Mouse Movies Review - Planes

Who has jumped onto the Planes’ bandwagon? Anyone, anyone, Bueller? You better get on now, because before it even hit the theater, opening at $22.5 million (though the empty theater I watched it in makes me want to demand a recount, the sequel was pre-approved just like those credit cards they send you in the mail! If anything can be gleaned from last weekend, finishing third in front of the newest Percy Jackson movie probably sounds the closing bell for the demigod.

Here are my thoughts on this Disney offering of a Pixar universe:

• If You Liked: Cars you might like Planes. Can we just break this down.  Cars has a red racecar with issues as its main character. Planes has an orange “race” plane with issues. That’s right kids, orange! I like orange. It reminds me of Aquaman. And it is not red! The main female character of Cars is a strong no nonsense blue Porsche. In Planes we have the strong, independent blue forklift named Dottie. The names do start with completely different letters! Both Lightening McQueen and Dusty Crophopper have an older mentor with a secret! It is not the same secret, so it is clearly different. And just to show there is no trend here. Lightening McQueen’s best friend is Mater, a larger vehicle who marches to the beat of his own drum. He sounds funny! Dusty does not have a plane best friend, instead he has Chug a larger vehicle, a fuel truck, who follows his own drum and sounds a little funny. But he is not really rusty so it is very different. I am now ready to write Boats, please call me. I’ve got this!

• Cliff: Planes is not a Pixar film, it is based on the World of Cars but is a Walt Disney Pictures release. It is specifically a DisneyToon Studios production, the people who brought you every Disney straight to home video sequel. And quality wise it stands beside the DisneyToon Studios better films, such as the Tinker Bell line. .....Wait, sorry I got distracted. So every Pixar movie has John Ratzenberger providing a voice. It is not hard to find Ratzenbergers’s audio cameo in this movie. I have had a lot of friends ask about Pixar’s Planes and how was it. I have to remind you that this is not a Pixar film, but it is easy to be confused with DisneyToon Studios pulling in this Pixar staple for a minor role. There is plenty of confusion out there about where this film came from.

• Product Placement: Well Synergy lives! Michael Eisner would be proud. American Airlines shows off its new plane design with Tripp, a Boeing 777. I cannot remember many animated product placements, but this one is very obvious thanks to the American Airlines commercial attached to the print of the film I saw. Disney is brilliant. American Airlines struck an exclusive deal to show Planes on their flights a month early. And for that they will always be in the movie. You cannot accuse Disney for not knowing how to make money. In fact, I am still convinced that they made a profit on John Carter.

• Second Team: I am sorry, Planes in many ways does feel like a direct to video production to me, regardless of how much money they have put into marketing the film. And here is just one example of why, where is the short? There is no short paired with Planes. All Pixar films get a short. Wreck-It-Ralph got a short. Where’s the short? You have trained me Disney. If you want me to take your film seriously, I need a short! It also does not help that Pixar did not produce this film. And knowing the history of DisneyToon’s studios past releases, it really does feel to me as a direct to video, the original plan. I like that Disney is trying to push their abilities to produce theatrical quality animated films. But I really do worry that many will see this as a 90 minute toy commercial that will soon be forgotten. Of course, that is me talking about the release and not the actual movie. 

• Baa Baa Black Sheep: The Between Kid loves planes. So it was nice to see a variety of planes, many of which I will be able to buy for pretend play. As someone who has studied World War II I did get a little thrill with the introduction of Skipper a World War II era Corsair. I really enjoyed the story of Pappy Boyington on Baa Baa Black Sheep as a kid and I really enjoy seeing an animated Corsair. Hey, did you catch that World War II happened in the World of Cars. Now that is a movie I want to see as Fords battle Toyotas in the Pacific Theater.  Speaking of the military, I did really enjoy the Top Gun cameos. Val Kilmer and Anthony Edwards voice a pair of F/A-18E Super Hornets. Now that is a great tribute to a non-Disney yet classic film.

For me, and from other reviews I have seen Planes fell flat for me and those like me, adults. But unlike Up, or cough cough Pixar films, I do not feel like Planes was written for an all ages audience. It was produced for kids and both of the Between Family minors really enjoyed the film. And I will be purchasing it when it finally arrives in its intended home release.

So 2014, Planes: Fire & Rescue kids. I wonder how they will turn the three minute “Rescue Squad Mater” into a 90 minute film!

Dreaming Disney - Disney Infinity's "Summer of Endless Fun"

I was lucky on my last vacation to the Disneyland Resort to find out more about another way to bring the Disney magic home, Disney Infinity.

I just happened to be in Anaheim for the first day of the “Summer of Endless Fun” tour which allowed Disney Interactive to show off their latest game at Downtown Disney, Disney Infinity. I attended the July 7th session in Downtown Disney. The tour spot included a tent, under which they showcased the game on a number of different platforms. Those waiting to try out Disney Infinity were entertained with music by Radio Disney. We were also given the chance to pre-order the game while standing in line!

