Planes Fire & Rescue Interview with Director Bobs Gannaway & Producer Ferrell Barron

Planes is coming back to theaters this summer, on July 18th Dusty’s adventures continue as he discovers what it’s like to be a rescue plane in Planes Fire and Rescue. My kids are super excited to see it in theaters and so are many kids I’ve talked to this summer. I’ve seen it at an early screening last month and it’s better than the first. While I was in LA at the screening I also had the opportunity to spend a day at Disney Animation studios where we had the chance to interview the Director Bobs Gannaway & Producer Ferrell Barron. Here is that interview:

Q : We were just discussing the first one was great and it was cute and it was heartwarming but this was compelling. It was like you were cheering them on. It was the ultimate goal that they had to meet and it was just, it was amazing.

Bobs Gannaway: It’s really great because I feel the same way. No I know, I think, uh, what was really nice is Clay, uh, and his Team along with John, you know, did a good job, really great job, teaming up the world, and a lot of his choices informed our choices. A good example is Dusty’s relationship with Skipper.

Uh, we were looking at what could we do for a romantic sort of storyline here that’s not derivative of the first Film where Dusty facilitated a relationship between two Characters, and that was actually our first idea. And then we realized Oh, we just did that. So uh, we thought Oh, then again, you sort of go to truth, like what would really be happening. Oh he would have Fans, some Fans might be sort of Super Fans and may have, feel like they already know him, like happens to Celebrities. And so when we get there and he’s sort of — sort of Jeff Howard and I who wrote the script, we sort of said, well let’s take Dipper through the stages of a relationship, you know, and then Dusty never — never, you know, reciprocates. It would just be fun for her to go through, sort of like what are the phrases? How do you say things like Oh, you don’t do things like that anymore and like Blast, meet your friends. You know, things like that. And so which sort of gave her that arc and it made her sort of charming.

She’s, uh, we like to describe her as hopeful, not crazy. So uh, and then Julia was awesome to play the part cause she totally ran out with it and talks faster with me which is cool.

Ferrell Barron: You’re gonna meet her tomorrow and you’re gonna love her. She’s so much fun.

Bobs Gannaway: It’s really great because I feel the same way. No I know, I think what was really nice is Clay and his Team along with John did a really great job, teaming up the world, and a lot of his choices informed our choices. A good example is Dusty’s relationship with Dipper.

We were looking at what could we do for a romantic sort of storyline here that’s not derivative of the first Film where Dusty facilitated a relationship between two Characters, and that was actually our first idea. Then we realized Oh, we just did that. So, we thought Oh, then again, you sort of go to truth, like what would really be happening. Oh he would have Fans, some Fans might be sort of Super Fans and may have, feel like they already know him….like what happens to Celebrities. Jeff Howard and I who wrote the script, we sort of said, well let’s take Dipper through the stages of a relationship, you know, and then Dusty never reciprocates. It would just be fun for her to go through, sort of like what are the phrases? How do you say things like Oh, you don’t do things like that anymore and like Blast, meet your friends. You know, things like that. And so which sort of gave her that arc and it made her sort of charming.

We like to describe her as hopeful, not crazy. Julia was awesome to play the part cause she totally ran out with it and talks faster with me which is cool.

Q: How much time did you spend at National Parks Institute?

Ferrell Barron: A lot of time, yeah. Yellowstone and Yosemite are the two Parks. You can see there are a lot of Monuments in there that are kind of taken from both. Waterfalls I think from Yosemite. Our Art Director spent a lot of time there obviously, taking a lot of pictures. We met with a lot of Park Rangers who toured us around and Old Faithful Inn, our Lodge is based on the Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone. So we got to take a quick trip and didn’t have enough time. It was one of those Vacation trips where everyone’s cramped in a car. Griswolds like. Speeding to one location, jump out take pictures, speed to another. It was all packed in but that was — that was a joy just getting, really getting into a whole life of agony and you see places in the park that a lot of people don’t get to see which was really a lot of fun so…

