Planes

After the creators of the animated film forge Pixar has already taken us twice into the turbulent world of Cars, Disney now continues the story high above the clouds. In Planes, Dusty, a simple crop duster, dreams of one day competing in the legendary Wings around the Globe race. His latent fear of heights and the fact that, as a single-propeller machine, he's not exactly suited for such a competition don't stop him from trying to turn his dream into reality. With a lot of ambition and the help of his friends Dottie and Chug, Dusty manages the impossible: he qualifies for the race. But the little crop duster just can't hold his own against pros like Ripslinger, who is hell-bent on winning. He urgently needs the professional help of the old naval aviator Skipper - who, however, is not at all enthusiastic about the idea of helping a daredevil dreamer like Dusty. But when he is finally persuaded that Dusty deserves his help, it's just the beginning of a very big adventure that will take the little machine all over the world.

Actually, Planes was not designed for theatrical release and was supposed to be released only on DVD and Blu-Ray. But as production progressed, they apparently saw so much potential in the Cars spin-off that the story of Dusty and his friends has now made it to the big screen after all. Little Cars and Airplane fans will be pleased, as the film is kept very kid-friendly in terms of animation, excitement and humor. However, somewhat older animation lovers will quickly notice that the production lacks the typical Pixar stamp and that due to the takeover of the helm by Disney, the whole thing has turned out too bravado and dramaturgically, unfortunately, a bit loveless.

Also, due to the significantly lower budget, the animations already lack the finesse that was still clearly visible in the big brother Cars. Sure, the whole thing is nice to look at and has some pretty cute and funny ideas to offer. But while most Pixar and Disney movies offer entertainment for the whole family, Planes is only for kids. The story is too unsurprising, the characters are too one-dimensional despite the nice 3D effects and the gags are too harmless and lack any kind of bite.

Although the makers have taken a lot of trouble, especially in technical terms, to present spectacular flight sequences, it is always noticeable that the film is just a cheaply produced clone in the wake of the success of Cars, which lacks its own soul. Still, Planes is quite successful as simple animated entertainment for children between the ages of 5 and 8. The planes and cars are nicely and appealingly animated, and Dusty is a lovable hero that little ones will be only too happy to root for. And supporting characters, such as Franz Fliegenhosen, deliciously voiced by Oliver Kalkofe, always provide exhilarating laughs after all sorts of tense scenes.

Whoever measures Planes against the adventures of Lightning McQueen and his friends, or expects more than harmless fun for a young audience, will certainly find little joy in the talking planes. However, those who still need a child's seat to watch the screen in the cinema or those who can still develop a childlike joy for very simple animated films can confidently swing alongside Dusty into the lofty heights of the world of Planes and are then guaranteed to leave the cinema in a good mood. And for just such viewers is then also quite: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp