In the latter ’00s, Vídeo Brinquedo raised the ire of animation fans, critics and unsuspecting parents by releasing cheaply-made imitations of Pixar’s and DreamWorks’ blockbusters. The most famous of these “mockbusters” was arguably Ratatoing, a thinly-veiled knock-off of Ratatouille. However, Vídeo Brinquedo also made a mint off their Little Cars series, just as Disney has made a fortune from Pixar’s Cars franchise. Hence, it is somewhat unsurprising that just as the Cars spinoff Planes is about to enter theaters, Vídeo Brinquedo’s latest catalogue advertises Airplanes. And if you’re wondering if the Brazilian company will borrow inspiration from any other future Cars spin-offs, such as the rumored Boats, the answer is they already have.
Ratatoing studio sets sights on Disney’s Planes