I am a constant fan of of Pixar, have been since their breakout hit Toy Story all the way back in 1995 when i was only 14 years old. I've grown up with these films, and I've never missed one in theaters. I have always been amazed at how fantastic the animation in all their films are, and how heartwarming they are as well.
I will admit that in the past few years I've been somewhat disappointed with the fair coming from Pixar, I was not a fan of Cars or Ratatouille and all though it was a FANTASTIC action film I felt that The Incredibles missed the mark somehow, but last year with the release of the phenomenal Wall*e, they once again proved that they have what it takes to make a good film. Not to say that the above mentioned were not good, in fact just the opposite. I loved all of them, it was just that with the likes of Toy Story 2, Monster's Inc, and the pitch perfect Finding Nemo under their belt the aformentioned three seemed a bit less than.
And now with UP, Pixar proves that their "less than" era is good and gone. UP tells the story of Carl Fredrickson a 78 year old retired balloon salesman, whom after the death of his beloved wife Ellie finds himself lost and desperately alone. With the BIG city doing it's best to crush his tiny world in on him and label him a menace by forcing him out of his home; all he has left of his life with Ellie, he hatches a plan to take himself and his home to South America to Paradise Falls to make his and Ellie's dream of visiting there come true.
You'd think all would go as planned, and to begin it does. Then Carl finds himself stuck with young Russell, a stowaway cub scout on his hot air home. Together they find themselves on an adventure much different than they had thought. Enter a group of talking dogs. On one end of the group the goofy and lovable Dug, at the other the creepy and menacing Alpha...well, except the voice. (see the film and you'll catch my drift) Add a giant flightless bird that Russell names Kevin, and throw Carls childhood adventuring hero into the mix and you have a fantastic and at times suspenseful adventure.
The animation, once again is top notch, I was not able to see it in 3D so I'm not able to give a heads up on how it is in 3D, but it looks fantastic in 2D just the same. The balloons that Carl attaches to his house look so real, and in wider shots showing the whole of the floating house the balloons have lives of their own. I would love to know what kind of program they used to give each balloon it's own individual trajectory. The character animation looks fantastic particularly on Kevin and the dogs. Kevin looks like a real bird and moves like one as well, "it's" fluid movements and birdlike qualities suck you in and make you believe "it's" truly there. The dogs, mostly pitbulls, dobberman pincher's, rottweillers, and a few labs, look awesome as well. They are given a slight cartoonish flair; but for the most part look and move and even act like real dogs. Dug, is a wonder of animation, his movement's are so lifelike even more so than the rest of the pack of dogs. When he is punished and tucks his tail and lowers his head it looks like a real dog! Carl, Russell, Ellie and Muntz look fantastic as well; each with their own shape and animation quarks. Carl with his Cary Grant face and golf balled walker, Russell with his yellow scout suit and HUGE backpack, Ellie with her beautiful smile and expressive eyes and Muntz; well watch the movie to find out about who he is and what he's like. And the landscapes are fantastic! The rainforest type areas are astonishing to look at, as are the city scapes and even the barren rock structures.
The music is fantastic as well, it's simple, whimsical and filled with a sweetness that conveys what the film is about, adventure and love. From the sad, emotional parts to the funny parts, to the fast paced action, and creepy suspenseful parts, the music flows with the film. It does what the background music should do, be in the background. It makes each moment all the more wonderful.
But, the thing that I love most about the film; is it's heart. The first 15 minutes of the film showing Carl's meeting Ellie and their marriage and life together is done so wonderfully. It has no vocals, just a beautiful and whimsical tune to take you on their life journey. My father passed away a few years ago, so my mother was very touched by this sequence; the way they focused on Carl and Ellie just sitting and holding hands, or Carl dusting and glimpsing her and stopping to just stare at what he has been blest with. I'm giving nothing away when I say that when Ellie dies my mother and I both were close to tears. It's this emotional resonance that makes this film so amazing. Ellie is in the film physically all of 15 minutes but her presence and spirit dominate the film more so than any other character in it. UP truly is a love story, pure and simple. It's all so a story about finding your place in new and unwanted circumstances, and finding something inside yourself you thought was not there. It is a fantastic and beautiful film in every way.
For parents. There are a few sequences that may frighten smaller children, the large pack of dogs are a bit creepy early on in the film, as are a few other scenes with said dogs. Also a few other scenes of peril may have them asking questions of "why is so and so doing so and so?" For slightly older kids there are elements of death, divorce and abandonment in the film as well that may have your children wondering, so be ready for questions. I still feel that the film is fine for all kids 1 to 100! Get more detail about Up (4 Disc Combo Pack with Digital Copy and DVD) [Blu-ray].
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