Film Review #89: Up

Much like with WALL-E, when I walked into the movie theater to see Up for the first time, I didn't really know what to expect.  After all, how was I supposed to know that Pixar was about to completely shatter my expectations for their animated films and set the bar so ridiculously high that no other film can possibly reach those levels.  Not to mention the fact that the premise and after taking an initial look at the story, I had very little confidence with regards to this film.  I could not have possibly been more wrong.  Not only is Up a marvel in animation, but it's also a marvel in storytelling, character development, and comedy.  This may be the funniest film Pixar's ever produced.  And still, this is the most heartwarming and most sincere of them all.

Plot: The beginning of the film follows the exploits of a little boy named Carl and his friend Ellie.  The two both have a dream to have an incredible adventure and travel along with one of their heroes: Charles Muntz.  They make a pact that they would one day make it to the place he was last known to venture off to, Paradise Falls.  The two ultimately marry and live out the vast majority of their lives together, encountering many life problems and issues preventing them from reaching their dreams.  As time rolls by, Ellie passes away before they could enact their dream, and forcing Carl to become a stubborn curmudgeon.  As land developers and neighbors all try to convince Carl to move into a retirement home, he ties a countless amount of balloons to his roof and takes his house up in the air and moving it towards Paradise Falls in South America.

But Carl's plans for leaving hit an unexpected snag, when a boy scout named Russell ends up being roped in when he is on Carl's porch as the house takes off.  The old man reluctantly allows Russell to join him, only until he gets him to a bus station.  The house does make it to South America, but ends up on the wrong side of the cliff.  Carl and Russell take the house across the mountain where they come across a dog named Dug with a vocal collar, and a strange bird that Russell names Kevin.  Soon, Carl comes across Muntz and his army of dog followers, who plot to find the bird and return it to civilization, while Russell and the others must protect Kevin from Muntz.

What's Bad?: -_-

What's Good?: To be perfectly honest, if the film ended in the beginning when Carl and Ellie's life ends with Ellie's death, I would have been perfectly happy.  The intro to this movie is a wonder in of itself, with so many perfect things happening at once that it's really hard to fully describe.

The comedy in this movie is some of the best Pixar has ever had.  For example, the main Alpha dog is this big intimidating doberman, who I expected to be the stick in the mud who makes it boring.  But he ends up having a faulty vocal collar that causes him to have a voice that sounds like someone inhaled too much helium.  Or just the perfect personality they got for the dogs.  I imagine that if I play fetch with a dog, he'd sound exactly like Dug or one of the other dogs did when they talked about the ball.  "I want the ball!  I so want the ball!  I will fetch the ball and bring it back to you!"

But Up's most significant addition to the Pixar family is it's heartfelt center.  Be it Russell and his parents who aren't around enough for him, Carl and Ellie's relationship, or even the devotion the heroes have to Kevin, this film manages to hit the audience on all emotions at once, for a powerhouse of entertainment and enjoyment.

Overall: Up is cinematic brilliance in it's most basic form.  The film's plot isn't too difficult to manage through, the characters are engaging, and the beginning to this movie is absolutely flawless.  I can't say much else about one of the best animated movies ever made.  Just, Up!!  Flawlessness in it's most purest form.

Report Card: A++