A GEEK DADDY: Flying into a movie theater near you soon: Disney's Planes

I remember as a kid my parents loaded us up in the car all the time and took us to see movies at the local drive-in theater. We used to bundle up in blankets and eat a picnic basket full of snacks that my mom packed up for us as we watched movies outside under the stars on super sized screens. The drive-in theaters that I went to as a kid are all gone now, but fortunately there is still one about ½ in hour drive from our house that is clean, well-run and shows first run movies that our family goes to a few times per summer so my wife and I can share the drive-in experience we grew up enjoying with our kids.

We were at the US-23 DRIVE IN THEATER waiting to watch CARS 2 a few summers ago when a promo for Disney’s tie-in PLANES movie flickered onto the screen. My son was awestruck and has been asking me ever since when we can go see that movie! Well 2 years later the wait is finally over as PLANES hits theaters August 9, 2013!

The basis of the story is how a crop dusting airplane named Dusty, who also happens to be afraid of heights, trains to qualify for the air racing circuit and ultimately takes on the defending champion for the pro-circuit title. Check out this clip from the upcoming movie:

As has seems to become a standard for animated movies, PLANES will have a full cast of celebrity voices to bring its characters to life. Here’s the list of voices released by Disney:

Stacy Keach (“The Bourne Legacy,” Alexander Payne’s upcoming “Nebraska,” Robert Rodriguez’s and Frank Miller’s “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For”) provides the voice of Skipper, a reclusive old Navy Corsair who takes Dusty’s training to new heights.

Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life”) lends his voice to fuel truck Chug, Dusty’s buddy, coach and biggest fan.

Teri Hatcher (“Coraline,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”) brings life and charm to the say-it-like-it-is mechanic Dottie.

Cedric the Entertainer (“Barbershop,” “Larry Crowne, “Madagascar”) as Leadbottom, a puttering old biplane who has no time for Dusty’s far-fetched flights of fancy.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Seinfeld”) lends her voice to Rochelle, a tough and confident racer who is the pride of the Great White North.

John Cleese (TV’s “Whitney,” “A Fish Called Wanda”) is the voice of Bulldog, the oldest and arguably wisest racer on the circuit.

Carlos Alazraqui (James Garcia on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911”) brings to life the intensely charming El Chupacabra, a racer with more dramatic flair than is recommended at high altitudes.

Priyanka Chopra (“Barfi!”) voices the exotic, mysterious and ruthless Ishani, the reigning Pan-Asian champion from India.

Roger Craig Smith (Captain America in Disney XD’s “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,” voice of Sonic The Hedgehog in “Wreck-It Ralph”) voices world champion racer Ripslinger—wings down, the biggest name in air racing—and he knows it.

Gabriel Iglesias (Comedy Central’s “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-up Revolution”) provides the voices of both Ned and Zed, two not-so-sharp saboteurs who work for Ripslinger.

Val Kilmer (“Batman Forever,” “Top Gun”) provides the voice of Bravo, a member of the Jolly Wrenches and a fan of air racing.

Anthony Edwards (TV’s “Zero Hour,” “Top Gun”) is the voice of Echo, a member of the Jolly Wrenches and a fan of air racing.

Colin Cowherd (ESPN) gives play-by-play coverage as Colin Cowling, an affable blimp and an eye-in-the-sky reporter for the Racing Sports Network.

Sinbad (Comedy Central’s “Where U Been?”) brings to life Roper, an irascible race official pitty full of sly remarks and colorful commentary.