Planes: Fire & Rescue
2-Disc Blu-ray l DVD l Digital HD
Directed by Bobs Gannaway
Starring Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Hal Holbrook, Brad Garrett, Stacy Keach, Teri Hatcher, Curtis Armstrong
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: Nov 4, 2014

Planes: Fire & Rescue represents one of those types of films you may overlook due to its seemingly kiddie nature and its sequel of a spinoff status, but it warrants some credit. This improvement to its predecessor touches on some deep themes in an uplifting story of second chances and new opportunities that life presents.

The Blu-ray home release transfers the film most wonderfully, although the dearth of bonus features — once again, a Walt Disney Home Entertainment shortcoming — only slightly detracts from the overall framework. Don’t let the Cars association, which some might see as a negative, cloud your thinking. Planes: Fire & Rescue does not crash at any point in its quick 84 minutes, but rather soars smoothly and grandly.

Planes: Fire & Rescue
Directed by Roberts Gannaway
Starring Dane Cook, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Brad Garrett, Teri Hatcher, Hal Holbrook, Stacy Keach
Rated PG | 84 Minutes
Release Date: July 18, 2014

Fasten your seatbelt and hang on for a high-flying and exhilarating sequel to Planes that explores the work of firefighters within this world dominated by various forms of transportation.

Planes: Fire & Rescue is a surprising sequel in that it elevates its aerial folk to new emotional heights and takes viewers on an exciting film flight for just over 80 minutes. The truly stunning visuals, score, and characters, enveloped within a by-the-numbers storyline and enhanced by the compelling message, work at full speed. This is one adventure you don’t want to miss before it leaves the gate – er, theaters.

What an odd and oddly-wonderful Oscars. As the 86th Academy Awards winds down, we reflect on the shocking wins, disappointing losses, and memorably unusual moments. But here we focus on the Disney elements, whether prominent or more subtle, that persisted throughout the show.

Frozen thawed the cooler hearts of some voters, scoring it two wins. And the other Disney nominees? Not so lucky. Yet the influence of the Mouse could be felt throughout the theatre. Let’s analyze Disney at the Oscars 2014.

2014 has arrived. This will (hopefully) mark another great slate of films from The Walt Disney Studios! In last week’s edition of Disney In Depth we explored the movies to be released during the first half of the year. Now let’s take a peek at the films debuting later in 2014.

Continue below to check out the rest of the list.

The Walt Disney Studios has once again impressed Hollywood with the news that it has topped the $4 billion mark (worldwide) for the first time ever. 2013 saw the releases of numerous tentpole pictures under the Disney brand, including films from Marvel and Pixar. But is this strategy, which appears almost go-big-or-go-home at times, positive?

The numbers tell a story, but so do the quality of the pictures. In many ways Disney beat other studios that suffered from major financial failures (most notably, Sony, which saw disappointing figures for many of its summer releases). But even with one box office bomb (sorry, The Lone Ranger), Disney made major strides. Let us explore what worked, and what could be improved in the future.