Entry#34: Up

Trailer

Pixar is known for its great children's films, bringing together heart-warming stories and visually-striking CGI animation into a package quite enjoyable for both children and adults. The company has literally not made one bad film, with the only mixed bag of the bunch being 2006's Cars. Pixar's contribution to 2009, Up, proves to be another great addition to the Pixar canon.

The film revolves around Carl Fredricksen, an older man who's become bitter/lonely over the years after the death of his wife. For Ellie, Carl's wife, had always dreamed of being a great explorer like their childhood hero, Charles Muntz. However, the two could never quite get around to due to financial problems, and right before Carl could give Ellie surprise tickets to Venezuela, Ellie dies of old age. Now, after being forced to leave his home, Carl decides to "fly" his house, via many balloons tied to the home, to Paradise Falls in South America - the land lost in time Carl and Ellie dreamed of visiting. On the way, however, Carl is joined by the likes of Russel,the other main character, Dug, and "Kevin", all on their way to journey to Carl's dream of Paradise Falls.

First off, I'd like to point out how amazingly artistic and saddening the first 10 minutes (or so) of the film. In this sequence, we're introduced to a young Carl and Ellie, as they grow from children to adults to the elderly, seemingly without a care in the world but each other. It's simply a visual and emotional experience, with no dialogue whatsoever present in the montage. If these ten minutes alone had only been a short film, I'd still be really impressed with it.

The characters in the film are all quite likable, each having their own interesting personality that is allowed to evolve over the course of the film. Speaking of characters, the interaction between them is definitely the high point of this film. If you came for plot, don't expect much to "really happen", save near the ending. The dialogue and experiences with these characters make us sympathetic with them, making it easier to try and sympathize with their courses of action - a rarity in a film aimed for children.

The score of the film is also quite exceptional, thanks to the composer's decision to make all of the music revolve around the characters. There is not one piece of music in the film that isn't mean to resonate with one of the characters, and that emotional connection through music is really one of the film's great strong points.

The humor, which is to be expected in a film like this, is pretty good. There aren't any gut-busting scenes, but there aren't meant to be nay as the film wishes you to continue focusing on the characters. They're cute and goofy, but not in the cartoon-ish sort of way - if that makes any sense. They're cute in a very human sort of way, which fans of Hayao Miyazaki will be sure to recognize and enjoy.

The action adventures in the jungle are also quite nice and enjoyable, being nicely scored and "choreographed", if you will. However, these action scenes aren't like those of other children's films, where the action is frantic and nonsensical, but it's meant to serve as exposition in a tale of motivated, flawed, and cute characters - all looking for meaning in their lives.

A minor problem I had with the film, though, was the antagonist introduced about 2/3rd of the way in. It's not that he was a bad character, because he was also interesting, it's just that his motivations and presence just felt out of place in Carl's journey.

Beautifully crafted, visually-pleasing, and just plain fun, Up is a character-driven film that's sure to please.