Hello everyone and welcome back to my Pixar series of reviews where this time we will be heading back down to Earth after exploring the cosmos with WALL-E yet we will still be above ground for this one! Yes that’s right I will be talking about Up yet another one that is considered by many to be among their best (heck there are some who claim it is their best period). This was the second feature from director Pete Doctor, who previously helmed the beloved Monsters, Inc. back in 2001 and it’s based off an idea he had concerning a flying house and the idea of escaping life when it becomes too frustrating. He then was able to turn that idea into a hit film that won over both audiences, and critics and also became only the second animated film ever to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards in 2009. So after all of these years do I think the movie is still deserving of that recognition, and praise? Well my answer is… absolutely yes! Now off to Paradise Falls in our flying house to see why this Pixar classic still packs a punch whenever I re watch it!
We are first introduced to a shy, young boy named Carl Frederickson, who is nevertheless still an aspiring explorer, watching a motion picture concerning the exploits of famed explorer, Charles Muntz, and his goal to seize an exotic bird in Paradise Falls in South America so to being back living proof that the creature exists. On his way back he runs into these old house and encounters an eccentric young girl named Ellie and while their personalities may be different they quickly become good friends and eventually husband, and wife. As time goes on through times both happy, and hard they continue to remain close to each other until Ellie’s untimely passing which occurs right when Carl bought tickets to grant her wish of going to Paradise Falls. Carl still grieving her death now lives alone in their house even with land developers wanting to buy the house from him so they can use the land for construction though Carl is not one to let that happen so easily. One day though Carl accidently injures a construction worker and is now declared a public menace is ordered to be moved to a retirement home. Still determined to fulfill the promise he made to Ellie he uses the skills he developed as a balloon salesman to attach hundreds of helium balloons on to the house to make it float into the air with him controlling it. Now he is off to Paradise Falls with nothing seemingly in his way… until he discovers that a wilderness explorer named Russel accidently stows away when the house takes flight and is now stuck with Carl for the duration of the journey. So now their off on an adventure to reach Paradise Falls, but when they arrive things get a little challenging when they run into a mysterious bird, a talking dog, and a familiar face all of which comes together for an adventure unlike any other!
When it comes to Up it is unanimously agreed that the first 10 or so minutes of the film are pretty much masterful with how it depicts how two good friends become a happy couple who go through life, and how it culminates with Ellie’s tragic death. Now this I do agree with as it is a fantastic opening that is a phenomenal piece of visual storytelling and it does a great job of getting the audience invested in these characters, and their relationship with little in the way of dialogue used in the montage. But there are those who dismiss the rest of the feature and find the opening to be the only impactful part and I can’t help but disagree with this. In fact I feel the rest of the movie actually helps complete Carl’s character arc. as we see him go from this cynical individual who can’t let go of his lost love to someone who is able to make peace and find joy, and purpose in life again and that it can be the greatest adventure of all if you make it be. The movie throughout it’s runtime remains thematically powerful and has a lot of raw emotion that still packs punch every time I watch it. While yes the opening is the one that’s most widely discussed but there are also plenty of other great scenes like Carl, and Russel talk to each other by a fire, and a reveal involving a book which are just resonate just as much as that opening. Yet it is also able to succeed as just a top notch adventure feature with plenty of excitement throughout a lot of great comedy thrown into the mix (anything to do with dogs is comedy gold) that never ceases to make me laugh and it all flows together seamlessly. It really does best exemplifies one of things that Pixar does best namely taking these strange concept about an old man tying balloons to his house to make it fly and making them work as quality family friendly entertainment that appeals to everyone. Heck here there are so many different elements that you’d think would make for a weird combination (the aforementioned concept, a pre historic bird, a crazy explorer, talking dogs, etc.) and yet due to the excellent writing on display all of it is able to come together and there’s strangely nothing that ever feels jarring or out of place in the picture despite so much there is in it and it’s all done without feeling like anything is being spoon-fed to the audience. It’s all able to come together perfectly for a top notch story that is equal parts heartfelt as it is riveting.
Another aspect of the film that I feel adds a lot to it is Pete Doctor’s direction. I think he did a great job in handling all of the scenes of excitement, and action as it really does feel like we’re on an adventure with stakes at play and there is very good use made of the environment like in a Jungle, a mountain side, a stormy sky, and in the case of the third act action climax, an airship, yet also the more emotional, character driven parts as well. I also love the way in which the house it utilized at certain points as it makes for not only an iconic image, but a challenge for our characters as they have to be careful carrying it around making sure none of the balloons pop which adds some stakes to the proceedings. Plus given that it’s Pixar the visuals on display are once again a treat for the eyes. The most impressive part about the animation as I stated is the backgrounds/environments as not only are of great use in the action scenes, and are beautifully rendered but they also have this sense of vastness to them like with the unpredictable terrain of the jungle to the endless skies above and it all looks and feels so grand and full of plenty of little details and it’s just such a pretty, colorful picture to look at. As for the character designs well the human’s features here look a bit more exaggerated than the other Pixar human designs and I really like them as I feel they capture each character’s personality very well, are very expressive in terms of emotion, and it never looked out of place with the more realistic elements like the backgrounds (same applies to the dogs, and Kevin) while their movements are nice, and smooth and in this regard the dogs are a stand out here as the animators did a great job making them move like real dogs would. Then there’s the score for the feature which is done by one of my personal favorite film composers, Michael Giacchino, who also did the music for Brad Bird’s previous Pixar offerings, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. He once again brings his A-game here I would consider this one of Pixar’s finest compositions as it’s really nice to listen to, and helps the emotional moments hit harder, and is utilized perfectly (I think it won the Academy Award for best score, which is very well deserved).
