There’s excitement in the air at Disneytoon Studios as the animation house preps for takeoff on Disney’s Planes, landing in theaters on August 9. (How’s that for pun fun?)
Disneytoon is one of three animation studios under the creative leadership of John Lasseter, along with Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Home to a vibrant contingent of filmmakers, artists and production teams, Disneytoon has been producing series-based films inspired by stories and characters from across the Disney universe for over 20 years.
Most recently the Glendale, California-based studio has had incredible success producing the popular Tinker Bell films as it continues to push the envelope on technology and artistry. Last fall’s Secret of the Wings, its first film released in 3D, took the U.S. home entertainment market by storm and was embraced by audiences around the world upon its theatrical release in many international markets.
Now, Disneytoon has developed and created an all-new feature based in a world first imagined by Pixar, extending the realm of the Cars films into the wild blue yonder.
Disney’s Planes tells the thrilling and heart-warming story of Dusty, a plane with high-flying dreams of racing. There’s just one small problem: He’s afraid of heights. Dane Cook stars as Dusty alongside an incredible voice cast that includes Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, John Cleese, Cedric the Entertainer, and many more.
The team at Disneytoon felt the boundless world of Cars was the perfect setting to explore the adventures of new, original characters, and they knew they’d be drawing inspiration from the Cars films. So the filmmakers, led by veteran animation director Klay Hall, closely researched how the artistry and look of those high-octane adventures was created.
Hall, who directed 2009’s Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure and has also helmed episodes ofKing of the Hill and The Simpsons, comes from a family of aviators and brings an intuitive visual flair to the 3D action of Disney’s Planes.
The film’s August arrival is the start of an exciting adventure for a new group of Disney characters, but it’s also a proud milestone for the talented artists at Disneytoon Studios as well as all of us here at The Walt Disney Studios.