PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE flies into theaters July 18th

Dusty Crophopper fresh from his victory in the "Wings Across the World" race is returning to the big screen in a new DISNEY PLANES movie opening in theaters on July 18, 2014.  In PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE, Dusty has become world famous from winning the big race but now he faces the troubling news he may never be able to race again due to engine damage.  The crop duster with a never say die attitude shifts gears and becomes involved with the world of aerial fire fighting.  Dusty joins up with a fire rescue helicopter, Blade Ranger, and team of all-terrain vehicles known as The Smokejumpers.  Together they battle a massive wildfire and Dusty learns what it takes to become a true hero.

Does anyone remember the 1989 Stephen Spielberg movie ALWAYS?  Whenever I see the trailer and promos for PLANES: FIRE & RESCUE that classic movie starring Richard Dreyfus, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman which was a romantic adventure about a legendary pilot's passion for both dare-devil firefighting and his girlfriend.  Could this new PLANE's movie be an animated re-spinning of ALWAYS?  Or am I just being nostalgic about a date movie from my high school years.

The first PLANES movie didn't receive very high marks from the critics and rumor is Disney almost dropped it from a theater release to go straight to DVD instead until it needed a replacement for The Little Mermaid 3D on its 2013 summer movie lineup.  That being said, my 5 year old kids loved seeing PLANES at the movie theater last year, watch the movie several times a week while playing with their diecast PLANES toys since it came out on DVD, and are excited to see FIRE & RESCUE this summer.  So obviously PLANES has been a hit in our household!  Who else is excited to see this PLANES sequel flying into theaters this summer?