Going Up?

Up (Rated PG) 96 mins.

Wow. That’s about all I can say when it comes to Pixar’s amazingly consistent string of successful films. For 14 years now Pixar has provided the highest quality family films with only one noticeable misstep (the unimpressive Ratatouille). Theirs is a record which is unequaled by any film studio in the industry. And this year, following last year’s masterpiece WALL-E, Pixar has shown it can handle the pressure of huge success (even by their own standards) by delivering another magnificent film in Up.

Don’t let the trailer fool you. Up is much more than watching a grumpy old man stuck with a meddlesome kid in a Dennis the Menace-like ripoff. Up is a story about love and about finding life again when that love is gone. The characters are rich, the creatures vibrant, and the adventure full of feelings much deeper than most kiddie films are ever able to possess. Like WALL-E, Up bridges the gap of young and old by providing everything that is needed to keep any age fixated. Pixar once again proves themselves wizards in their ability to magically create such films, just like Disney once could. 

Up opens with a beautiful romance between Ellie and Carl (Edward Asner), who as children realize their shared desire to explore the world. As they grow up, Ellie and Carl fall in love and marry, then purchase a house they turn into their dream home. They live happily together into old age, always wanting to save up for some exploring, but always finding that life keeps getting in the way. Then one day they meet with tragic news, and Carl is forced to accept that he will be spending the remainder of his days alone. What he chooses to do with the rest of his life becomes the focus of the film.

During Ellie and Carl’s days of dreaming their hero is explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), who brings the remains of a lost world back for everyone to see. That is, until he is accused of faking it all. Upset over the pessimism directed toward his discoveries, Muntz vows to prove himself by bringing back living specimens. He is never heard from again, but it is his story which inspires Carl into travel after losing Ellie. Living as a recluse whose main memorial of his wife is the house they lived in together, Carl decides to take off one day, house in tow. Equipped with balloons and plenty of helium, Carl keeps blowing them up until his house goes afloat, giving him the means to travel and explore the mysterious lost world once discovered by Muntz. What he doesn’t anticipate is having a stowaway onboard, especially not in the form of Russell, a young boy with plenty of his own problems. Together they make their way to the land of Paradise Falls, where all sorts of adventures await, as well as a lot of discoveries, especially about oneself.

Per usual in a Pixar film, Up provides plenty of laughs as well as eye-pleasing sights. Up also provides a load of memorable characters that not only provide memorable experiences but also invoke plenty of our sympathies. I don’t think a single animation company other than Pixar has proven its ability to create characters such as these. Up is directed by Pete Docter, who wrote the original Pixar film Toy Story, directed Monsters, Inc, and co-wrote WALL-E. Seems anything the man touches turns to gold, and it is no different with Up. From its opening romance segment (which is as brilliant as the opening 20 minutes of WALL-E where there was no speech) to the magnificent brilliance of Paradise Fall’s scenery, Up is Pixar’s promise to us that they have no plans to drift into mediocrity. This film is touching, it is beautiful to watch, and I guarantee it will be mentioned with the best of all this year’s films when 2009 is over. Don’t miss it.  

SCORE: 5/5