The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills was the location for the Planes: Fire & Rescue Press Day. Arriving at the hotel, I checked in and was assigned to one of several hotel rooms where the round table interviews would be conducted.
Wes Studi was the first to share his experience as the voice of Windlifter. Windlifter is a heavy lift helicopter of native american descent and Wes feels that was a good decision. Wes shared that living in the southwestern area of the US, 60% of the firefighting community is made up of many “American Indian Hotshots and Firefighters” from the reservations. Wes was asked about the strange mythological story Windlifter tells in the movie and Wes shared some advice on how to “grab” the audience through storytelling. Wes talked about how he added his own touches to the character that were unique to the culture. Wes chooses his roles based on their entertainment value and although he worked “solo” and the first for him in animation, he found it was the same as with any acting, you need to create an image in your mind and go forward. Wes mentioned having a sketch of Windlifter and how he was once video taped up close so as to use his facial expressions.
Bobs Gannaway (Director) and Ferrell Barron (Producer) were up next and discussed how Planes: Fire & Rescue came to be. Bobs talked about how the story came about when it was discovered that cropdusters were one of the first firefighting planes used in Medocino County’s 1955 Fires. Once that came up, they realized that it was a part of Dusty’s legacy and helped set up the basic storyline. From there, fires were researched and Yellowstone Natl Park fires came up. The injured athlete portion came up when research into cropduster planes showed that if the plane was in fact pushed, engine damage would occur. Bobs and Ferrell then talked about finding the voices that enbody the characters. With Julie Bowen, “we wanted a romance” – after all, Dusty is now a world famous racer and would have fans. Julie Bowen as Lil Dipper go through all the stages of romance with Dusty and even had them breaking up at the end, but that was taken out of the movie. Ferrell talked about three favorite characters that audience will fall in love – May Day (Hal Holbrook). Bobs Gannaway shared a personal story about his grandfather and took parts of his experience and applied them to MayDay. Harvie and Winnie’s voices by real life married couple, Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara had the perfect chemistry and the scene where Winnie said I love you had everyone in the booth in tears.
Asked if it was planned as a video vs theatrical release, Bobs said it was a theatrical movie from the start. Four years of work to get everything right with the fire and special effects, but also to make sure the characters were also going to be someone the audience could love and identify with. Last question was the standard “will there be a Planes 3?” Looks like we have to wait and see.
Dane Cook walked in and after a star struck moment when I handed him a bottle of water, I quietly sat and listened as he shared his excitement about the new look, Dusty gets in Fire & Rescue. Dane talked about how in the first movie, Dusty is naive and a day dreamer and Dane’s voice was more of a youngster and in this movie, Dusty has grown and matured allowing Dane to see him “almost as a new character”. Dane was very pleased with the interaction between Dusty and Dipper (Julie Bowen). Dane feels the movie will help audiences have a new appreciation for firefighters and fires. His experience as Dusty is amazing and enjoys and understand how the kids feel. He compares it to the feeling of meeting his idol, Jerry Lewis, who Dane finally got to meet a few years ago. Dane incorporated some of what the movie means and his character in his stand up comedy routine. When asked about the story line and second chances, Dane said that it is what gives the movie character. When he spoke to the research team and saw how passionate they were about the fire fighters and their world, Dane knew it would be a fun adventure. It is a reality and entertainment at its best to have this movie focus on the real fears and life stories about firefighting. As for the second chance theme, he can relate to how Dusty takes the opportunity and helps his community to improve and better it. Dane said what brings him the most pleasure is to have someone come up to him and thank him for helping his community.
Julie Bowen came last to talk about her experience. Julie looked absolutely beautiful in person and has the funniest session. She talked about how the fact that she was alone in the recording studio was perfect because Lil Dipper lives in her own little world of make believe and that helped Julie. Talking about how fast Julie talks, Julie said that nervous energy resulted in the ideal character voice that was natural and not cartoony or fake. Asked about Lil Dipper’s physical appearance, Julie said she was very happy about it as it shows her strength and capacity. “She’s built for comfort and for her job”. Asked if being a Disney character gives her street credit with the kids, to which Julie said yes for a small amount of time, but the kids don’t want their mom as a famous person, but as mom. As a big fan of Julie Bowen, after spending time listening to her, I have become an even bigger fan. She is not only beautiful but an incredibly funny and talented actress.
Listening to these incredibly talented cast, talk about their experiences and how key movie scenes came to be, gives Planes: Fire & Rescue a whole new twist and even more respect for fire and Disney movie making.
Don’t miss Disney’s Planes: Fire & Rescue in theatres July 18th.
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