AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014 - 26

PILOT BRIEFING

28 NEWS 30 PEOPLE 32 PILOT PRODUCTS 34 AIRPORT STORIES 36 TEST PILOT 45 FLY-INS

Dusty flies again
Producers strive for realism
BY JIM MOORE

THE ACTION MAY BE ANIMATED, but the production
team behind Disney's new film Planes 2: Fire and
Rescue, sequel to the 2013 animated feature Planes,
strove to keep every detail as realistic as possible.
Great pains were taken to avoid mistakes, such as
propellers turning in the wrong direction or aircraft
doing things that are simply impossible, and to get the
details right when portraying how a range of firefighting
aircraft perform in the air. Consulting with professional
pilots and firefighters, Disney worked to craft characters
that, aside from being talking airplanes and helicopters,
behave as their real-life counterparts do, down to the
aerodynamics and radio phraseology. "It has to be a
believable world," said Bob Gannaway, the film's director. "Then, you will hopefully forget that it's animated,
and just get into the story."
The story began coming together while the
first Planes was still in production, and Gannaway set
out in search of a new mission for Dusty Crophopper,
the central character of both films (voiced by actor Dane
Cook). Once Gannaway learned that agricultural aircraft
are also used for aerial firefighting, it was time to learn
how it is done in real life.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection-Cal Fire-responded with enthusiasm
when Gannaway and producer Ferrell Barron reached
out seeking help. The real-life firefighters who specialize in backcountry fire suppression invited the movie

crew to tour firefighting bases and observe training
exercises. Barron said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Travis
Alexander was involved throughout the four-year effort
to make the film. Alexander and others on the Cal Fire
staff coordinated numerous meetings with pilots, smoke
jumpers, and others on the firefighting team. With helicopters added to the cast of characters, the producers
also enlisted renowned aerobatic helicopter pilot Chuck
Aaron, known for demonstrating a wide range of highly
unusual attitudes in Red Bull colors.
While animated films typically are made with
younger audiences in mind, both producer and director said they were gratified that early screenings for Cal
Fire staff (and families) drew an enthusiastic response.
"We want aviators to enjoy the film and be excited
that it is accurate," Gannaway said. "The second thing
is we want the firefighters to watch the movie and also
say that they got it right-or if we cheated a little bit,
they understand why."

DUSTY CROPHOPPER

joins firefighters in
the Planes 2 movie,
which also features
helicopters. The
movie opened in
July.

EMAIL james.moore@aopa.org

TELL ALL
Director Bob Gannaway confessed
there is one particular scene In Planes
2 where they did have to "cheat" a
little bit, although he was coy about
which particular laws of physics may
26 | AOPA PILOT September 2014

have been infringed upon. He said
aviators should not have trouble
spotting it, and there was no getting
around it, either.
They gave it a lot of thought, and

decided in the end that the needs of
the story trumped the need for realism-just once. "I'm hoping that I got
one get-out-of-jail card," Gannaway
said.

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2014

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