Disney’s Planes Review

Last week my nine year old daughter and I were lucky enough to see Disney’s newest animated film, “Planes.” I hadn’t done any before hand research on the movie — I simply went into it knowing two things: I love Disney and I loved “Cars.” Those two things alone gave me hope that I would enjoy “Planes,” and low and behold — WE LOVED IT!

This movie is a classic underdog tale with a lot of heart. Right off the bat we fell in love with Dusty, the sweet crop duster who dreams of nothing but racing with the big boys. Shortly into the movie you learn that there is an international race coming up, and it’s Dusty’s dream to enter it.

“The fact that he’s not really built for competitive racing doesn’t deter him from pursuing his dream—but his fear of heights just might. With a little help from his friends — and a WWII vet with wisdom to spare — Dusty takes off on an adventure of a lifetime, going prop-to-prop with champions while daring to reach heights he never imagined possible.”

Along the way Dusty builds friendships with the other fun characters in the movie, including a feisty Casanova-infused plane named El Chupacabra, and the exotic and mysterious Ishani, who catches Dusty’s eye. Back home, Dusty has a strong crew of friends who support and back him up in his quest for adventure. Chug is a fuel truck who brings to mind a certain sidekick from Cars, otherwise known as Mater. His best pal and cohort is Dottie the Forklift, who can fix anything, and is proud to be on team Dusty.

Aside from the loveable characters, I was even more impressed with the excellent storyline and how wrapped up I became in the movie. It’s not easy to get a 37 year old woman excited about an animated film, but Disney really did it. Throughout the movie there were exciting moments that had you on the edge of your seat, and in between them were the touching moments between characters as their stories unfolded. Another impressive aspect for me was how well they represented the various countries that the planes traveled through. When in the Himalayas, there were beautiful snow covered mountains and monks. When in India, they flew over the Taj Mahal. And when in Germany there was beer. I enjoyed everything they did to portray a little bit of each place for our kids.

My favorite part, overall, came when Dusty ended up spending time on a US Aircraft Carrier — the “Fleisenhower.” I always have a soft spot for the military, so I was pleased that Disney treated the Air Force characters with respect and made them the good guys. I loved having my daughter see that and it made me proud to be an American. That, and when there was a bit with an American plane. Both made me feel good.

Run, don’t walk, to take your kids to see Disney’s “Planes!” You will have as good a time as them — maybe even more!

Merrie is a writer for the Jen is on a Journey and you can also find her at her blog, Sleepless Mornings: “I’m the mother of two beautiful children, an Executive Assistant, a scrapbooker, a baker, and sometimes I’m even fun to be around!”

Our screening was hosted to facilitate this review, all opinions my own.