Up

(2009)

Directed by

Pete Doctor & Bob Peterson

Review by Todd Plucknett

As far as I am concerned, Pixar can do no wrong. Coming off last year’s WALL-E, which shook up the major categories at the Oscars, there was no way that they could match it, right? Wrong. Up is one of the most beautiful and heartfelt films to come out in years. It stretches the imagination, pulls at the heart, and has colors and scenery that simply pop on screen. It is a wonderful film. Who would expect less from Pixar?

The movie is not so much about its story, but about its execution. The story is so simple, so innocent, that it is impossible not to get wrapped up in it. It is about Carl Frederickson (voiced by Edward Asner), an aviation-loving child who fell in love at an early age with a girl of a similar personality, Ellie. Their hero was Charles Muntz (the tripod himself Christopher Plummer), a famous thrill-seeking, adventure-loving individual. About 70 years of their lives pass by in less than a minute, showing everything from marriage, to miscarriage, to the eventual death of Ellie. This leaves Carl a depressed old man who can’t let his memory of Ellie go, and who can’t get over the fact that they never fulfilled any of their childhood dreams.

One day, he meets a charming little kid named Russell (Jordan Nagai), who needs one more badge to complete his scouts program, the one for assisting the elderly. Carl, being the bitter man that he is, sends him off on a wild goose chase to find an imaginary Snipe, and animal he claims to have been terrorizing his house. When Carl accidentally injures a man outside his home, he is sentenced to a retirement home. Refusing to go, he attaches thousands and thousands of balloons to his house, which is then lifted into the sky so he can be at peace with his wife’s memory and finally complete their dream. One problem: Russell was taken up with the house. What these two encounter on their trek through the South American rainforest will never fail to surprise, entertain, and cause constant laughter. Go along for the ride.

The film is directed by Pete Doctor, whose only other directorial effort is Monsters, Inc., the wonderful 2001 Pixar film. This tops even that film, though it may not have the emotional punch of it. Up is all about imagination. It features some of the most breathtaking shots I have ever seen on screen. It also accomplishes the always difficult task of appealing to everyone. The theater was filled with small children who were laughing throughout and glued to the screen. I was completely engrossed in its grandeur and beauty. Same goes for the parents and grandparents, who you could hear sniffling and laughing throughout also. This is what Pixar has created. They have made an atmosphere in which people of all ages will actually choose to go to the movies and watch an animated film, when DreamWorks and others simply try to please little kids and hope that people of other ages will seek it out. Pixar treats each of their efforts as an achievement in film, when the other production companies treat theirs simply as merchandise.

At about the midpoint in the film, I found a pretty solid parallel with another film: The Wizard of Oz. There is the obvious connection of a floating house getting taken by a storm to an unknown land. This is preceded by an unforgettable adventure through the wilderness, where they encounter several creatures and setbacks on their trek to the other side of the land. There are also shades of Cast Away and even Scent of a Woman, as Terry pointed out. I even saw a little of Brooks from The Shawshank Redemption in Carl. It is a lovely celebration of life, film, and storytelling.

Now where does Up rank in the list of Pixar’s films? I would say in third place, behind their masterpiece Toy Story and last year’s WALL-E. Its aspirations were not as big as last year’s effort, in that there were no politics or heavy-handed, underlying message in it. It does deal with some pretty adult issues, though. Everything from the miscarriage to Carl trying to become a parent figure to Russell, whose family is sort of a mess, is handled in ways that are both endearing and warmhearted. It is also not the groundbreaking film that Toy Story was, but it certainly breaks ground in alternate ways. Up is one of the best times that I have had at the theaters in quite a while. It has more charm and sincerity than most films could ever dream of having. It is something that the audience will certainly be thinking about for days, and at the end of the year, they will look back on it as one of the finest films of the year.

Oh, and if you can, see it in 3D. It adds a whole new aspect to the film, and it doesn’t toy with you like many 3D films do. It only adds to the experience, though I am not sure how essential it is to the tale. Also, the film was worth going to simply for the pre-film attractions. First, the Toy Story 3 trailer…I can’t wait. Written by Oscar-winner Michael Arndt, it is going to be one of the best of 2010. I was so happy to see that preview. The pre-film short Partly Cloudy is also wonderful, a certain Oscar nominee for Best Animated Short. Up is crucial to see on the big screen. You can’t experience the wonderment and all the little treasures that the film has to offer without it.

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