Up Review

Up, released May 2009

Produced by Pixar Animation Studios

Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures

Up is a computer animated comedy-adventure starring the voice acting of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson and Jordan Nagai.

I ended up going to see Up by default.  I was planning to my kids to the dollar theater to see the Ice Age Three.  We really enjoyed the first two Ice Age movies but for round three of a kids movie, I am willing to wait until it's a dollar a movie ticket.  I ended up calling to invite my niece to join us and found out that she'd already seen Ice Age Three so I asked my kids to pick a second choice.  They chose Up.  I really knew nothing about Up going in.  I had seen a brief flash of a commercial with an elderly man and his house being floated away by a zillion balloons.  I thought I'd zone out on this one and just enjoy having happy kids for an hour and half.

I was hooked immediately.  The first five minutes of the movie cover almost a lifetime for two young kids who meet, grow up, get married, make plans and let plans pass by...until the wife passes away.  This sequence is simply pictures and music and it is captivating and endearing.  Now the new story picks up and has you rooting for the main character, Carl, (Ed Asner) right away and then the action and adventure begins.

I never give away spoilers for movies so here's what I'll say about Up:

Carl is determined to keep a promise he made to Ellie to go to Paradise Island.  After a "situation," he has to resort to leaving right away on the sail of a bundle of helium balloons.  That whole idea gets a lot more interesting when he finds out he has another passenger on board, an well-intentioned but bothersome Wilderness Ranger named Russell that has wanted to earn a merit badge for helping the elderly.  Ultimately, he will in more ways than he can ever understand.

I cried the first time when he Carl opened up Ellie's scrap book (you'll see) and then again at the climax, when Carl really sees "it" ( you'll see it too). No worries, there's a lot of humor in this one too.

Interesting trivia about Up:

Up was the first animated film to premiere on the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Up is Pixar's first film to be in Disney Digital 3D.

My Viewpoint: I enjoyed the movie Up at the theater immensely.  It's entertaining for kids but really has a lot pull and points to ponder for adults as well.  This is one of the most unique animated films I've seen.  I bought it because all three of us liked it and it's the kind of movie you could enjoy again.