Film: Planes
Cast: (voices of) Dane Cook, Teri Hatcher, Priyanka Chopra, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Cleese, Carlos Alazraqu, Stacy Keach, Val Kilmer, Roger Craig Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, Brad Garrett, Anthony Edwards, Sinbad
Director: Klay Hall
The first film in a planned trilogy, Disney’s animated action-packed comedic adventure in 3D and 2D,”Planes” is directed by Klay Hall (the son of a Navy pilot, in his debut theatrical release) from a screenplay by Jeffrey M. Howard and a story by John Lasseter.
Faster! Higher! Are the immediate goals set by Dusty (Dane Cook) a spunky crop-dusting plane who has a fear of heights and yet dreams of being a high-flying speedster. (Remember the snail who wanted to be a race car driver in ‘Turbo’?) Designed to fly low and slow (like the single prop plane in Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’) Dusty worships an elite military unit and “hopes to be better than what I was built for.”
To this end, the little plane coaxes a self-proclaimed war veteran, Skipper Riley (Stacy Keach) to mentor him for the gruelling globetrotting aerial race from America to Europe, across the Himalayas, past China and over the Pacific to Mexico and finally, New York City. His ground support team consists of loyal fuel truck named Chug (Brad Garrett) and forklift mechanic Dottie (Bond girl and Desperate Housewife Teri Hatcher).
Thanks to Skipper, Dusty narrowly qualifies for the contest against the best planes in the world led by defending champ and fellow American Ripslinger (Roger Craig Smith), a wily type who can’t stand being challenged by a “farm boy”. Some of the planes are stereotypes: like the prim and proper British Bulldog (John Cleese) and Mexican lover boy El Chupacabra (Carlos Alazraqui) who only has eyes for French-Canadian racer Rochelle (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). And then there’s Ishani (Bollywood movie star Priyanka Chopra voicing) a beautiful femme fatale from Bharat Desh with a carefully cultivated la di da accent.
Older viewers may relish the sight gags and puns and references to “FlewTube” and “skyPads.” The aircraft carrier that rescues Dusty from the stormy seas is the U.S.S. Flysenhower. Homage is also paid to Top Gun when fighter jets Bravo and Echo (voiced by Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards) show up in the best deus ex machina tradition to save the imperilled.
Indians in particular will enjoy seeing the cowlike tractors (who were invariably toppled over in “Cars”) elevated to sacred status. When the race stops in India, Ishani gives Dusty a guided tour in the course of which she tells him “some believe we are recycled as tractors” in a reference to reincarnation.
Not nearly as engaging or witty as some other animated toons (like ‘Madagascar’ or ‘Ice Age’) the film still manages to be score on four planes: the high-powered voice cast, the exhilarating aerial races, an epic score (which includes Oscar-winning music composer A R Rahman’s track Tere Bina from Aishwarya-Abhishek starrer 2007 film ‘Guru’) and the inspirational message about courage, optimism, friendship and the surmounting of dire obstacles.
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