Up (review)

Rating: 5/5 Must see

"Adventure is out there."

The brilliant minds at Pixar Animation Studios have made us fall in love with a collection of heroic toys, some silly bugs, monsters in the closet, a redneck tow truck, a rat, and a robot who never says a word beyond his own name. Now they give us Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner) a grumpy 78 year old man.

You may wonder, "how in the world do they make him a lovable hero?", and before this movie I was asking that question too. After the first 15 minutes that concern went right out the window. The opening scenes of this film is one of the most powerful, real, and emotional introductions to a character that I have seen. There is very little dialogue but still it lays out a life of passion and love that is wonderfully lived. We see how Carl became the man that he is, and why his wife, and their dream, drives him to literally uproot his home and take off to "Paradise Falls" in South America.

To make this journey Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house to lift it off the ground and by using a series of sails begins to steer it toward South America. Shortly after takeoff he finds that he has company. Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), a wilderness explorer, who just wants to help Mr. Fredricksen so he can get another badge from his troop, got caught on the house as it was taking off. Along the way these two characters find an incredibly rare bird, some talking dogs, and even Carl's childhood idol (voiced by Christopher Plummer). They also learn that adventure can be found anywhere and that no matter what the adventure is, it's your friends and family that are important.

As we have come to expect from Pixar the animation is top notch. It brings the characters to life and gives scope to the beauty of the new land Carl and Russell find. The interplay between these two characters is so touching. They need each other not just to complete this journey but to fill parts of themselves. At the same time this movie warms your heart with it's characters, it also has you falling out of your seat laughing. The humor here is genuine. You don't feel like jokes are thrown in for kids, or to break up the tone, they are just allowed to occur naturally, as all the different characters interact.

"Up" is not just a clever tittle it perfectly describes this movie. As Carl's house leaves the ground your spirit soars with him and is carried away. This movie is a wonderful upper, the equivalent to a cinematic hug. It's messages are just what people need right now. That hope is eternal, life is meaningful, dreams keep you young, and that the greatest adventure in any life is living it. Whether you see it in 3D or 2D (like I did) the depth of this movie is not in the visuals as stunning as they are. The depth is in the story. You owe it to the kid inside you to go see it.


Up at IMDB
96 minutes
Rated PG for some peril and action.

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