Pixar makes adult movies that are family friendly. It is a grand tradition that Disney has had a grip on since the days of Old Yeller or Bambi. That tradition continues with "Up," a film that is one part melodrama, one part adventure film and just a smidgen of buddy-movie. It is also 100% Pixar.
Ed Asner gives voice to Carl Fredricksen, an adventure obsessed man who, along with his beloved wife, Ellie, were fans of explorer Carl Muntz. But Muntz vanished in disgrace when he is accused of falsifying the discovery or a new species in the mysterious Paradise Falls. That doesn't matter to the young Carl and Ellie, who make a vow to get to Paradise Falls one day. In the film's most poignant segment and its main opener, Carl and Ellie marry and you watch their life together unfold. This, again, is why Pixar excels at movie making. Their life is wonderful and filled with love, at the same time, it is heartbreaking. You watch as grow old together, dreaming of their adventure together and working at the zoo that serves as a surrogate. And when Ellie begins to falter before Carl can make her dream come true, there wasn't a dry eye over 30 in the audience.
Carl, now a widowed septuagenarian, soon finds himself in a world he no longer understands, and decides to make one more desperate attempt at making it to Paradise Falls. Stowaway Russell and Carl are soon floating on a house heading for South America. But Carl Muntz, still bitter and a bit mad from decades searching for his lost bird, is there and doesn't want anyone stopping him from taking his discovery away. Carl, Russell, Dug the talking dog must save "Kevin" and get Carl's home to its final destination before Muntz destroys everything.
It's a fun movie and more than a little dangerous (if The Incredibles was too much for you, then stay home from this), as Pixar depicts Carl and Russell evolving from a "get off my lawn" curmudgeon and somewhat naive and gawky kid into friends. Dug the Dog and the rest of the talking animals are the comic relief ("the cone of shame" alone was worth the price of admission). And when the line "Now go have one of your own" appears, if you don't get a lump in your throat, then I don't know why you're reading this review in the first place.
"Up" is sentimental and wildly imaginative. Movies that touches on love, life, loss and adventure are hard to come by, and once again, Pixar captures it eloquently. "Up" will rank among the list of Pixar classics like Wall-E and the original Toy Story as movies that are fun for entire families; intelligent, funny and adventurous. Get more detail about Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray].
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