Fire and Rescue

Planes 2: Fire and Rescue (Cert U, 84 mins, Disney DVD, Animation/Family/Action/Adventure/Comedy, also available to buy DVD £15.99/2-Movie Collection DVD Box Set £19.99/Blu-ray £20.99/3D Blu-ray £25.99/2-Movie Collection Blu-ray Box Set £27.99)

Featuring the voices of: Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Curtis Armstrong, Wes Studi, Dale Dye, Regina King, Corri English, Bryan Callen, Danny Pardo, Matt Jones, Stacy Keach, Teri Hatcher, Hal Holbrook.

Soaring over Propwash Junction with his mentor Skipper (voiced by Stacy Keach), Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) suffers a malfunction. Back at the hanger, trusted mechanic Dottie (Teri Hatcher) diagnoses a failing gearbox. “From now on, you have to keep down your torque to less than 80 percent,” she instructs Dusty. He angrily defies Dottie and careens into the town’s airport, causing a small fire. The incident casts doubt on the ability of veteran fire and rescue truck Mayday (Hal Holbrook) to service the airport’s needs. So Dusty abandons his racing dreams in order to earn his certificate as the town’s fire-fighting plane and he heads to Piston Peak National Park to train under helicopter Blade Ranger (Ed Harris). As Dusty masters the art of airborne firefighting, he also learns valuable lessons about friendship. Planes 2: Fire & Rescue is an action-packed sequel, which attempts to stand on its own landing gear with a stirring tale of heroism and self-sacrifice. As the title suggests, Bobs Gannaway’s film honours the men and women - and aircraft - who “fly in when others are flying out”. It’s a touching sentiment and screenwriter Jeffrey M Howard engineers some moving exchanges between the characters, some of whom are a splutter away from the scrap heap. Director Gannaway employs the 3D format, available exclusively on Blu-ray, to striking effect in aerial sequences and the animation of raging infernos is impressively realistic. Vocal performances are similarly warm, so viewers feel a toasty glow before the first plumes of smoke from the computer-generated blazes. A two-disc set comprising the original Planes and the sequel is also available.