Up, Up and Away! Pixar’s latest release UP, was easily the best animated movie I’ve seen so far this year. Bob Peterson and the rest of the Disney/Pixar team have come together to produce yet another exceptional film. Without giving away too much, I will mention that UP begins with a sweet but very emotional and gut wrenching beginning. Similar to Pixar’s 2008 summer blockbuster Wall·E, the story begins with minimal dialogue, relying heavily on the expressions of its characters and mood of the music to carry the story.
What makes this film work is the outstanding development of its characters. Pixar has this uncanny ability to create characters who can easily personify themselves with a touch humanity and soul that we can easily relate to. Carl Fredrickson is a seventy eight year old widower, who loses everything he loves and becomes this grumpy old man who keeps to himself. With nothing to lose but the fond memories of his past and a “promise” he has yet to fulfill, he embarks on an incredible journey in a house carried by thousands of helium balloons.
Before embarking on his journey however, Carl is introduced to Russell, a young fun-filled boy, who is more of a comical character than anything else. Russell’s original intention was to earn an “assist the elderly” badge to complete his collection of boy scout merits, but he finds himself in the middle of something much more exciting than he can imagine.
I can honestly say that I enjoyed this film from beginning to end. My wife and I happened to watch this on our fourth year anniversary, and it was absolutely the perfect film for this occasion. Although UP is a childrens feature, I think that it will appeal to the older “married” folks much more than the kiddos. The story just has much more meaning to those who can relate better to it and truly appreciate its overall meaning and value.
OT: Did you get to watch the short film before the feature started? My wife really enjoyed interaction between the clouds and the storks. haha. I thought it was sweet. I think I’m getting old!