Planes

Planes is a spin-off of Cars, and the first film in the Planes trilogy. Pixar Animation Studios, however, did not produce the film. Instead, it was produced by DisneyToon Studios. It was theatrically released on August 9, 2013.

Plot
Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) is a cropduster plane who works at a cornfield and practices aerobatic manuveurs in his spare time, dreaming of becoming a racer. His dreams are scorned by his boss, Leadbottom (Cedric the Entertainer) and his forklift/mechanic friend, Dottie (Teri Hatcher). However, he is supported by his fuel truck friend, Chug (Brad Garrett). Dusty and Chug train for qualifiers for the upcoming Wings Across the World race. On the night before the qualifiers, Dusty asks an elderly and reclusive navy war plane named Skipper Riley (Stacy Keach) to teach him how to fly well but Skipper refuses. Dusty enters the qualifiers, and although the audience mocks him for being a crop duster, he manages to wow them by his well-practiced flight maneuvers, but comes in 6th place and is the back-up qualifier. A few days later, a representative from the qualifier visits his town looking for Dusty and announces to him that he now placed 5th. He barely makes it into the race due to the qualifier ahead of Dusty used a fuel enhancement ultimately getting disqualified from the race..

Later in the morning, Skipper visits Dusty and tries to talk him out of racing, but when Dusty explains he wants to prove he's more than just a crop duster, Skipper decides to mentor Dusty on his speed and agility. While in the midst of his training, Dusty admits that he has a fear of heights. Despite this, their training continues and when it is complete, Dusty heads off to the meeting of the race at John F. Kennedy Airport where he finds a friend in a crazy but loyal Mexican race-plane named El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) who eventually falls in love with a beautiful French-Canadian racer named Rochelle (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who shows little interest in him. Dusty then makes a rival of the arrogant and villainous 3-time winner plane Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith), who rudely dismisses him as being only a crop duster. Dusty also falls in love with a racer plane named Ishani (Priyanka Chopra), who becomes supportive of him. During the first leg of the race from New York to Iceland, Dusty's refusal to fly high causes him to finish in last place ultimately due to him collecting ice on the wings from the freezing ocean spray and his endurance level to cope with the temperature. During the second leg of the race to Germany, Dusty shows good sportsmanship by saving another racer, Bulldog (John Cleese) from crashing when Bulldog's eyes get squirted with oil from one of his propellers because of an overheated engine, thus winning Bulldog's respect but finishing last again.

In India, Ishani gives Dusty some advice on how to fly low through the Himalayas by following some railroad tracks. However, after encountering a tunnel and barely being able to fly through it(nearly being hit by a train), Dusty realizes Ishani deliberately gave him bad advice in order to get a new propeller from Ripslinger and he shuns her, while the other racers turn on Ripslinger. As the race continues, Dusty manages to get into first place. In Shanghai, Dusty manages to help El Chupacabra win over Rochelle with a romantic song. In the next race across the Pacific Ocean, Ripslinger's henchmen, Ned and Zed, under orders from Ripslinger, sabotage Dusty's navigation antenna. Lost and low on fuel, Dusty miraculously is found by two Super Hornets who escort him to the USS "Flysinhower" (a reference to the real-life carrier) which allows him to land and refuel. While on the carrier, Dusty sees a hall of fame set up for Skipper's squadron, but discovers Skipper only flew one mission, which contradicts his previous reputation as a veteran of many battles. He is then forced to take off in order to try and beat an oncoming storm.

Dusty gets distracted from flying due to his thoughts about Skipper and ends up crashing into the ocean but is eventually rescued. He is flown to Mexico to his friends but he is severely damaged and may never fly again. Skipper confesses to Dusty that he did indeed fly only one mission in the Pacific theatre where his entire squad of trainees was killed in an attack on the Japanese Navy. Skipper was the only survivor, but torn by his guilt, he never trained another plane or flew again. Demoralized and heartbroken, Dusty begins to consider dropping out of the race, but is encouraged by his friends, Bulldog, Ishani, and many of his newfound fans to continue and they all donate parts to have Dusty repaired.

With a change of heart and morale restored, Dusty becomes determined to win the race but Ripslinger still won't give up and plots to sabotage his chances of winning. He and his goons ambush Dusty, but are thwarted by Skipper, who overcame his guilt and came to help Dusty. When trying to catch up with Ripslinger, Dusty conquers his fear of heights when his engine starts losing power, forcing him to ride the Jetstream. Both he and Ripslinger make it to the finish line in New York and when it looks like Ripslinger will win, his ego gets the best of him and slows down to have his picture taken. Dusty manages to fly above him and win the race while Ripslinger crashes into some portable toilets. Dusty is congratulated by his friends and fans and Skipper thanks him for giving him the confidence to fly again. Skipper rejoins the navy with Dusty as his partner and they take a flight together, ending the story.

