Up Review

Another archived post, yes.

Up:
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Released in 2009

The mere fact that I did not move one muscle while watching Up must speak to its quality. From the beautiful opening to the optimistic end, I was entranced in Pixar's latest masterpiece.

The reason that many accolades are already being placed on this film is most likely due to its wonderfully done, sad and fascinating opening. We meet a young Carl Fredricksen, absorbed in the world of adventure, and sharing many of the same traits with an energetic young girl, Ellie. Very talkative and animated for her age, she contrasts to the taciturn Carl, but their thirst for adventure leads with the two being together for many years to come, shown in a, I dare say it, perfect, silent montage. Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) ends up being a widower through a tragic turn of events and is living his life alone. Forced to evacuate his home and surrender his dignity to a retirement villa, he ties balloons to his house and sets off to the adventure that never was, Paradise Falls in South America. His trip, of course, is interrupted by a determined Wilderness Explorer, Russell, who happens to be a stowaway for the trip. What follows is the typical Pixar magic.
The two goofballs of the adventure, Doug the dog and Kevin the...bird, are discovered and get involved in adventure the two have, undoubtedly getting them into trouble. Carl also finds his childhood idol in a new light, a tad different emotionally and mentally than he was years before. I don't want to give away too much because there are many surprises to be had and the suspense doesn't let up until the very end.

It is also worth mentioning that the Pixar short film that lead into the main feature was also excellent, as usual. Entitled "Partly Cloudy", the short was silent but still packed with emotion and humor, similar to the opening of the main feature or Wall-E. I may say that the short film is the best that I have seen them ever do, which is no short praise considering classics such as "For The Birds".

All in all, you would be hard-pressed to find a better movie this year that is not Up. Pixar continues its streak of perfection with this masterpiece and I may even call it the best Pixar movie to date, if not for the fact that Wall-E still comes to my mind whenever this thought comes into my head. Nonetheless, Up is a 10 out of 10 and a natural progression for a studio designed for perfection.