It was a popular event. I got to the tent within the first hour of it opening and had to wait at least 45 minutes for my chance to play. While waiting I was given a Disney Infinity bag, button and place mat shaped handout with game specs. The crowd seemed to be a mix of folks looking for free stuff with little knowledge of the game and people who wanted to know more about the game but who had heard of it. I knew of the game, but honestly I did not fully have a grasp of what the game would entail. I had already pre-ordered, and the sales representative making the pitch to me told me my bonuses were better than they were offering that day.


Once in the tent, I got about 4 minutes of game play. I got to play as Mater driving around Radiator Springs. The console I was using was not one that I have at home, we were not given choices. So it took me longer than I wanted to learn the controls. Basically my big achievement during this time was snagging cars with Mater’s hook and giving them a toss across the landscape. The representative assigned to me asked me questions about what I liked and wanted the game to do to help keep the conversation going. And we discussed what I had pre-ordered and what I would need to make what I have alright purchased work in more than the Toy Box mode. I also found out about the Power Disc sets, $4.99 for a random pack, which could be a big collectible along with giving your game cool features. When I was finished, I was given t-shirts for the Between Kids. For it being such a short time I did walk away with a decent amount of stuff and increased knowledge about the game.

The “Summer of Endless Fun” tour honestly made me more excited about Disney Infinity. I told myself if I did not enjoy it I was going to cancel my pre-order. Instead I walked away thinking about what else I wanted to order! Disney Infinity will clearly help bring the magic home in the between months ahead!

Between Books - The Art of Cars

The Art of Cars by Michael Wallis with Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis explores the artistic development of Disney/Pixar's 2006 Cars.  The Wallises put into the readers hands readers the production images, paintings and sculptures used to develop the rich world of Cars.  The authors explore both the background of American highways and Pixar's, especially John Lasseter's, love of the American automobile.  They discuss the extensive research completed by the Pixar staff including visits to NASCAR races, shutter Detroit automobile plants and down the real Route 66.  The books discusses how these influences came to influence Radiator Springs and the Cars' characters.

The Art of Cars is a very handsome book.  And as disappointed as I was by The Art of Meet the Robinsons, my expectations were met with this volume.  The text provides interesting background, but not so much to overwhelm the reader.  And as it should be the images are the star of the book, and there are numerous images of various types and styles to help satisfy the Cars fan.  Additionally they are arranged in a very pleasing way.

Michael Wallis has a special connection to the Cars universe.  He wrote Route 66: The Mother Road used by Pixar as a research tool.  Additionally, he lead Pixar's two Route 66 research trips.  Pixar was so impressed by Mr. Wallis that they designed Sheriff after his distinctive features, and he voices the character in both Cars and Cars 2.  It gives a very pleasing feeling knowing the author has such a special connection to the film.

Author and Voice Actor Michael Wallis

What I liked most about The Art of Cars is seeing how these designs have Disney connections.  As one flips through the pages and sees the planned details around the map of Radiator Springs, the proposed early origins and the town's buildings,  one who has visited Carsland cannot but help but feel like they are reading about a place that they have been.  Then seeing the design of the flowers and other landscaping used both in the movie and the land further impresses the feeling that the theme park land was far from thrown together.  A highlight for me was a presentation of cone gags, all puns that I felt like Marc Davis would have enjoyed.

For fans of both Disney animated films and the Disney parks The Art of Cars is sure to be delight.  The images and designs found throughout the book are sure to give both a familiar feeling!  And for me it has helped to redeem the Art of style books.     

Dreaming Disney - Writing Walt Disney World

Full disclosure: I stole this idea from the Couponing to Disney blog.  The Between Wife found a link to the original Couponing to Disney post on Pinterest.  And the minute I heard about the idea, I knew it was a Dreaming Disney concept.

Betweenlanders you need you to know that you can write Disney characters at the Walt Disney World Resort and get a response.  At one time, the response you received included an autographed photo of the character you sent the letter to.  But Couponing to Disney also noted this had changed.  And I needed to verify for myself and you the actual experience of writing to your favorite character at Walt Disney World. 

Earlier this summer I had a great opportunity to try this experiment out with four Betweenland children forced to spend time with me.  I worked with each kiddo to select a character, print off a picture which they colored, and write a letter to the character.  This process itself was pretty easy except some of the youth changed their minds several times to who they wanted to write.

Their targets were the following:

·         Between Kid 1 who is the youngest always chose Lightening McQueen, which was a relief since it led to the least amount of work for me.

·         Between Kid 2 wavered a lot.  The kiddo chose Tinker Bell, then shifted to Merida, and then went back to Tinker Bell, and then finally got completely bored!

