Up Review

Director:  Pete Docter

                Bob Peterson

Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

 

Cinema is a rare form of entertainment that can do wonderful things, when used effectively.  Put in the hands of capable individuals, it can provoke emotions from seemingly nowhere, making sets of completely random people care about imaginary individuals who they have no reason to.  The people at Pixar are certainly some of those capable individuals.  Whether it be inanimate objects, plastic toys, or monsters, Pixar has the unique ability to create characters that audiences can connect with, and that ability makes their films must see cinema. 

                The story is no different in Pixar’s newest film, Up.  Up tells the story of Carl Fredrickson, a man who always wanted adventure but never got the chance.  As a child Carl idolized the famous adventurer Charles Muntz, but Muntz, was shunned by society.  Stripped of his prestige and favor for seemingly fabricated finds, vowing to restore his name, Muntz leaves for isolation.  Carl, not wanting to see his hero as fallible, believes he must travel to Paradise Falls and assist his idol.  That day Carl meets Ellie, a fellow Muntz enthusiast, who accepts Carl into her “special” club.  From that day on the two form an inseparable bond, eventually getting married and planning their trip to Paradise Falls but, life got in the way.  Days and years went by and little things sidetracked the adventure, as Carl and Ellie grew older and older and the dream soon became impossible.  When a new building development threatened Carl’s home and his freedom, Carl takes matters into his own hands and decides to fly his house to paradise falls, using balloons. There is one thing he did not count on, Russell, an over achieving Wilderness Explorer who needs a merit badge for assisting the elderly. 

                The most incredible thing about Up is Pixar’s ability to quickly make the audiences connect with the characters.  Within the first ten minutes of the movie I felt completely invested in Carl and Ellie, and genuinely cared about what happened to them.  Despite Carl’s, old, crotchety behavior I wanted him to succeed and to see his dream through.  At two points, during the film, many will be and were on the brink of tears, a testament to the emotional punch this film packs.

                Overall the movie was fantastic, the voice acting was well done and Edward Asner did a tremendous job voicing Carl, managing to perfectly convey Carl’s never give up, do what it takes attitude.  Jordan Nagai, voice of Russell, is a worthy compliment to Asner and he performs well in his role as the rambunctious explorer. 

The animation, as is always the case with Pixar, looks fantastic even with the boxy Carl, making him a believable broken down old man .  The supporting characters in the film work well, as Kevin the bird and Dug the dog do their part providing comic relief, when necessary.

What Up manages to do is engage the audience in a familiar, real world, story, about life getting in the way of dreams and dealing with growing old, but, they do so with such perfect exaction, that it jumps off the screen and comes to life.  Up deserves its place among the Pixar collection of films and may come to be one of the best they have ever made, as it is a heart-wrenching, funny, action-packed, film with a big heart underneath.  It is sure to please the entire family and almost anyone that pays the price of admission.

 

Score: 10/10