“I’ve never believed in doing sequels. I didn’t want to waste the time I have doing a sequel; I’d rather be using that time doing something new and different.”
– Walt Disney
Disney Animation Studios did not produce a feature length sequel until 1990 (Rescuers Down Under) which means they created original content for more than fifty years after the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. An impressive stretch that gave us many classics as the studio strove to always provide something “new and different” each time.
Times have changed just a bit. Now Disney is the lead offender in the Sequel/Reboot/Universe Expanding Game. They have Marvel cranking out a couple quality comic book flicks a year and they are looking to put Star Wars into the same model with a new trilogy and one-off spin-offs focused on individual characters. They have a Direct to DVD machine that amasses a new Tinker Bell movie every year and has brought us such classics as Pocahontas II, Cinderella III and Lion King 1 ½ (actual movie). Then there is that sad noise that has happened to PIXAR, the once creative powerhouse that has been relegated to Monster Inc. origin films and making the announcement for the upcoming Finding Dory to which I reply “Who gives a shit where Dory is?” The worst of these sad projects is the endless parade of vehicles with giant eyeballsall emanating from “The World of Cars”.
That brings us to this week’s release of Planes: Fire and Rescue, a bland installment in the unneeded series that covers the same ground as its predecessors. The animation is sparse and simple and, save for some photorealistic forest fire scenes in the film’s climax, does not meet the standards of a Disney production.
Funny thing is the theme of the film is about not worrying about always needing something new, that used things are just as good. Just keep telling yourself that Lasseter. If you absolutely HAVE to continue to make these horrible Cars movies so you can sell your Hot Wheels with eyes glued to them, then make it a Direct to DVD series. Don’t take people’s hard earned money for something that belongs exclusively on the shelf at Target alongside Mulan II.