DisneyToon Studios is producing a “Cars”-inspired spin-off feature film exclusively for Blu-ray and DVD in spring 2013 called “Planes.”
The CGI-animated comedy action adventure movie will introduce an entirely original crew of daredevils from every corner of the globe, the studio announced today.
“We had such a great time exploring the world of ‘Cars’ over the course of two films, so it
seemed only natural for us to see where our imaginations would take us in a film where planes were the main characters,” said John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer, Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios.
“Planes,” set against the backdrop of the fastest air racers, tells the story of Dusty, a small town dreamer who longs to enter the most epic around-the-world air race, despite his fear of heights. He gets help and support from a fleet of new characters.
Before Disney bought Pixar, Lasseter was very critical of Disney’s strategy of making DVD premiere animated sequels to almost every Disney animated feature, often several each year, some of which made hundreds of millions of dollars, including several sequels each to “The Lion King,” “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” as well as TV series spin-offs.
DisneyToon Studios, formed in 1990, produced more than 50 DVD premiere movies and popular TV series such as “Goof Troop,” “Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers” and “Darkwing Duck” for more than 15 years until 2006.
When Pixar founder Lasseter took over animation for both studios after the Disney merger with Pixar, that kind of production for home entertainment was halted almost completely, including the shut down of Disney’s TV animation studio in Australia and the significant downsizing of the Burbank studio. Almost the only project that survived was “Tinker Bell.” The studio was nearly ready to release its first CGI movie for home video when Lasseter took over supervision of the production and completely revamped it into an ongoing Blu-ray/DVD franchise that has enjoyed premieres at Disney’s El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. There have been four episodes so far and a fifth is projected for releases next year.
Disney/Pixar has also produced a series of original “Cars” shorts called CarsToons for the Disney Channel, as well as a little-seen 3D short called “Tokyo Mater.” And though “Toy Story 2” was the only sequel Pixar had produced prior to its merger with Disney, the studio, under Lasseter, has produced “Toy Story 3” and will release “Cars 2” this summer.
— By Scott Hettrick