Review of Planes: Fire & Rescue

OK maybe not, but Planes Fire and Rescue is a good kid's film that parents should be able to enjoy as well. The animation is gorgeous, much better that the original and the fire scenes are really well done. The plot is better than the original Planes but there aren't too many surprises. Dusty is forced to face his mortality and the end of his racing career when he learns that his gear box is failing and he can no longer get maximum power out of his engine. The Doctor at Propwash says that the gear box is out of production and finding a replacement is unlikely. Dusty, in a fit of depression, takes a late night flight and upon landing starts a fire at the airport which all of the Propwash characters must work together and struggle to put out. Once the fire is out, the investigation begins. The airport at Propwash Junction is closed by authorities when they determine that Mayday, the airport's long time fire truck is inadequate to deal with emergencies. This is especially bad news since the annual Corn festival is close at hand. (Geek Note: while most of the characters in this series are based on real aircraft and vehicles, I've had trouble identifying what kind of truck Mayday is. This is particularly embarrassing since I'm a past chapter president of the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Motor Antique Fire Apparatus in American, SPAAMFAA, and yes it is a real organization. My guess is that he is likely British, possibly based on a Bedford chassis used for airfield crash trucks by the RAF during WWII) To reopen the airport, Mayday must be upgraded and a second firefighting unit put in service. Since Dusty is no longer able to race and really doesn't want to go back to cropdusting. (The job offer he gets is pretty funny) Dusty decides to become the second fire fighting unit at the airport. His mentor Skipper has a friend named Blade Ranger who commands an aerial firefighting unit at Piston Peak national park. Dusty takes off to receive his training and certification. At the airbase, Dusty is given some female attention from Lil Dipper and the star treatment from everyone except Blade Ranger. We meet several other characters including Wind Lifter. Wind Lifter, a former lumberjack turned firefighter provides a Native American perspective and serves as a spirit guide to Piston Peak National Park. His stories are both poignant and hilarious. He's like a rotary wing Tonto, although Tonto was a Planes Indian, sorry Plains Indian. It's revealed that Blade Ranger also has a storied past as a TV star. Dusty is fitted with a pair of pontoons for scooping water. While in the hanger he sees a bulletin board with spectacular pictures of firefighting aircraft and wants to know how he can get his picture on the board. He's told that "You have crash". One night the firefighters gather in a hanger to watch some of Blade Rangers old show called CHoPs, California Helicopter Patrol. It's an excellent parody of the 1980's CHiPs based on the exploits of two California Highway Patrolmen played by Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada. In CHoPs Blade is teamed with his partner Nick "Loop'n" Lopez to fight crime around Los Angeles, they even use the same radio call signs as they did in CHiPs . Lopez is played by none other than Erik Estrada himself, who seems to have made a career of playing himself in parodies of CHiPs. We learn from one the characters that Lopez was lost in an accident on set and that Blade was there but did not know what to do to save him. The show ended and Blade became a firefighter to compensate. It's told as a story so it's not very intense, little kids should be OK. (Geek note: This is very similar to what happened to the 1973 Ward LaFrance fire engine that was used on the TV show Emergency. This truck had a brief cameo appearance on CHiPs. Once the show had ceased production, the fire engine provided fire protection in Yosemite National Park for about 15 years before coming back to the LA County Fire Museum.) The training and firefighting is pretty much a Top Gun meets Backdraft meets Thomas the Tank Engine kind of thing but for the most part works. Before Dusty takes off for his first mission the mechanic says "Say Cheese" and snaps his picture. Dusty asks what that was for and he's told it's for the board. As I said before the animation is very good at times almost breathtaking. Some of these scenes might be intense for younger kids although I didn't hear any screaming in the theater. I won't reveal the rest of the story but suffice it to say, it's nothing that hasn't been done before although I think it was well done. Now I'm off to Target to if the new diecast toys from this movie are in. I want to get Mayday, Dusty, Lil Dipper .....