Giveaway and Review: Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue Unexpectedly Soars Into Our Hearts

Giveaway and Review: Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue

Disney's Planes Fire and Rescue Movie

On June 14, we had the opportunity to preview Disney’s newest animated, adventure comedy, Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue, over a month before the film would debut in theaters. Though we were excited to receive the early screening, we admit we did not have very high expectations for the film. We found the first Planes movie to be moderately enjoyable, but it felt largely like a repeat of Pixar’s Cars story line and it seemed more suited to younger children. Perhaps our expectations were too high as we are avid fans of most other Pixar films, which were equally entertaining for children and adults

Fortunately, Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue soared unexpectedly into our hearts! We definitely enjoyed the film’s story, soundtrack and its message.

Leah and Andy at Planes Fire and Rescue

Movie Overview

If you aren’t familiar with it by now, Planes: Fire & Rescue features a dynamic crew of elite firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park from raging wildfire. The basic premise surrounds world-famous air racer Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Dane Cook). Dusty learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, so he finds a second career in the world of aerial firefighting under the wing of veteran fire-and-rescue helicopter Blade Ranger (voiced by Ed Harris) and his courageous team, including spirited air tanker Dipper (voiced by Julie Bowen), heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter (voiced by Wes Studi), ex-military transport Cabbie (voiced by Captain Dale Dye) and a lively bunch of brave all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. 

Event Details

Bobs Gannaway and producer Ferrell Barron

Before the film was shown, there was a brief appearance by director/co-writer Bobs Gannaway and producer Ferrell Barron. The two shared their excitement with working on the film and talked about the dedication of the film to the courageous firefighters who regularly risk their lives to save others. They also explained that production on Planes: Fire & Rescue began six months after the start of the previous film and they had been working on this film for nearly four years! Beaming with pride, they spoke about the tedious work of creating dramatic and realistic fire effects. After seeing the film ourselves, we could better appreciate their enthusiasm for the realism and quality of the animation, especially the fire!

About the Story (No Spoilers)

Dipper and Dusty - Planes Fire & Rescue

Planes: Fire & Rescue is a great comeback story about second chances, specifically a second chance for Dusty Crophopper the hero from the first Disney’s Planes movie. Early in the film, when he’s frustrated with his newly discovered inability to race, Dusty causes some significant problems for his friends at Propwash Junction. Yet, he (independently) realizes he has a responsibility to make things right for them, and luckily, he also has an opportunity to reinvent himself at the same time. The story that follows is not only entertaining, but it also offers some big lessons for children (and adults).

The movie’s tagline is “When others fly out, heroes fly in.” Some of the poignant messages involve concepts like:
  • following through on responsibilities 
  • doing what’s right, even when it’s not your personal first choice
  • understanding that actions have consequences
  • listening to rescue workers instructions and warnings
  • being a hero doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want to get the job done. Heroes follow orders too.
  • being a star/winner/champion isn’t everything. There’s more to life than the flashy stuff!

I think parents will appreciate the strong, respectable messages in the story. This film opens the door to learning opportunities for younger kids who may be currently enamored with superheroes and could benefit a lesson on real-life heroes and responsibility. A second chance story like this can also be inspiring to parents and adults of all ages, especially those considering (or forced into) a career change.

Disney's Planes Fire and Rescue Movie Poster
By no means is the story heavy or lecture-like. It’s actually quite a bit of fun. Adults will laugh out loud at the references planted specifically for them. In fact, you can see a few of the good ones in the extended trailer clip below. Also, keep an eye our for the signs in bar and little sight gags like [lug]nuts on the table in the same bar. There are a lot of same kinds of puns and plays on words that we see in the Cars films.
Plus, those of us who were around in the late 70’s and early 80’s will thorough enjoy CHoPS references (think CHiPS), especially coupled with the fact that Erik Estrada plays a role in this film as Nick Loop’n Lopez.

Nick_Loop'N_Lopez_-_Planes_Fire_and_Rescue

We also want to note there’s some excellent music in the film that felt perfectly matched to the story. It’s got songs by Brad Paisley, Spencer Lee and a terrific score from Mark Mancina.

While the story had a lot more heart and depth than we had expected, I have to point out that we could see the fairly formulaic plot lines (twists?) coming a mile away. Still, it’s surprising and exciting enough to keep kids and parents entertained the whole time.

We definitely recommend this film!

Watch the Official Extended Trailer here and consider checking out Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue in theaters soon.

Rated: PG, Runtime: 83 minutes. Release Date: July 18, 2014

Giveaway!

In the meantime, we’ve got some Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue items to giveaway! We have identical 3 prize packs for little Planes: Fire & Rescue fans!
Planes Fire and Rescue Prize Pack
Each Prize pack contains:
1 – Pack of trading cards
Planes Fire and Rescue Prize Trading Cards
1 – Sheet of temporary Tattoos
Planes Fire and Rescue Prize Tattoos
1 – Play binoculars
Planes Fire and Rescue Prize Binoculars
How to Enter:
Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. The more actions you take, the more chances you have to win! Good luck! Contest ends 11:59 pm EDT Aug 2, 2014. 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Terms and Conditions: By entering the rafflecopter drawing, the entrant agrees to the following terms and conditions. In order to be notified of your prize, you must provide a valid email address or have a valid email address associated with your Facebook account. In order to claim your prize, you must provide full name and mailing address. Your name and address will be used for the sole purpose of mailing your prize. Must be 18 or over to enter. Mailing address must be a valid United States postal address. Our Florida Project is not responsible for items after they have been shipped.

Disclosure: We received complimentary admission to see Disney’s ‘Planes: Fire & Rescue’ through a special event opportunity sponsored by the Disney Vacation Club. Entry was granted on a first-come, first-served basis during an online signup period. At the theater, we also received complimentary popcorn and drinks and the items listed above in the giveaway.

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