Just can't wait to see Disney "Planes," that new
animated feature which is set in the world above "Cars" ? Well, what
if I were to tell that there was a way to get close to one of the characters
featured in this new Walt Disney Pictures release well ahead of its August 9th
release date?
"And how exactly would I do that?," you ask. By heading out to one of
the 11 airfields around the United States & Canada where a life-sized
replica of Dusty Crophopper (i.e. the plane voiced by comedian Dane Cook who —
even though he's afraid of heights — still dreams of someday becoming a high-flying
air racer) will be making appearances at various air shows now through
September.
This past weekend, Dusty made his debut at the Bethpage Air
Show at Jones Beach.
Flown by Texas-based aerial applicator Rusty Lindeman (who also customized one
of his own Air Tractor AT-301 airplanes just so it would then match Dusty's
paint scheme and features), this replica cropduster showed off his talents by
flying over the field and communicating with the crowd below.
And just in case you're wondering, that was indeed Dane providing Dusty's vocals for the Bethpage Air Show. Cook came by Disneytoon
Studios in Glendale, CA earlier this month just to record the dialogue that his
"Planes" character would be saying during his air show appearances
this Summer. More to the point, Dusty's appearances at these air shows will be
accompanied by an uplifting excerpt from Mark Mancina's score for new this Walt
Disney Pictures release.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Once Dusty landed, Bethpape Air Show attendees were invited
to come by the Disney Display Hangar to have their pictures taken with this
replica aircraft. As they exited this colorful
"Planes" display, the kids from the Jones
Beach area were offered stickers,
tattoos and coloring sheets featuring some of the characters from this new
animated film.
So where else in the country will this life-sized version of Dusty be making
appearances? Well, the folks on the Publicity side of the Mouse House are being
kind of close-mouthed about this airplane's appearance schedule as of this
moment. But even so, word has leaked about a few of the air shows where this retooled
& repainted At-301 will be standing in for the star of Disney
"Planes." And they include:
- The Waterloo Air
Show — which will take place June 1st & 2nd, 2013 at the Region of
Waterloo International Airport
-
The Vectren Dayton Air Show — which
will be presented June 22nd & 23rd at Dayton
International Airport
- The 2013 Battle
Creek Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival — which will be held July
3rd – July 7th at W.K. Kellogg
Airport
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
But if you want to have a really special time with Dusty,
you might want to hold on seeing the life-sized replica version of this Disney
"Planes" star until he flies into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Which will
be held at the Wittman Regional
Airport in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin from July 29th – August 4th.
Dusty is scheduled to make three appearances at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh (on July 29th, July 31st & August 2nd to be exact). But August 2nd
is probably the day when most Disney animation fans will want to be heading out
for Wittman Regional
Airport.
You see, on that night — a full week ahead of when Disney
"Planes" is supposed to be opening in theaters nationwide — Walt
Disney Studios will be holding a special preview screening of this new animated
feature at EEA AirVenture Oshkosh's Fly-In Theater. And not only will Disney
"Planes" be screened outdoors on a five story-tall screen with a full
sound system, but Klay Hall (i.e. the director of this new Disneytoon Studios
production) will be on hand to talk about the making of Disney's "Planes,"
sharing some behind-the-scenes stories as well as revealing production secrets
about this feature-length cartoon.
The life-sized version of Dusty Crophopper as he appeared at the Waterloo Air Show.
Image courtesy of CTV Kitchener. All rights reserved
Mind you, there are seven other air shows in the U.S.
and Canada
where this life-sized replica of Dusty from Disney "Planes" will be
making appearances. And as soon as those nice folks at Disneytoon Studios share
that info with JHM, we'll be posting the rest of Dusty's appearance schedule
here for you to see.
So what do you folks think? Is getting the chance to see a
life-sized version of Dusty Crophopper streak across the sky as he then talks
with the guys in the tower a good enough reason to get you to out and see your
local air show?
Your thoughts?