Originally announced as a direct-to-video release, the DisneyToon-produced Cars spin-off Planes is now getting a theatrical release on August 9, 2013. I was initially alright with Disney doing this, without having Pixar's name on it, but why a theatrical release?
Do they really think that this spin-off (that's most likely directed at kids only, like any Disney direct-to-video sequel) will be a box office success? I remember when Disney gave two of their direct-to-video sequels a theatrical release in the domestic market: Return to Neverland in 2002 and The Jungle Book 2 in 2003. Both did poorly at the box office (yes they made their budget, but still didn't make much of a mark), because, who but kids wanted to see a direct-to-video quality sequel in theaters? I feel the same may happen with Planes.
Anyway, the only other possible problem is that people who aren't in the know might mistake this for a Pixar release. A lot of casual moviegoers still refer to most computer animated films as Pixar films, even if they've seen them and saw the logos before them. They may think Planes is Pixar as well. Pixar's name was already blemished by Cars 2 (or more appropriately, the criticism it got), so I'm hoping this doesn't add to that.
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