Has it really been two years since Cars 2 exploded onto our screens in a blaze of critical apathy? If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the intervening 24 months longing for a return to ‘the world of Cars‘, in which case you’ll be relieved to hear that Disney’s aeronautic spin-off Planes is ‘gearing up for take off’ (*chuckle chuckle tee hee snort*) this August. Like its predecessor, the film’s promotional campaign consists primarily of a series of pun-filled character posters. Let’s see if they measure up to their forebears…
Pun: ‘Right’ is replaced with ‘flight’.Reference: I can only assume that this is a reference to the 1983 epic US Air Force adventure The Right Stuff, which is presumably very popular with the kids these days.
Score: 3/5 — what it lacks in pith it makes up for in being very, very definitely about planes.
Pun: N/AReference: Continuing the theme, here we have an uncomplicated nod to the 1986 aviation classic Top Gun which, like Planes, stars Val Kilmer. Unlike Planes, it has the excuse of having been made in the mid-80s.
Score: 1/5 — this isn’t really a pun at all.
Pun: ‘Attitude’ is replaced with ‘altitude’.Reference: N/A
Score: 2/5 — as a standalone pun, the wordplay going on here outmatches the competition, but the lack of a 1980s pop cultural reference leaves me feeling cold if I’m honest.
Pun: N/AReference: To round out the series, this final design features a shout out to the 1957 Frank Sinatra hit (and iconic Airline theme tune) Come Fly With Me. The song is literally about flying, so its use here is apt if not entirely inventive.
Score: 5/5 — sometimes you’ve got to hold your hands up and recognise genius.