Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Planes Fire and Rescue - Movie Review (Adoption Movie Review)
Cropduster-turned-pro racer Dusty Crophopper has a problem.
His gear box is failing, which means that he will not be able to race
professionally. His elderly friend, Mayday, has a problem too – he is no longer
capable of maintaining safety at the local airport; the airport will be shut
down unless Mayday can find an assistant firefighter – and in the hot season,
that is no easy task. Dusty courageously agrees to become Mayday’s assistant,
and so he sets off to a distant national park for training. While there, Dusty
finds new friends as well as Blade Ranger, a potential role model for Dusty who
has transitioned from an acting career into a long career as a rescue
helicopter. Dusty isn’t too good of a
student, and his attempts at heroism put Blade in danger – however, through
bravery, Dusty becomes a certified fire and rescue helicopter – this allows him
to return home to help Mayday reopen the airport. Will Dusty also be able to
return to pro racing? Well, it is a
Disney movie…
Kids in foster care (or maybe, kids in general…) sometimes
have difficulty regulating their emotions. Dusty has to be aware of his
internal stress (OK, it’s torque… he’s a plane – but for this analogy to work,
I’ve gotta stretch it a little). Dusty has a meter to indicate his level of
stress, and a warning light that will go off to warn him when he is reaching a
point of stress that would be harmful. This could be a helpful analogy and tool
for kids – what’s your meter at? Is your warning light going off?
Positive Points
Dusty is a loyal friend. He also is able to deal with deep
disappointment and to transition his attention and effort into other goals.
Dusty also highlights the importance of communication. Blade
Ranger doesn’t understand why Dusty holds back his efforts until Dusty tells
him that he’s having mechanical problems. Then, Blade softens his approach,
encourages Dusty, and ultimately gets him the help he needs.
The film makes palatable the fact that even heroes have
heroes – and heroes aren’t always the people who are celebrated by the general
public.
Dusty is encouraged to be persistent; one character advises
him, “Life doesn’t always go the way you expect, but if you give up, think of
all [the good you won’t accomplish] tomorrow.” The character who gives
Dusty
that advice has lived it out – he lost a friend in a crash, and committed his
life to doing good. Also, the film shows that you can heal from disappointment and loss.
Challenges
The film will probably only appeal to younger viewers, and
the scenes of fire are intense enough to be frightening to some. There are some
jokes geared towards adults that young viewers won’t get, but might ask about.
Weak Point
One character seems to be Native American, but portrayal
uses dated stereotypes for laughs; it’s a little disappointing.
Recommendation
There’s actually quite a lot of positive stuff to take from
Planes: Fire and Rescue. I really like the concept of a “torque” meter, and
I’ll suggest an activity based on that in a minute. The movie doesn’t have too
much of a story, and it feels like it could have fit into 40 minutes rather
than the 70 it actually takes, but little kids probably won’t mind. It probably
is best suited to kids 8 and under.
Questions
When have you been disappointed so badly that you wanted to
quit? What did you do?
What would have happened if Dusty quit training to be a
rescue plane? Why did he keep trying? What finally happened?
Activity for After
the Film
Why not make a “torque” meter for each kid (and adult?) in
your family. Try a paper plate with a construction paper arrow, fastened by
something that’ll let the arrow spin around freely. What an interesting way to
enter into conversations about emotions and energy levels, and to facilitate
self-awareness among your kids.
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