Here’s a little news story that we missed from just before Christmas that is a little bit surprising, if not particularly exciting. Remember that terrible-sounding Cars spin-off that Disney had in development called… ahem… Planes? Well, it turns out that this movie is no longer just a direct-to-DVD cash grab by the Mouse House. Apparently someone out there decided that the final product might actually be good enough to warrant a full theatrical release. In other words, this summer we’ll be getting not one but two Pixar films heading to theatres. Well, except for the fact that Pixar wasn’t actually involved in Planes.

According to Box Office Mojo, Planes has been scheduled for release on August 9th, 2013, just two months after Monsters University hits theatres. The movie is not being developed by Pixar, but rather DisneyToon Studios, the same folks who gave us TinkerBell and Secret of the Wings. John Lasseter is on board as a producer, but at this point it’s not clear just how much involvement he has.

So does this decision mean that Planes might actually be good? After the dismal Cars 2, it’s hard to believe that a non-Pixar spin-off could hold any potential at all. However, it’s worth noting that Toy Story 2 once started out as a DTV sequel as well. At the very least, I’m sure it will trick plenty of parents into thinking it is an official Pixar release. Jon Cryer was initially supposed to be voicing the lead character, but he apparently dropped out (probably not a good sign). Wikipedia claims that Larry David has replaced him but I find that to be highly suspect. Either way, in case you missed it previously, the teaser trailer is embedded below. Could Planes actually end up taking us all by surprise?

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