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Title: Up
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, despite the PG rating there is nothing objectional in this film. Recommended for all ages. |
As Pixar makes more movies they seem to get more mature as they go along. Though their earlier films are great they seem positively simple in comparison to some of their most recent work. “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” and “Wall-E” are all family films that seem more intended for adults with their complex characters and storylines. I have a feeling that “Up” may be seen as Pixar’s “coming of age” film. A movie so thoughtful, so mature, so right about life in general, that public will have to say that Pixar has officially graduated from making family films to making classic films. Here is a movie that looks like a kids film but will speak to the heart of adults everywhere. This seems fitting considering this is Pixar’s 10th film, their first one in CD, and the first animated film chosen to open the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Not only that, but it makes old people cool.
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The movie opens with our hero named Carl Fredrickson (Edward Asner) who is a young boy when he meets his friend Ellie. In a nearly wordless ten minute opening sequence we learn that Carl and Ellie got married. They found out early on that they couldn’t have kids but started saving money so they could go to South America and visit Paradise Falls. But (as most adults know all too well) life happens. A flat tire here, a broken leak there, and hospital bills. Life goes by so fast that when Ellie dies Carl feels like he didn’t give her the life she should have had. Now old and frail, he spends his days simply living in his house, talking to Ellie as if she was still there. When the government tells him he’s too old to live alone and tries to force him to move into a retirement home, why, he simply lifts his house up with a bunch of balloons and floats it away (oh, I guess I should mention he’s been a balloon salesman all his life).
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This is where I part on describing the story because I feel the rest you should discover for yourself. I can acknowledge (as you seen in the previews) that an Asian-American boy is an accidental stow away, and they eventually run into a dog named Doug, who is able to communicate with a fancy collar device thing. Truth be told, the dog has all the best lines in the film. But while these characters may look to be comic relief for the kids they actually turn into deep characters with real human emotion. So much so that Carl himself finds his outlook on the meaning of life changing because of them. Rarely has something so subtle spoken so loudly before in a movie, animated or otherwise. The look of the film is also a wonder to behold. Thanks to a careful use of colors and designs, the world seems real yet fanatical at the same time.
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Even the villains blimp, which looks simple on the outside, has an interior that feels like it was ripped right out of a classic war movie from the silent era. In fact, I’m going to go as far to say that this film has a classic look about it all the way through. Exotic lands, memorable dialog, lush landscapes, and even Carl himself looks a lot like Spencer Tracey. By now you’ve read three paragraphs on how well of an adult movie I feel this is, but since you’re likely going to see it because of your kids I’m sure the question is this: Will my kids like it? Well...I don’t know. Chances are they’ll love the colors. They’ll love the kid. There’s a good chance they won’t shut up about Doug The Dog for weeks. But will the story touch them on a personal level...that’s hard to say.
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While this is something the whole family can easily watch together (the PG rating is a joke) I find it difficult to think kids will understand the movie the way adults do. This is not because kids are stupid, it’s just that kids are young and most of them don’t think about getting old (unless it relates to an upcoming birthday party). No, I think this is more of a date movie for the parents then a family affair. Either way though Pixar has topped themselves once again. I know the saying gets pretty old once you hear it so many times, but this is Pixar’s best film yet.
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Spaceriffic Review