Like I mentioned above I love the way Carl’s arc is handled here and he is personally one of my favorite Pixar protagonists. He starts out grumpy, and cynical (yet never becomes an unlikable character) but thanks to the prologue you absolutely understand where he’s coming from, and why he is the way he is which makes his arc all the more satisfying as he learns not give up on life and that he, and Ellie still lived a wonderful life even if she was never able to go to Paradise Falls. Heck it’s amazing how despite how they’re only together for the first ten minutes (and not even speaking during the montage) we get a sense of their relationship and are immediately invested in it (shout out to Pete Doctor’s daughter, Elie, who gave us a perfect first impression of Ellie when we first met her as a kid). It all makes him a super compelling character to follow and I like how his old age was used as a source of humor the writers didn’t go for the usual old person stereotype jokes that are common in some comedies nowadays, and it was used cleverly here for some fun jokes. Plus Ed Asner gives in a similarly compelling performance as the character that has a lot of emotional weight to it, and he is great in both the touching, and humorous parts and overall is excellent in the role. Then there are the friends he makes along the way and here’s another area of the film that really impresses me as the film has a lot of sources of comedic relief yet not only are they all hilarious, and not annoying at all, but the film does a great job not overdoing their comedy, and making us care for them as well. First there’s Russel, a wilderness explorer who is trying to help Mr. Frederickson so he can receive his assisting the elderly badge and while he starts off as a nuisance to Carl he over time starts to form a friendship with the boy as he represents a new adventure awaiting him in life. While a bit naïve at times I still find Russel to be a very lovable, and determined character who makes for a fun sidekick and him, and carl play off each other hilariously at times and Jordan Nagai does a great job capturing his personality. Also highly enjoyable is Bob Peterson (a very frequent collaborator on the studio’s movies) as Dug, the talking dog (through voice collar) whom Carl, and Russel meet up with on their adventure. He really is a scene stealer as his expressions are just adorable (the look of whenever he sense a squirrel coming, kills me every time), and the gimmick of him saying what a dog would say with a human voice never gets old and is not overly used too much as to become a distraction. Same also applies to the other dogs in the feature, most notably Delroy Lindo, and Jerome Ranft as Rottweiler, Beta, and bulldog, Gamma, and Bob Peterson once again as Alpha, a Doberman Pinscher with a slight (and very amusing) voice malfunction. Then there’s Kevin who is also a fun, and cute animal sidekick one who does serve an important part in the story, and who is surprisingly sympathetic as we want to see her get back to her babies. She also serves as the main motivation of our villain who is none other than the famed explorer, Charles Muntz, who is among my favorite Pixar baddies for a number of reasons. I really liked the way he was set up at the beginning as we learn about why he is so determined to bring proof that the bird exists and when we meet him again later on in the film we the audience know that something is going to go down despite his friendly demeanor. Yet what makes his reveal work is that he welcoming presence to Carl, and Russel seems genuine as he hasn’t had good company in a while and seems like a good natured person. It’s when he reveals to the two his goal to capture Kevin, and his hostile reaction to Russel’s comment about her that they too begin to realize just how long he’s been here, and what he’s willing to do to get that bird. What makes it even better is that unlike other recent twist Disney villains when he shows darker side it doesn’t feel like a complete 180 personality shift, and legendary actor, Christopher Plummer, was a fantastic choice to voice him as nails that reveal, and brings a sense of menace to the character. In general though all of these characters form a very well rounded cast and each work in their own way.
After all of these years Up is still such a lovely, and poignant film to watch as it provides all of the excitement, and heartfelt emotion that people love about Pixar. It’s story is extremely well told, and works despite having a lot of things that you wouldn’t think would mesh, the themes are powerful, and handled perfectly, the adventure aspect is thrilling, the comedy is hilarious, the animation is beautiful, and grand, and the characters are all wonderful! It’s no wonder why people continue to rave, and talk fondly about it to this day, and it’s proven to me on several occasions that it is more than it’s powerful prologue. It’s one of those movies that really makes me appreciate life more, and that it can be the greatest adventure of all if you choose it to be. Nothing more to say except that it is indeed high up there among my favorites of the studio! So now that we’ve finished our adventure here, let’s look forward for the next Pixar review where we will be joining up with Woody, Buzz, and the gang to dive into Andy’s toy box one last time!
Rating: A+
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