Up would not only mark the 10th animated feature to come from the almighty animation studio Pixar, but it would also be the second time in history that an animated feature would be nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd academy awards with the first one being Beauty and the Beast. The film is directed by Monsters Inc director Pete Doctor and there is much to be appreciated from this lovely, funny and charming film.
A young and shy Carl Fredrickson comes across to an old abandoned clubhouse and meets an adventurous and free spirited young girl named Ellie who welcomes him into her club. Ellie shares with Carl her dream to bring her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America and Carl crosses his heart as he promises to one day make Ellie's dream come true. Decades pass and an Adult Carl and Ellie get married and turn the old clubhouse into their dream home, Carl and Ellie live a long and great life until Ellie tragically passes away leaving Carl all alone. Now a 78 year old man Carl spends most of his days trying to keep his house from being taken away from construction. After being forced to live in a retirement home by the government, Carl takes matters into his own hands by flying his house away to South America using party balloons. Unfortunately Carl discovers a stowaway, a young wilderness explorer named Russell. Carl’s plans to get to Paradise Falls are about to be altered even further as he’ll come across many different characters who either want to help him or stop him from reaching his destination.
The concept alone makes this particular Pixar movie to have the most original idea the studio has ever come up with. Not only do we get the house floating by party balloons but the film introduces us with many other unique ideas like talking dogs, the colorful jungle setting and a soaring blimp in the sky. Many people have praised the fact at how expertly crafted the first fifteen minutes of the movie are especially when regarding the memorable married life sequence. I have to agree as the life story between Carl and Ellie is both romantic and heartbreaking at times and their time spent with one another is the main driving force that propels the entire movie. Then there is the rest of the movie which some have argued to not be bad, but not as good as the first fifteen minutes. While I can see that argument to be somewhat true, I still believe that the rest of the movie after the 15 minutes is adventurous, creative, funny and emotional. The characters are ultimately what make the film work with Carl Fredrickson being the grumpy man with the dream to get his house to paradise falls and Russel with the innocent adventurer trying to get his assisting the elderly badge. Other characters such as Dug and Kevin are also very memorable and add a lot of much needed comedy to back up the movie’s sad moments.
The Animation is great and the character designs are some of the most stylized Pixar has done since The Incredibles. The human designs have a somewhat geometric feel and Charles Muntz’s dogs (with the exception of Dug) have a more realistic yet exaggerated look. The house flying with party balloons is one of the most memorable visuals in Pixar's library and the jungle backgrounds our heroes travel through is very colorful. The visuals get more and more inventive especially in the third act which makes for a unique experience unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Composer Michael Giacchino comes in to score the movie after his big break scoring the two Brad Bird movies The Incredibles and Ratatouille and he pulls no punches when scoring the music for this film. The music can be adventurous and lively especially when in the south american jungle. the majority of the music though has a very classic 50’s or 60’s like feel to go along with carl’s old fashion point of view but the music truly shines when it becomes emotional and it executes those feelings to perfection.
Up never won the award of Best Picture at the Oscars, but this movie has proved more than enough as to why it’s considered a Pixar classic. This movie is at least in my top ten favorite Pixar movies for a reason and that’s thanks to a well crafted, adventurous and emotional story, well written characters, beautiful animation and a lovely music score on top of that. Much like Pixar’s best, this is a movie that is worth watching for the young and young at heart.
(Final Grade A+)