It took off reasonably well, but if we push it, it quickly stalls.
I know that this movie is a spin-off from “Cars”, but do you know? I was more curious to see this film than I am to see “Cars” (I haven't seen it yet, I will see it very soon). It's just that, despite driving, I've always felt great affection and interest in the world of aviation, to the point of spending afternoons at the airport to watch planes arrive and depart when I was younger. I was also a regular spectator of the Red Bull Air Races whenever they were held here in my city. I know the film had relatively mixed reviews, with many critics hating it and others trying to see various saving qualities in just about everything. Personally, I'll be fine halfway through: the movie isn't disastrously bad, I believe that, as far as the Disney universe is concerned, I've seen far worse, but it's also far from good.
Starting with the qualities, it is impossible to deny that the animation and visuals of the film were well done and are pleasant to look at. The computer effects and digital animation are the best available, and without a doubt, Disney had the people and expertise in-house for the task at hand. The models used in the planes in the film are reasonably similar to their originals in real life, which reveals that the production was attentive to details and tried to give the film a very acceptable dose of realism. Even more impressive is the footage of the races and aerial maneuvers. The film is very well edited, it is not bulky or heavy and does not stretch too much, being very suitable for young people, and quite tolerable for everyone else, including adults.
The work of the voice actors, for me, is at a very acceptable level, but not brilliant: with the exception of John Cleese, who has an unmistakable tone and accent, and Dane Cook, who does an equally good job, the overwhelming majority of the voice actors just do what they had to do. I liked Priyanka Chopra, I think she managed to avoid the temptation to give her voice an overly heavy Indian accent that people might not have liked, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss for her use of Canadian French. Carlos Alazraqui sounded too dense to the point where I thought he was Antonio Banderas, and the accent was too strong, but he at least knew how to be funny.
For me, one of the things I didn't like is the way the soundtrack is so dull. The only moments in which it stands out and sounds good are in the love serenades and at the moment when planes fly over the Taj Mahal. If we consider that songs have been one of the strengths of Disney animation, it's impossible not to be sad about it. But the script is where, really, the big problems of this film are: what the film brings us is the recycling of the old sports success story that we have already seen thousands of times in thousands of modalities: the outsider with no chances who, for his good heart, goes on succeeding and wins, after defeating the perverse and envious rival. And of course: there's a romance going on there, and the pretty, nice girl isn't all that innocent. It's old, it's cliché, it's not enough for what Disney has used us to, and it's sad to see the studio settle down like this. The dialogues didn't help: I can still understand and accept the aviation jargon, but the sheer amount of clichés and barbershop talk is too much for me.
Regarding the characters themselves, what I want to say is simply this: they are not really well-developed, and the poor quality of the script leaves one to guess to what extent this is true. However, and directly addressing an issue that has raised some controversy, I understand and accept the ethnic allusions and cultural “stereotypes” that were applied to each plane. I know that there are more and more people who take this badly, and I agree that yes, it is generally offensive and reductive. However, this is an animated comedy, it is not something that I feel should be taken too seriously, and if we consider that each plane represents its country, this turns out to be a way to bring a little bit of the mental imagery of that country to its representative. Thus, the English plane is very cordial, but sarcastic and has a peculiar humor; the Mexican plane is romantic and has the craze that is Zorro; the Canadian plane speaks French, the Indian plane has saffron color and elaborate designs etc. If I, who am Portuguese, were seriously offended whenever films or series show a Portuguese character as a football player, a bearded sailor or a baker with a mustache, I wouldn't have time to do anything else in this life!
