Low Price Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray]

UP delivers the kind of story-telling and animation excellence that we all expect from Pixar. Like all Pixar movies, there's plenty of laughs and entertainment for young and old. It's not strictly a kid's movie.

What is unusual is 2 things:

- first Pixar movie to use the RealD 3-D technology
- some non-traditional story elements that reflect the realities of modern life, rarely seen in mainstream children's animation

First, the 3-D experience is fantastic! You get a pair of plastic glasses when you pay for the ticket. They cost more than a normal movie ($16.50 in NYC vs $12.50 normally). Unlike the flimsy paper glasses you're used to with red and blue lenses, these glasses are clear. They look like normal reading glasses and don't interfere with the colors onscreen, so you see clearly through them. And what you see is amazing! The effects really look real, instead of like flat cardboard cut-outs placed in front of one another. You can move your head around and the 3-D effect is maintained.

The effects really have depth and some of the more spectacular shots are the flying ones, where you see buildings or canyons far below. You really have to experience this for yourself.

Now for the story elements:


-- WARNING! POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK ---
-- WARNING! POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER ALERT!!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK ---


The film has two story elements that you might not expect from a Disney/Pixar film. First is Carl and Ellie's inability to have children. You see them grow old, then eventually, Carl becomes a widower. At this point in the film, I felt my eyes wetting up.

Second is the little boy (Russell)'s non-traditional family situation. He has an absentee father (who is mentioned in the film, but never seen) and a guardian who is not his mother. Russell also has Asian features, perhaps the first Pixar film to have such a major character.

Some people may consider these plot elements controversial. I didn't.

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-- END OF SPOILERS - SAFE TO READ BELOW --


UP is a depiction of modern life, changing times, then a return to innocence. It deals with growing old, modernization, friendship, selflessness, and many themes that can be enjoyed by all audiences. Like all Pixar movies, it doesn't dumb you down.

I highly recommend this film if you can still catch it in theaters. Undoubtedly, the cheap paper glasses is what you'll get for the DVD/Blu-ray release of this movie (because of costs), so the theater is your only chance to experience the real 3D effects. Fun for the entire family.Get more detail about Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray].