Planes!

“Look, I am more than just a crop duster.”

                                            ~ Dusty, “Disney’s Planes”

“Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy featuring Dusty, a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar.

Hitting theaters on August 9, “Disney’s Planes” is an all-new big-screen adventure produced at Southern California’s Disneytoon Studios. Directed by aviation enthusiast Klay Hall (“King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons”), produced by Traci Balthazor-Flynn (“Return to Never Land,” “Bambi II,” “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning” as digital production manager), and executive produced by John Lasseter, the film showcases the crop duster’s desire to do more than what he was designed to do.

Says Hall, “I think people will really relate to ‘Disney’s Planes’ because it’s a great underdog story. It has a lot of heart and a message we can all use: If we can believe in ourselves, step out of our comfort zones and get past whatever fear is holding us back, we’d be surprised with the results. And that’s exactly what happens to Dusty in this movie. He’s a crop duster who’s never flown above 1,000 feet, but he dreams of being the fastest air racer in the world. He has a lot of obstacles to overcome and needs to dig pretty deep to find the courage to become more than what he was built for.”

According to Balthazor-Flynn, the global setting of the film invites audiences along for the ride. “Dusty has never been far from home, so he’s experiencing the world for the first time,” she says. “The film visits places many of us—like Dusty—have never seen. It features characters from all over the world—diverse personalities we can get behind and root for. It’s a real adventure—a road movie in the sky.”

“Disney’s Planes” comes from above the world of “Cars,” born largely from Lasseter’s active imagination while traveling: every vehicle is a potential character. With an original story by Lasseter, Hall and Jeffrey M. Howard and a screenplay by Howard, the film features the voices of Dane Cook (“Louie,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Dan in Real Life”) as Dusty, Stacy Keach (“The Bourne Legacy,” “Nebraska”) as Navy Corsair Skipper, Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life”) as fuel truck Chug, and Teri Hatcher (ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” “Coraline”) as say-it-like-it-is mechanic Dottie. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” “Seinfeld”) lends her voice to Rochelle, Priyanka Chopra (“Barfi!”) voices Ishani, John Cleese (Monty Python, “A Fish Called Wanda”) brings Bulldog to life, Cedric the Entertainer (“Barbershop,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”) voices Leadbottom, Carlos Alazraqui (James Garcia on Comedy Central’s “Reno 911”) brings to life the charming El Chupacabra, and 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.

The voice cast also includes Anthony Edwards (TV’s “ER,” “Top Gun”) as Echo, Val Kilmer (“Batman Forever,” “Top Gun”) as Bravo, Sinbad (Comedy Central’s “Where U Been?”) as race official pitty Roper, Gabriel Iglesias (Comedy Central’s “Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-up Revolution”) as both Ned and Zed, and Brent Musburger (ESPN, ABC Sports) as Brent Mustangburger. Rounding out the voice cast are Colin Cowherd (ESPN) as blimp Colin Cowling, Danny Mann (“Up”) as Sparky, John Ratzenberger (“Monsters University”) as Harland, and Oliver Kalkofe (“Neues vom Wixxer”) as a meek German minicar Franz and his brazen airborne alter ego Fliegenhosen.

Three-time GRAMMY^®-winning composer Mark Mancina (“August Rush,” “Camille,” “Training Day”) composed the score for the film. Rated PG by the MPAA, “Disney’s Planes” soars into theaters Aug. 9, 2013. It will be presented in 3D in select theaters.