If it looks like a Pixar, and barks like a Pixar, it must be a Pixar, right? Well, no: "Planes," which looks exactly like "Cars 3" with wings, is actually produced by DisneyToon Studios, working off a concept created by Pixar honcho (and "Cars" director) John Lasseter. "Cars" was certainly not Pixar's most inspired work to begin with, albeit huge with kids,and "Planes" is a fairly dreary exercise in franchise expansion. (Sure enough, it's the first in a planned trilogy.)
"Planes" follows the story of a spunky little plane called Dusty Crophopper, who is — you guessed it — a crop-dusting plane who dreams of one day being a racer. He's tired of being what he was designed for, a reliable worker, and wants to be the flashy hero, to surpass his limitations, and triumph in a race against all the better-built planes who ridicule him. If this sounds a bit like "Wreck-it Ralph", well, it is, but minus the zany sense of humor that energized that film.
Dusty is schooled in the art of aerial racing by a retired World War II fighter plane, Skipper, and attended to by his tarmac friends Chug the oil tanker and Dottie the forklift. As in "Cars," this is a world where the only lifeforms are vehicles with big googly eyes on their windshields, which is still a rather hard concept to get one's head around.