Disney Planes 2 Fire and Rescue

If you enjoyed the first Disney Planes movie, you will most likely dig this one, too. Dusty Crophopper is the same lovable plane that we left behind at the end of the first movie, but he's presented with some new challenges. If you did not see the first Planes movie, I think you can still follow the second one. It will be a lot more meaningful if you do see the first Planes before Fire and Rescue, though.

The high-flying (and low-flying) action scenes are more intense than in the first Planes movie, and there are more of them. We still see a few of the same characters we know and love, like Dottie, Chug, and Skipper. We meet some great new friends, as well. The movie is dedicated to firefighters at the beginning, which I think was very nice. While it is just an animated movie, some of the fire scenes can be quite scary and remind us of the valor of the firefighters who protect us. My six-year-old son, upon leaving the theater after the movie, declared that it was "awesome!" He also thought it was better than the first movie. I would say it was different in several respects, and had more action and drama, but I'm not sure which one I like better.

We did not see this movie in 3D, but I can tell you that it probably would have been too intense for me in 3D. It was intense enough, as it was.

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Dusty is a champion! Since we left him at the end of the first movie, he has gone on to develop his racing career, win a lot of races, and become even more famous than before. But we all know he wasn't built to race in the first place. He was built to be a cropduster. Pushing his engine to go fast all the time has taken its toll, and Dottie lets him know he has a broken gear box. Apparently, his gear box is out of production, and they can't find another one. Dottie breaks the news that he can no longer race, because he can no longer "redline" his engine. In other words, he can't go fast, or he will crash.

Through an event for which Dusty is to blame, it is discovered that Propwash Junction is inadequately staffed and needs another firefighter. If they can't find a second firefighter and get up to code, the airport will be closed, and that would be a disaster. There is a big corn festival coming up, and the town is expecting a record number of guests and festival goers. No one can come in for the festival if the airport is closed.

Dusty steps up for the job, volunteering to train to be a fireflyer. He makes the trip out west to meet Blade Runner, the Smokejumpers, and the rest of the crew at the national park.

I won't give away any more! But I will tell you that this movie is more intense than the first Planes movie. There are more action scenes, more drama, and it can be very scary and harrowing at times.

One thing I liked about Planes over the Cars movies was that the plot was a little more involved, more serious themes concerning integrity were involved, and the character development was sophisticated, considering that it was a kids movie. Planes 2 Fire and Rescue characters were a tad more shallow than the characters of the first Planes movie, but it was still enjoyable. We already know Dusty very intimately, like a good friend, from the first movie. He's still the same orange guy we love. The theme in this movie, though, seems to be that he doesn't want to follow directions and trust advice of those who know more than he does. Every time he willfully disobeys his instructor, or chooses not to take Dottie's advice about his mechanical well-being, he gets himself (and others) into trouble.

My son asked me this morning why there wasn't a "bad guy" in Planes 2. I didn't notice this until he said it. There is a park supervisor who doesn't want to evacuate the lodge when there's a fire nearby, but instead wants to continue to impress his VIP guests. He also diverts the water supply to the sprinklers on top of the lodge, effectively removing the water supply from the fire crew. But he was not your typical moustache twirling villian. He was just an unlikable fellow who did a couple of really bad things because he lacked wisdom. Again, the villian was a little shallow, but I didn't even notice it until my son asked. The real villain is the fire. And the fire scenes are a little scary sometimes, such as Dusty and Blade having to seek shelter in an old mine until a fire burns over and goes out. The roof is caving in, and Blade gets scorched on one side. Dusty's gear box problem causes him to spiral and nose dive a few times, as well. Just be aware of that, as you take small children to see the movie. I asked a retired firefighter with PTSD whether he had a problem watching, and he said he wasn't bothered by it because it's just a cartoon. So, that was good news.

The kid-friendly factor

Well, it's a kids' movie, isn't it? And we all know that sometimes kids' movies have cleverly disguised adult themes that only adults will "get." But I think there were a few references that skirted close to the line of being inappropriate for little ears. There were some almost-curse words such as "I kicked some Aston Martin" and "Shut the hangar door!" I personally don't want my kindergartener repeating, "I kicked some Aston Martin." It's too close to the grown-up version of the expression that is off-limits!

Dipper, a female plane who is one of Dusty's new friends, is a Dusty groupie who starts to imagine that she and Dusty are a romantic couple. It's wishful thinking on her part, but she starts to delude herself a little bit. It's pretty funny, because I've known some desperate girls like that before (probably was one, at some point!) But when they attend a party at the Fusel Lodge, she makes reference to them getting a room a couple of times. I felt this was inappropriate for young, impressionable minds, but I think it still went right over my son's head. These are things that children will probably miss in the theater, but given having the dvd at home later on, and watching the movie repetitively as children frequently do with favorites, some of it may have to be explained away. I wouldn't let this stop me from letting my child see the movie, and I wouldn't let it stop me from buying a dvd copy, either. It's just something to be aware of. And let's face it . . . all the popular animated movies nowadays have things in them that skirt the line of being inappropriate. It bothers me that the Despicable Me movies have the word "butt" in them, because that was a tacky, forbidden word when I was growing up . . . so most parents are going to be more lenient than I am, in all likelihood.

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