Two years after announcing that DisneyToons would produce a made-for-Blu-ray “Cars” spin-off called “Planes,” that the studio was still touting on last December’s Blu-ray 3D release of “The Little Mermaid” as a spring 2013 Blu-ray 3D debut, the movie is now scheduled for a theatrical release on Aug. 9 in 3D and RealD 3D.
A full-page ad in today’s Los Angeles Times features the poster at right…
This isn’t the first time this has happened — years ago Pixar initially intended Toy Story 2 only for video, but with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen back on board, the production seemed good enough for a theatrical release, so the budget was increased and it was produced as a full-fledged theatrical release, where it became a blockbuster.
In this case, DisneyToons is still listed as the producer, meaning that it likely has the same production values as it would have had for Blu-ray 3D, with an impressive cast that includes these high-profile names: Val Kilmer, Brad Garrett, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dane Cook, John Cleese, Teri Hatcher, Anthony Edwards, Stacy Keach, Cedric the Entertainer, Sinbad, Brent Musburger, and Colin Cowherd, among others.