Voice cast

 * Dane Cook: Dusty Crophopper. Jon Cryer was originally cast, but dropped out. He's the protagonist.
 * Stacy Keach: Skipper, Dusty's mentor and the deuteragonist.
 * Danny Mann: Sparky
 * Brad Garrett: Chug
 * Carlos Alazraqui: El Chupacabra, a Mexican plane who has a crush on Rochelle, and the tritagonist friend of Dusty.
 * John Cleese: Bulldog
 * Roger Craig Smith: Ripslinger,   Three time champion & leaser of team RPX. He's the main antagonist.
 * Priyanka Chopra: Ishani, an Indian Pan-Asian champion plane and the love interest of Dusty.
 * Cedric the Entertainer: Leadbottom
 * Teri Hatcher: Dottie
 * Gabriel Iglesias: Ned and Zed, AKA the Twin Turbos, and the secondary antagonists.
 * Sinbad: Roper
 * Colin Cowherd: Colin Cowling
 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Rochelle, a French Canadian racer bearing the number 22, and the girlfriend of El Chupacabra.
 * Anthony Edwards: Echo
 * Val Kilmer: Bravo
 * Oliver Kalkofe : Franz Fliegenhosen (Oliver Kalkofe will also voice Franz in the German version.)
 * Brent Musburger : Brent Mustangburger
 * John Ratzenberger: Harland, a pitty
 * Emerson Hatcher: A reporter pitty
 * David Croft: Lofty Crofty  (UK version)
 * Flipp Watermann
 * Mark Allan Stewart: Tripp
 * Marc Silk: Fred the Firetruck
 * Michael Brandon: Aeroflex
 * Richard Pearce: Le King
 * TBA: Dwight D. "Yorkie" Flysenhower
 * Roopashree Jeevaji: Indian Reporter

Dusty Crophopper
(voice of Dane Cook) Dusty is a plane with high hopes—literally. Crop duster by trade, this single-prop plane sees himself soaring alongside his high-flying heroes in an international race. 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.

Skipper Riley
(voice of Stacy Keach) A reclusive old Navy Corsair, Skipper was an ace flier and top instructor of the esteemed Jolly Wrenches squadron until an incident during a combat mission took him off the front lines and left him grounded for life. These days, Skipper keeps to himself, but his quiet existence is turned upside down when an ambitious and persistent Dusty solicits Skipper’s aerial expertise—and gets a few life lessons in the process. But Skipper—who’s never really come to terms with his past—finds that he has a few things to learn, too, and while coaching Dusty to fly faster and smarter, the teacher becomes the student.

Ripslinger
(voice of Roger Craig Smith) With more wins than he can count and an abundance of fans, Ripslinger is wings-down the biggest name in air racing—and he knows it. But despite sky’s-the-limit funding and state-of-the-art equipment, the world champion still doesn’t play fair—especially when it comes to a small-town plane with zero racing experience. Dusty doesn’t belong in Ripslinger’s sport and his mere presence makes the pro’s fuel boil. And if Dusty’s inexperience doesn’t take him out of the race, Ripslinger’s vast empire includes a couple of underhanded sidekicks to take care of business.

El Chupacabra
(voice of Carlos Alazraqui) The intensely charming El Chupacabra is a legend in Mexico (just ask him). Powered by his passion for racing (not to mention the elusive Rochelle), this caped Casanova is anything but low-key—his booming voice and charismatic presence are as big as his oversized engine. His cohorts aren’t really sure what is truth and what is delusion when it comes to El Chu, but one thing is beyond doubt: he races with a whole lot of heart and more dramatic flair than is recommended at high altitudes.

Rochelle
(voice of Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Rochelle is a tough racer and the pride of the Great White North. Always confident and capable, she got her start running mail to small towns in Quebec, picking up home remedies for mechanical maladies along the way. She also developed a knack for fast travel that ultimately inspired her to give air racing a try. Rochelle never looked back (this competitive contender doesn’t need to). She is relentlessly pursued by charmer El Chupacabra, but steadfast Rochelle is much too focused on winning the race to return his affections.

As part of a localization effort, Rochelle changes nationality and paint job in 11 countries. Also, in the new trailer, we see Dusty telling El Chupacabra, "That's Rochelle, the Australian rally champ." Most likely, this line will be different in every country. She also seems to be voiced by Jessica Marais in the Australian version.

