is pretty much a re-telling of CARS, but with a little tweaking , role reversal, and with airplanes instead of cars.

When I heard of PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE, I couldn’t imagine the sequel being better than the original. However, after having seen the movie I can admit I was wrong. PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE is a superior movie to PLANES in every way. It’s a movie that people of any age can enjoy watching and honors the nations firefighters at the same time.

In terms of story, the film follows the hero of PLANES, Dusty Crophopper (voice by Dane Cook). After winning the Wings Across the World race, Dusty has now become a world famous celebrity and made a very successful career out of racing. He has become one of the best racers in the world. However, a personal “medical” tragedy as well as an economic crisis at Propwash Junction force Dusty to re-evaluate his life. In order to help the airport (and get some perspective away from racing), Dusty volunteers to become trained and certified as a firefighter. He’s sent away to a training center in Piston Peak. While there he becomes engulfed in fighting a massive wildfire and, along the way, learns some very important life lessons.

For an animated movie aimed at children, PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE deals with some very difficult issues and questions. This movie is all about sacrifice and the meaning of a true hero. It’s explores how people deal with life after their dreams and careers are taken away by no real fault of their own. It explores the choices people make in life and why people sometimes give up a career in the spotlight to pursue a career helping others. It examines the relationship between family and close friends. That’s not to say PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE is a serious drama. The movie is full of humor and jokes at several different levels. There are also all kinds of references to real-life places. For instance, I really enjoyed picking out the different references to National Parks that can be found in Piston Peak (it’s a hodge-podge of all kinds of famous outdoor natural attractions from the giant sequoias in California to Yellowstone National Park). The fire scenes are quite spectacular and might offer the only truly frightening thing to very young children.

Overall, although PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE is a movie clearly aimed at children, it’s a film that adults can enjoy just as much and does a great job of honoring the firefighters of this country. It’s one of the best animated movies of 2014.

This movie combines so many different elements that it's hard to review them all at once. First, there's the central character's drama. After he's gotten good and used to the adulation his racing career brings, it has to stop. A 'medical' condition threatens to kill him if he pursues that 110% lifestyle. So, he sets his sights elsewhere - not lower (as he was to find), but elsewhere, and among others, each with a past of their own.

Then there's a "little engine that could" subtext, with plenty of setbacks. There's also the inspiring thought that a hero doesn't need to be a hero to anyone, or even known to be heroic. ("How do I get my picture on that wall?") There's more in that thought that I realized at first, the notion of being your own hero, and a real one, not just an ego-fantasy. Also, self-worth through achievement instead of an entitled feel-goodism, and seeing many contributors making very different contributions, and the snarky sense of comeuppance when that self-serving bureaucrat gets his mud-flaps pinned back, it all adds up to a healthy view of what a truly good life can be, in terms kids can grasp.

But John Lassiter produced this and that's as good as a promise signed, sworn, and notarized saying you'll get technical excellence welded to warm characterization. Go back to his 1986 'Luxo Jr,' and give that talent thirty years to mature - that's what you'll see here. And, as a Disney flick, you have some assurance of kid-safeness. Granted, some of the fire scenes could trouble a kid the way the flying monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz" scared the goobers out of a very young me. Even so, ribaldry tops out with some off-camera bare-bottom humor (car bottom, remember) and maybe a fart joke.

And, through it all, the movie holds its reverence for the ones who put themselves in danger for the rest of us. It has irreverent moments - but hang out with those guys for a while, and you'll see more gallows humor and friendly teasing than the word "serious" could possibly imply. Yes, respecting those guys (of whatever gender) means respecting their humor, and it gets more earthy as the situation gets more demanding. The only irreverence comes from an honest portrayal of the real world's first-responders' own rugged joking, irreverent in itself already.

OK, it's a kids' flick. I'm sure kids will like it, give or take some fire danger and scary injuries. But I haven't been a kid for a very long time, and this worked very well for me. (Except for that vertical scoop scene - that might have jumped the shark.)

-- wiredweird, reviewing the release to theaters

I'm a pilot and found the movie well done and very accurate in many aspects of aviation. My wife is not into aviation and surprisingly loved the movie. I suspect kids will like the movie but didn't see one in the theatre. The thunderstruck scene will get your adrenaline going.

I just saw this movie with my son and daughter and they both absolutely LOVED it! My daughter is 4 and my son is 11 months. He stood on my lap and pumped his arms in the air over and over again in excitement. I can't wait to purchase this on DVD! Highly suggested!

This movie was fantastic. The humor, the emotion, the soundtrack, the context and all of it's elements. Very well put together, with a great cast. My 2 year old son was on the edge of his seat. My husband and I were tickled and impressed - 5 STARS, hands down.

A great film for all ages. Far better than the first Planes.

This movie is far superior to the original Planes movie in every way. It really has almost nothing to do with the first movie and completely stands on its own.

My 3yo son thought this was the greatest movie he had ever seen. And that's really what matters. It doesn't matter what some jaded movie critic thinks of this movie. It only matters what the target audience thinks, and the target audience loves this movie.

Substantially better than the first Planes movie.

This movie was cheaper than the original Planes so we decided to rent it. It's basically a rip off of Cars. Many similar characters, scenes and situations yet not nearly as brilliantly written and with much less character development. To be fair that may have happened in the earlier Planes movies, but I'm not banking on it. I wonder if I hadn't seen Cars like a hundred times if I would be more impressed. :-)

To it's credit, the scenery was beautifully done, and the action was fairly realistic. The planes and other vehicles were likable. There were some good sequences that were not overdone. There was not a lot of bad language, questionable humor or excessive meanness.

However, there are a LOT of pretty intense forest fire sequences, frightening endangerment and accidents resulting in severe damage to main characters. It seemed a bit gratuitous.

My kids, ages 10, 6 and 4 did not care to watch it again, which is unusual for them. 10yo boy says: It was pretty good. 6 yo boy liked the bobcats(they were pretty cool), but didn't like all the fire. 4 yo girl didn't like the fire or drama and thought it was too scary. Mom admired the masterful artwork and winced at the less-than-stellar plot and script.

Honestly I put this movie on for my kids while I was working on my laptop and I got sucked into it. The story is about a plane, who from the first Planes movie went from being a crop duster plane to a world champion for flying. He was determined and worked hard to achieve his goal. Well in this movie he became a little cocky and went against what the mechanic told him and caused some problems. He stepped up though and said he would help fix the problems he created by becoming an assistant to his fire engine friend. He needed to become certified to be an assistant so he went to train with an awesome fire plane. The story has some great parts to it that actually gave it a good story plot. My kids loved the action and rescue vehicles and I loved the story. I also may have teared up a little over a part in the movie. It is a great story line and a movie that I actually won't mind watching again with my kids. The lessons are great as well as it teaches teamwork, working hard to achieve your goals, dream big, not to forget your friends and responsibility. My kids are 3, 6 and 7 years old and they all loved the movie. Also, I honestly liked this one a lot better than the first movie, which doesn't happen too often.