Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue
Aviation Press Day
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This past Thursday was Aviation Press Day at the Disneytoon Studios in Glendale, California. Situated just a few feet from the original runway at the historic Grand Central Air Terminal, the event offered aviation journalists from around the country a rare glimpse “inside the hangar” with the filmmaking team behind the upcoming 3D release of Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue.
And while the first Planes film was a fun, meticulously-researched hit that grossed $219 million worldwide, according to the filmmakers (several of whom worked on both films) Fire & Rescue was a different beast entirely. This time around, the team didn’t just have to study the aerodynamics involved in a spirited airplane race around the world, but also the complicated physics of fire as well.
“Fire is a character in our film,” says Effects Supervisor, Doug Little. “For us, it was the villain, the bad guy.”
And making that “villain” look good and above all else, realistic, onscreen wasn’t always easy. “This movie had about 12,024 shots … and 662 of those were visual effects shots,” Little explains. “So, we had a big challenge ahead of us.”
Equally challenging, says Bobs Gannaway, Disneytoon veteran and Fire & Rescue director, was perfecting the tone in what is “essentially an injured athlete story.”
“Dusty is a crop duster-turned-racer who can’t race anymore,” says Gannaway. “When we learned that historically, the very first air attack teams were crop dusters, it was clear that the plane was telling us where the story was going.”
And while the notion of building a second career in the ashes (literally!) of another is sure to strike a chord with adult audiences. Co-writer Jeff Howard is quick to add that Fire & Rescue is – at it’s core – a film the whole family can enjoy.
“‘Family movie’ isn’t code for ‘kid’s movie.’ We want to enjoy it too,” says Howard. “We want this movie to resonate with everyone.”
And if that doesn’t sound like the makings of a perfect in-flight movie, I don’t know what does. Look for Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue to take flight in theaters everywhere on July 18, 2014.