Bulldog
(voice of John Cleese) Bulldog has been racing longer than every other racer on the circuit. As the oldest and arguably wisest, he remembers a time before GPS, when real racers trusted their gyros and navigated by the stars. When it comes to racing, it boils down to two qualities, says Bulldog: good flying and sportsmanship. Period. While the competition secretly wonders if the aging plane is past his prime, he flies his way onto the leader board again and again, proving that this Bulldog has lost none of his bite and being Dusty's friend.

Ishani
(voice of Priyanka Chopra) The reigning Pan-Asian champion from India, Ishani is easy on the eyes, but ruthless in the skies. Thanks to her high-speed competitiveness and notable talent, she has amassed more than a billion loyal fans—including one rookie racer who turns to her for guidance. Exotic and mysterious, Ishani is full of surprises, but always has her eye on the prize.

Ned & Zed
(voice of Gabriel Iglesias) Team Ripslinger’s bombastic racers Ned and Zed specialize in sabotage. Lacking the skills to actually outrace the competition, they simply eliminate it, propelling boss Ripslinger to victory every single time. Zed, a rowdy and reckless flier, and Ned, a strange bird himself, may not be the sharpest props in the hangar, but they have figured out how to draft off Ripslinger’s fame.

Leadbottom
(voice of Cedric the Entertainer) Leadbottom is a bossy puttering old biplane and a grumbling taskmaster, a real “tank-half-empty” kind of guy. As the proprietor of Vitaminamulch, a special—albeit putrid—blend of vitamins, minerals, and mulch that works miracles when sprayed on crops, Leadbottom has no time for Dusty’s far-fetched flights of fancy. There are too many crops to spray and not enough hours in the day to spray them. For Leadbottom, it’s work first, then … well, more work. But no games for him! Yep, No games.

Dottie
(voice of Teri Hatcher) Dottie is a forklift who co-owns and operates Chug and Dottie’s Fill ’n Fly service station. As Dusty’s practical and say-it-like-it-is friend—not to mention his ace mechanic—Dottie hopes to keep his high-flying hopes grounded in reality: Dusty isn’t built to race and chasing his dream is downright dangerous. No matter what he decides, however, Dottie will always have his back.

Chug
(voice of Brad Garrett) Fuel truck Chug is a guy’s guy. He works hard as co-owner of Chug and Dottie’s Fill ’n Fly service station—and plays hard indulging in his own fuel from time to time. He has a big personality and is a bold supporter of Dusty’s high-flying endeavors. Indeed, he’s not only Dusty’s buddy, he’s his coach and biggest fan. And if Chug can’t help Dusty reach new heights, he’ll find someone who can.

Bravo & Echo
(voices of Val Kilmer & Anthony Edwards) Armed with stellar instincts, incredible aerial abilities and outstanding service records, Bravo and Echo are two of the Jolly Wrenches’ top troops. These fighter jets happen to be avid air racing fans, too, with a special affinity for Dusty, who’s adopted their Jolly Wrenches insignia. And as far as the racers are concerned, it doesn’t hurt to have a couple soldiers nearby should any plane falter under the immense pressure of the world’s most rigorous rally.

Roper
(voice of Sinbad) This irascible race official pitty delivers the rules for the North American Wings Around the Globe time trials with a matter-a-fact personality and a wry sense of humor. In fact, Roper never misses an opportunity to offer his own take on the events that unfold. With sly remarks and colorful commentary, Roper is funny but firm in his dealings with the race and the racers.

Colin Cowling
(voice of Colin Cowherd) Affable blimp Colin Cowling attended the prestigious Zeppelin Broadcasting School and began his career as the play-by-play voice for the Pacific Coast Balloon Races. He got his big break—so to speak—when his Eye-In-The-Sky-In-Sports weekly recap show was noticed by producers of Racing Sports Network (RSN).

LJH 86 Special
These airplanes is supposedly one of the planes competing at the Wings Around the Globe rally.



Aeroflex
(voiced by Michael Brandon) He is supposedly one of the planes competing at the Wings Around the Globe rally.

Le King
(voiced by Richard Pearce) He is supposedly one of the planes competing at the Wings Around the Globe rally.

Arturo
(voice unknown) He is supposedly one of the planes competing at the Wings Around the Globe rally.

Tsubasa
(voice unknown) A Japanese plane racer who must be supposedly competing at the Wings Around the Globe rally.

Brent Mustangburger


See here.

