Review: ‘Planes’ is the equivalent of a cheap flight with no peanuts

Posted on August 23, 2013

Disney has taken the “Cars” spin-off, “Planes,” from direct-to-DVD purgatory to the big screen, putting a full marketing blitz behind a wide-theatrical release.

Arriving in an August not flush with family-friendly films, “Planes” is just as derivative as you might expect from a movie that Pixar apparently was not interesting in developing themselves. The animation is pretty (although not close to Pixar’s standards), but the story is basically a paint-by-the-numbers affair featuring the usual tropes you find in racing films, or for that matter, any underdog sports story.

Young children should enjoy the high-flying action and the colorful characters–consisting of (mostly) inoffensive cultural stereotypes–although adults will probably find themselves not terribly engaged, even with the rather short 90-minute runtime.

The film is rated PG for some mild action and rude humor.

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