"Up" - REVIEW

They've done it again. Those wizards at Pixar have done it again. The winning streak is alive and well, and shows no signs of slowing down. Where other animation studios find themselves struggling to create films with enough sophistication for adults while also entertaining children, Pixar keeps on providing high quality animated pictures that prove their mastery over storytelling and (GASP!) getting one to care about there characters, whether their fish, robots, or a cranky septuagenarian. Wait, a cranky old person? That's the hero of Pixar's latest movie? It's not a cutesy animal or fantastical alien/monster who oozes adorability? Well how on earth will I ever warm up to such a character? The easy answer is: magical storytelling. But why stop there? In a summer that's building to be nothing but loud explosions, ridiculous stunts, and conventional plots, it's worth lavishing praise on one of the true few "standout" movies that 2009 has given us. Even from its opening, we know we're in from something special. In a 10 minute (roughly) prologue, we're introduced to Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner) and his relationship with his eventual wife Ellie. We see them bond as kids, both being adventure seekers, and then see their long marriage. By the time this portion of the movie ends, it's already going to be time to start sniffling and maybe breaking out a tissue. Yup. 10 minutes in, and there's already been more emotional impact than most films of the summer will have in their entire running times. So, with the prologue over, we meet the now-single Carl, still living in his house, surrounded by a growing metropolis. After an accident convinces people that Carl needs to be forcefully taken to a retirement home, Carl gets an idea: carry out the dream that he and Eddie had as kids and find the famed Paradise Falls in South America. Next morning, thousands of balloons hoist his house up and away, but Carl isn't alone. Tagging along is over-eager Wilderness Explorer (like Boy Scouts, only not as annoying) Russell (Jordan Nagai), who has been pestering Carl to let him help him so that he can earn his final merit badge. Once in South America, the somewhat-at-odds duo begin to bond, picking up two odd companions: a speedy rainbow colored bird and a dog with a collar that allows him to speak English. Such characters might have become subject to annoying running gags, but here they're handled brilliantly. Lush animation aside, the story is helped by a script that knows how to be both touching and hilarious, taking jokes that would become tiresome in the hands of others (a character who sounds like he just inhaled a gallon of Helium), and making them feel fresh. Voice acting is great all around, and Michael Giacchino's score, often piano-driven, is lovely on the ears. However, even though it is from the animation gods at Pixar, I have to confess that I was a bit underwhelmed by the actual storytelling. It doesn't always have the flow of other Pixar films like "WALL-E" or "Finding Nemo", because its dialogue sometimes threatens to bog the story down instead of help it; Pixar knows how to make us feel things with little dialogue, as "WALL-E" proved last year, and it's a shame that what dialogue there is sometimes doesn't quite cut it. The movie could have also benefitted from being a little longer, so that the events might have more time to build, and result in a more emotionally satisfying climax. That said, the movie rests on the relationship between Carl and Russel, and it soars in that regard. The two form quite the charming duo, and it all builds to ending that's sweet, charming, and touching without being forced or cloying. Pixar knows how to make us care about there characters, how to make us laugh, whether in a broad way or a sophisticated way, and even knows how to move us without shameless heartstring-pulling. It's one thing to do this once or twice, but to do it in EVERY MOVIE is something remarkable, and it's a goal that most studios, whether in animation OR live action, can only dream of measuring up to.

P.S. From what I've heard, there's really no point in seeing the film in 3-D; you're better off just sticking with a regular showing. After all, who wants to wear a pair of huge glasses just to get a few cheap thrills?

Grade: B+

Number of 2008 Films seen: 15