Franz Fliegenhosen


(voiced by Oliver Kalkofe) A German aerocar who is a fan of Dusty, and has two personalities when he's in either his car or plane mode.

Frank the Stealth Bomber
(voice unknown) Frank is a stealth bomber plane (apparently modelled after a Northrop-Grunman B-2), although he is supposed to appear during the scene where Dusty joins the Navy.

Dwight "Yorkie" D. Flysenhower
(voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) An aircraft carrier who shows up during Dusty's time serving the Navy, where he is supposedly the home base for fighter jets like Echo and Bravo. (Note: a similar aircraft carrier, who may or may not be him, shows up near the end of Moon Mater, when Lightning McQueen splashes down into the Atlantic Ocean during reentry after Mater rescues Impala XIII from being trapped inside a crater on the Moon).

Unnamed Train
(voiced by James Bondswick) Little is known about this train character aside from the fact that he supposedly works at the railway lines strewn across the Himalayas. He appears to be an old green British-based steam locomotive designed to run on Asian railways.

Fred the Firetruck
(voiced by Marc Silk) Fred is a firetruck aside from the fact that his job is to keep Propwash Junction safe in case of a fire emergency. He is a friend of Dusty and does really well with the fire-fighting. He never gets hurt, but safe.

WWII Fighter Planes
Most likely Skipper's comrades back when he was still serving the navy.

Production
Although Pixar didn't producing the film, John Lasseter was one of the producers.

Lasseter had this to say about the film: "We had such a great time exploring the world of Cars over the course of two films, so it seemed only natural for us to see where our imaginations would take us in a film where planes were the main characters. By expanding the Cars world, Planes gave us a whole new set of fun-filled situations and a great opportunity to introduce some fantastic new characters. The team at DisneyToon Studios has done such an amazing job creating a heartfelt story filled with great comedy, adventure, and emotion.  I know audiences are going to love taking off into the wild blue yonder with these daredevil characters, as they experience a whole new kind of animated adventure."

On August 20, 2011 at the D23 Expo it was announced that Jon Cryer would be the voice of the protagonist Dusty. However, Cryer dropped out of production and was replaced by Dane Cook. On February 27, 2013, the teaser trailer was re-released with dialogue from Cook instead of Cryer. A new promo video was released on May 16, 2013.

James Seymour Brett was originally set to write the film's score, but has been replaced by Mark Mancina.

DisneyToon is also working on a sequel, called Planes: Fire and Rescue. It has been confirmed by Carlos Alazraqui the Planes series will be a trilogy. Instead of publishing an Art of book for the first film, Chronicle Books will publish The Art of Planes 1 & 2 to coincide with the release of the sequel. The sequel was originally titled with the "2", but on June 13, 2013, it was removed from the title. It was also announced to have a 3D theatrical release on July 18, 2014. Its plot, as well as an all-new image, was revealed at D23 Expo. "Planes: Fire & Rescue features a quirky crew of elite firefighting aircraft devoted to protecting historic Piston Peak National Park from a raging wildfire. When world famous air racer Dusty (voice of Dane Cook) learns that his engine is damaged and he may never race again, he must shift gears and is launched into the world of wildfire air attack. Dusty joins forces with veteran fire and rescue helicopter Blade Ranger and his courageous air attack team, including spirited super scooper Lil' Dipper (voice of Julie Bowen), heavy-lift helicopter Windlifter, ex-military transport Cabbie and a lively bunch of brave all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers. Together, the fearless team battles a massive wildfire, and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero."

Besides the Planes series, DisneyToon is considering to make more spin-offs that would feature other vehicles like boats and trains, and which may go into production if Planes is well received. John Lasseter said: "I kept thinking about—I’m a big train fanatic. I love trains. And I started thinking about trains, and boats and airplanes. And I kept wanting to have more and more of those type of characters. [...] It’s one of the ideas, that there will be an ongoing series. It almost starts getting into this thing where we fall in love with these plane characters, we want to see more and more stories with them. And then you start doing other vehicles and stuff like that. Yeah. So it kind of is a bigger idea that can keep expanding."

Release
The film was first announced to be released in direct-to-video on DVD and Blu-ray in the Spring of 2013. Disney subsequently pushed it back to Fall 2013,  while it was confirmed it would have a theatrical release in Europe. It was finally set to be released theatrically on August 9, 2013, and then was also screened at the D23 Expo, a biennial convention for Disney fans. It was released in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2013. The film had its premiere on August 2, 2013, at a special screening at the The Fly-In Theater at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, an annual gathering of aviation enthusiasts in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Planes will be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on December 10, 2013.