·         Between Tween 1 started with Rapunzel, changed to Merida and then chose the Mad Hatter which is a character which fits this kiddo better than the other choices.

·         Between Tween 2 is the oldest and shifted only once starting with Tiana and then choosing Mulan, which like the other tween was a better fit for this youth.

Our Letters

I packaged up the photos and letters and asked what will you get? 

Between these four Between Kids there are two addresses in two different states.  So I was also interested in the timing of the responses they would receive. 

Between Kid 1 received a postcard of Mickey and Friends with a message from the Big Cheese.  Between Kid 1 was thrilled and is currently keeping the postcard alongside some other special items, including family pictures from past Disney vacations (man I love this kid).

The Mickey Postcard

 Between Tween 1 received a postcard from the Disney Princesses with a special message from Cinderella.  The Tween was not thrilled.  It was okay to receive a message from Cinderella, but what was really wanted was a card or message from the Mad Hatter.  The Tween has moved somewhat away from princesses and the Hatter is a bigger impact character in the Tween’s life.

The Princess Postcard

These two kids received a response in around two weeks.  Between Kid 2 and Between Tween 2 are still awaiting a response months later.  I actually felt like I had to have made an error in addressing the letters since they both live at the same home and it seemed odd that one address would get responses and another would not.  I have since confirmed the address, but I am still convinced there was a user error on my part. 

So here are my lessons learned from this experiment.

1)     Spending time with kids you like, even if indecisive, is very fun.  Don’t forget it!

2)      If you are a girl writing a character at the Walt Disney World Resort you are probably getting a princess postcard.  And if you are a boy you are probably getting a response from Mickey and his friends.  I am assuming that there is some variation and maybe if a boy wrote to Cinderella he might get the princess postcard.

3)     Kids love getting mail.

The book is closed on the Walt Disney World writing experiment.  The Between Kids have not asked to write again.  But I wonder about what happens if they write that west coast park? 

Dreaming Disney - Disney Movie Rewards



Sometimes it is easy to forget that there was a time when some tips that were second nature to you were not a no brainer.

So today’s public service announcement is the following, if you are buying Disney movies for your home collection you may be eligible for free stuff.  And let’s be honest if you have children you have probably already have a movie collection with a few Disney movies and you may be eligible for free stuff right now.

Did I mention free.  Free is good!

In most Disney DVD and Blu-Rays you purchase you can find on the outside of the box a Disney Movie Rewards symbol.  If you see this symbol, you will find on the inside a sheet with a code which you can enter at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com for a specific number of points.  Points vary by the format you have purchased, with more expensive formats generally having more points assigned to them.  You collect your points on the website and redeem them for rewards that range from a few hundred points to 25,000 points.  Though for most folks the most desirable big point item is the 15,000 point Walt Disney Studio private tour. 

So far what have I gotten?  Well, one thing I have gotten is coupons, coupons for buying more movies.  Through Disney Movie Rewards, Disney has promoted coupons to upgrade old VHS or DVD copies of movies to Blu-Ray.  And to be honest these coupons have been nothing to sneeze out with savings from $5 to $10.  Our upgraded copies of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 were downright cheap when combined with an in store savings.  And recently they promoted a coupon for John Carter at $5 off, which again is a significant amount to a busy family. 

There have also been offers specific to specific home video title.  For example we have redeemed for the cost of shipping, or a small fee, a stuffed Bolt and another time Tinker Bell charms. 

But then we have not even spent any of our points yet.  It’s the redemptions that we have been the most excited about.  We have been saving for years for an item that we seem to miss every time it is offered.  But I promise you someday we will get it!  But we have still had some nice items with shipping costs paid by Disney.  These have included a youth sized Cars 2 hat and a massive Cars LED sign.  The sign was something that we got for less than 1,000 points as part of a Christmas promotion.  We thought it would be small wall light.  Instead two days later we received a very unique LED sign.  It helps give one room of our house a really cool Cars feel.  And we have been known to drag guests past the sign.    

I think one question, especially for point hoarders like me, is when will it end?  Well I guess technically the program could end anytime.  But since it has continued for the last several years I hope this loyalty program does not end anytime soon.  Seriously, I am hoarding points!  Please don’t end! 

So why a public service announcement today?  Earlier this month I told a co-worker about the program.  She commented they had a few movies, but would be shocked to find out they had any points of significance.  Well her family had nearly 2,000 points sitting in their movie collection and was looking at some fairly nice rewards on the website for them to choose from.  So be aware, you could have the cost for some fairly nice free, did I say free, stuff hiding in your movie collection.  And at the very least you could be denying yourself some coupon savings on movies if you are not signed up at www.DisneyMovieRewards.com.  It is always a bonus when you can dream of Disney free or discounted!