Bobs Gannaway: There’s research, you know, research informs everything right down to a gag, as well as big Feature moments. I mean, little things like the Lodges. There’s Rocking Chairs in front of the Fire places. We had the head of National Parks watch the Movie and after I explained to him that Cad isn’t a bad guy, just has misguided good intentions. He wants to protect the Lodge, just at the expense of maybe innocent people. The Old Jammer, I’m sure you’re familiar with it, is the Tour buses that are used, still used today in Glacier National Park in Yellowstone. They’re called Jammers because they would jam the gears and they don’t have Standard anymore, but still they’re called Jammers…

So Jammers name is based on a historical vehicle and so someone might pick up on that. If they don’t, it’s all right. Boat Reynolds appears there. Any idea where that guy came from? Anybody? That came from research. We were driving through Yellowstone and there was a sign that said Boat Rentals. And I went, Oh Look, Boat Rental, Boat Reynolds. So you know, just the littlest tiny thing will inform big choices. Even something no one will even get which is the Railway…Railway Station that’s hooked to the Grand Fuselage which is the best pun in the Movie. The Railway Station is actually based on a Railway Station that no longer exists that was the North Side, North end of Yellowstone, that was designed by the same Architect as the Old Faithful Inn.

So I thought Oh, that would be a cool little homage to him, just sort of put his Railway Station, connect it, so little things like that that nobody will ever pick up on. A few people might. Talking about research, the Mine sequence, where Blade sort of shelters the fire for Dusty is based on a true story. It’s based on the the Polaski story and a Fire Fighter who came in. One of our Fire Fighters came and watched the Movie recognized that story and that — that Mine sequence is based on a Gentleman named Polaski who saved a Group of Firefighters by taking them into a Mine in 1910 I think.

Q : Then you brought in Firemen. Did you have to go and get any other Fireman. I heard you brought in a Jumper or something.

Ferrell Barron: Smoke Jumpers, yes. So Smoker Jumpers we brought in. They’re in the US Forest Service. Obviously, Cal Fire, LA County Fire.

Bobs Gannaway: It goes back to also, we brought in an Oil Analysis which is really interesting when Dusty has his mishap, his kind of heart attack. It was fun to realize that when that really happens. It can actually happen when gear starts shredding in an Airplane, they release metals into the Oil and that’s how they analyze it and they analyze the oil and find out what — what kind of metal is in the oil, which will determine what part of the Engine is faulting. What was interesting is that’s very much like a blood test basically because they’re taking it and they’re looking under a Microscope and so it — it really lended itself to having a Medical problem, you know, for these Air Craft Characters for our, so that was, we joked cause it’s like the highlight of this Guy’s career.He got to come in and talk about Oil analysis with us for hours.

Ferrell Barron: So it goes back again to the research, bringing in as many Consultants as we can to help every aspect of the Movie that related to the Story, to bringing truth to it all.

Bobs Gannaway: The Flight is of course, as with Planes, the Flight is all accurate. We had the same team, the same Consultant Jason McKinley who made sure the flight was accurate. We have Helicopters in our Movie and we brought in Chuck Aaron. Chuck Aaron is the top Helicopter Pilot in the world, and is just– You Tube Chuck Aaron and you’ll see the amazing things he does. He flies the Red Bull Helicopter.

He’s one of two Pilots in the World who does an inside loop in a Helicopter, actually goes upside down in a Helicopter. He trained the other guy and Helicopters aren’t supposed to go upside down and — and he does it, so it’s pretty amazing. He actually took us out and did an inside loop in the Helicopter with us so you get the feeling of what it was like to do them, to do that. So, the Fire Fighters, they made an Air Attacker. The Air Tankers are separate from the Smoke Jumpers. It’s a separate Unit. So we met both of them. We went to Smoke Jumper training.