Rating
Planes is rated PG by the MPAA "for some mild action and rude humor", making it the first film in the Cars franchise to get this rating. It is also DisneyToon's second movie to get a PG rating, after Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch.

Unlike America, Planes had received a lighter rating in other countries. In the United Kingdom, the film has received a U rating by the BBFC. In Ireland, the film is rated G.

Marketing
To create a transition between Cars and Planes, Disney launched a product collection called "Cars Take Flight", which focuses on releasing merchandise for Cars Toons episodes Moon Mater and Air Mater. The line features die-cast, race tracks, games and books. A "Cars Take Flight" event was held on September 14th, 2012 at the Chicagoland Speedway. A "Cars Take Flight" official website launched a contest whose prize was a vacation to Cars Land.

Mattel has also started a Planes Die-cast line which was displayed at the San Diego Comic-Con 2013:



To celebrate the release of the film in the United Kingdom, the 2013 Camp Bestival featured a world record attempt for the most paper aeroplanes flying at once.
 * Dusty Crophopper
 * Racing Dusty
 * Skipper
 * Leadbottom
 * El Chupacabra
 * Ishani
 * Turbo Dusty
 * Ripslinger
 * Bravo
 * Sparky
 * Bulldog
 * Chug
 * Echo
 * Rochelle
 * Franz Fliegenhosen
 * Ned
 * Zed
 * Arturo
 * LJH 86 Special
 * Jolly Wrenches Dusty Crophopper
 * Hector Vector
 * Supercharged Dusty

Soundtrack
The Planes Soundtrack was released on August 6, 2013, around the same as the movie, and features 29 songs and scores from the movie. The scores are composed by Mark Mancina.

Tracks

 * 1) Nothing Can Stop Me Now - Mark Holman
 * 2) You Don’t Stop NYC - Chris Classic and Alana D
 * 3) Fly - Jon Stevens of The Dead Daisies
 * 4) Planes (score)
 * 5) Crop Duster (score)
 * 6) Last Contestant (score)
 * 7) Hello Lincoln/Sixth Place (score)
 * 8) Show Me What You Got (score)
 * 9) Dusty Steps Into History (score)
 * 10) Start Your Engines (score)
 * 11) Leg 2/Bulldog Thanks Dusty (score)
 * 12) Skipper Tries to Fly (score)
 * 13) Dusty & Ishani (score)
 * 14) The Tunnel (score)
 * 15) Running on Fumes (score)
 * 16) Get Above the Storm (score)
 * 17) Dusty Has to Ditch (score)
 * 18) Skipper’s Story (score)
 * 19) You’re a Racer (score)
 * 20) Leg 7 (score)
 * 21) Skipper to the Rescue (score)
 * 22) Dusty Soars (score)
 * 23) 1st Place (score)
 * 24) A True Victory (score)
 * 25) Honorary Jolly Wrench (score)
 * 26) Skipper’s Theme (Volo Pro Veritas) (score)
 * 27) Love Machine - Carlos Alazraqui and Antonio Sol
 * 28) Ein Crop Duster Can Race - Dave Wittenberg
 * 29) Armadillo (score)

Video Game
It has been announced that there will be a Planes: The Video Game, which was released on August 6th, 2013. It is only available on the Wii, Wii U, DS and 3DS.

Trivia

 * This is the first DisneyToon film to be a sequel/spin-off to a Pixar film.
 * The Cars Toons episode Air Mater introduced elements of Planes, including Propwash Junction, Dusty's hometown, and Skipper, his mentor, and Sparky, Skipper's assistance. Mater drops an allusion to Planes at the end of the short as he says that "They oughta make a whole movie about planes".
 * Planes takes on some of Pixar's traditions. Like both of the installments of the Cars franchise, it features reporters of the Racing Sports Network covering its sportive event. It also includes a cameo of John Ratzenberger, who has had a voicing role in all of Pixar films.
 * It's currently unknown whether or not if any aircraft from Cars  will make a cameo appearance in this film.
 * In the book "Cars Storytellers", the Statue of Liberty is a Ford Model T, but in this film, it's a forklift.
 * The designs of the world landmarks (such as the Taj Mahal - ताज महल, and the Great Wall of China - 万里长城) do not resemble how they do in the credits at the end of Cars 2: in that film, they were car-ified, but here they're plane-ified.
 * On July 14, 2013, Disney Channel held a "Night of Flight" event, featuring sneak peeks at new characters from the movie, during it's "Night of Premieres" lineup, which included all new episodes of its programs.

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