Tear Jerker / Planes: Fire & Rescue

• The film is surprisingly touching when Dusty travels to Piston Peak National Park. On the way there, Dusty has to mind his torque meter to keep his gearbox from failing, and is thus constantly reminded of the limits he now has for the rest of his life. As Dusty putts across the sky with this reality, there is a soulful song expressing his melancholy that finds one silver lining: "Still I fly."
• Just try to form a mental image how much emotional pain that Blade Ranger has suffered from losing his friend, Nick "Loop'n" Lopez during a TV stunt gone wrong and felt like it was his fault because he was on set but he didn't know what to do.
• Dusty's plight hits hard in the Reality Subtext for those who have suffered a career-ending injury. Imagine no longer being able to do the things you love because your body simply can't do it any more. Even worse because Dusty isn't just losing his ability to race, for the rest of his life, he runs the risk of losing his ability to fly. Given that he's, well, an airplane, such a situation would be likened to a world-class marathon runner becoming a paraplegic.
  Dusty: (sadly) But Dottie, you're saying I...I can't race anymore.
  Dottie: I'm so sorry.
  (Later in the movie, Chug talks to Dusty about the gearbox)
  Chug: It was the wrong one. The crate...it was mislabeled. We've called every park supplier, a repair shop, and junkyard in the country. Nobody has your gearbox.
  Skipper: Dusty...
  Dusty: (sadly) I'm here.
  Skipper: ...I'm sorry.
  • This leads to Dusty hitting a breaking point after the news leaves him unable to focus on Blade Ranger's orders while trying to put out a big fire, leading to them having to take refuge in a mine. Dusty is reluctant, leading Blade Ranger to berate him for not following his orders, until a frustrated Dusty snaps that he didn't want to be a firefighter anyway, leading to Blade Ranger sarcastically telling him to go back and win himself another trophy. It's at this point Dusty finally admits out loud that his gearbox is busted, which is why he wasn't able to follow orders the way he was expected to by pulling power instead of going max torque. It's as he admits it to himself that the reality hits him that he'll likely never be able to do what he loves or even be useful to anyone as a firefighter, to the point he can't even bring himself to finish the sentence before falling into a depressed silence.
  Blade Ranger: You don't have what it takes! YOU DON'T!
  Dusty: (starts to leave) Fine! I never wanted to be a firefighter anyway!
  Blade Ranger: Then go back to racing! (Dusty stops) Go win yourself another trophy, ''Champ''.
  Dusty: I CAN'T! My gearbox is busted! Alright?! That's why I pulled power! (starts to vocally falter) I'm ne— I'm never gonna..."
• The scene where Dusty crashes after destroying his gearbox. Even if it's nowhere near as horrifying as when he crashed into the ocean in the first movie, It's still upsetting to see him crash immediately after saving two of his newfound friends from plummeting to their deaths.

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