THE WOMEN OF “DISNEY'S PLANES” FLY HIGH
Two
of American television's most loved actresses – Teri Hatcher (“Desperate
Housewives”) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep”) – breath life to animated
characters in “Disney's Planes,” an all-new big-screen adventure from above the
world of “Cars.”
“Disney’s
Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice
of Dane Cook), 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.
Filmmakers
cast Teri Hatcher as the voice of the pragmatic Dottie, a forklift who co-owns
and operates Chug and Dottie’s Fill ’n Fly service station. As Dusty’s
practical and say-it-like-it-is friend—not to mention his ace mechanic—Dottie
hopes to keep his high-flying hopes grounded in reality: Dusty isn’t built to
race and chasing his dream is downright dangerous. No matter what he decides, however,
Dottie will always have his back.
“I
love Dottie; she’s such a loyal friend to Dusty,” says producer Traci
Balthazor-Flynn. “She’s strong and intelligent and she’s not afraid to show it.
We have such a powerful female presence in this film.”
“This
story is very relatable and incredibly charming,” says Hatcher. “It’s an
everyman's story: you have a certain set of skills, but you dream of something
bigger. Do you have the guts to go out and follow that dream or will you let
your fears stand in your way? Dottie wants to support her friend in his
pursuits, but she’s concerned about him and worried he’ll get hurt. I think she
grows and eventually accepts that holding back is probably not the way to live
life, and that Dusty should just go for it and follow his dreams.”
Meanwhile,
Julia Louis-Dreyfus provides the voice of Rochelle, a tough racer and the pride
of the Great White North. Always confident and capable, she got her start
running mail to small towns in Quebec, picking up home remedies for mechanical
maladies along the way. She also developed a knack for fast travel that
ultimately inspired her to give air racing a try. Rochelle never looked back
(this competitive contender doesn’t need to). She is relentlessly pursued by
charmer El Chupacabra, but steadfast Rochelle is much too focused on winning
the race to return his affections.
“Julia
Louis-Dreyfus does a lovely French Canadian accent for Rochelle,” says Dan
Abraham, head of story for “Disney’s Planes.” “Normally the ladies go crazy for
El Chu, but not Rochelle. She sees through his cheesy come-ons and just keeps
shooting him down. Then there’s this really funny, sweet moment when he stops
being insincere and serenades her. It changes everything.”
Ryan
Carlson, art director for “Disney’s Planes,” spearheaded the look of Rochelle,
which presented a few challenges. “How do you make an airplane feminine?”
Carlson asks. “How do you make her sexy and appealing?”
He
says it often boils down to a quarter of a line to achieve just the right
curve. “It’s something I learned when I was in feature animation with a woman
who worked on characters like Jasmine and Pocahontas. She taught me how just
the right shape, with a little finesse, can make a character beautiful.
Rochelle is a sweet airplane who is definitely beautiful.”
Comments
Post a Comment