Up

We're getting to the point where it's safe to say Pixar has made about as many animated masterpieces as the golden age of Disney. There's no doubt in my mind their films will be around long after this generation and the generation after that are long gone. As one critic said about Pixar, they make movies for everyone, they are crowd pleasers on the surface, yet they aren't afraid to tackle real human emotion. Think of their flag ship franchise "Toy Story" which deals with talking toys, yet in the three films they starred in, the one constant theme is a fear of abandonment, something we all must face. Also take "Wall-E", which deals with a romance between two robots, and gets to the same kind of pathos and sentiment usually seen in a Chaplin film.

To me the most powerful film of the Pixar label, and the one that enriches with repeat viewings is "Up". "Up" represents much of what I love seeing in movies, it's sweet, funny, sentimental, and full of adventure and unexpected moments. Pixar is known for all of these elements in their films, but with "Up" I think they reached the peak of that certain kind of storytelling which definitely struck a chord with me.

The heart of the story is about a promise between a couple who grow up as childhood sweethearts, and live a happily married life. The wife is seen as very outgoing, while the husband is the more stable easy going type. They both have a dream to some day go to South America to a place known as Paradise Falls. They try to save up for the trip, but things always come up such as car repairs or house repairs which delay their trip. When the husband tries to surprise his wife with tickets to go, she falls ill and dies. All of this happens within the first ten minutes of the film in a wonderful silent montage of the couple who spend an entire lifetime together.

The beginning of the adventure begins when the now 78 year old husband who's name is Carl decides to make his and his wife's dream come true by attaching a bunch of balloons to his house sailing him to Paradise Falls, it's a way to keep his promise. Carl doesn't see much of a future at home anyway after he is being forced into a retirement home, but what he doesn't expect to find is a young boy named Russel who is trying earn a badge for his wilderness explorer group. Russell comes to Carl's house one day, and mistakenly gets on board when the house flies away.

The two make it to Paradise Falls but on the wrong end of where Carl plans to land his house, so they must walk there. It is here where they run into a tall but lovable endangered bird, who is being hunted by a famous old Adventurer Carl used to admire as a boy. There are also a bunch of talking dogs who try to track the bird. That's right, they talk through a radio transmitter embedded in their collar, the most vocal and lovable is a misfit dog named Doug who isn't as mean as the others and soon joins Carl and Russell on their adventure.

The first thing to notice in "Up" as in all Pixar films is the use of color, when the balloons appear for the first time from Carl's house, it's an extraordinary sequence, "Up" is definitely one of the brightest films made in a long time, in fact the whole film has an irresistible cheery quality to it, even the title evokes the kind of mood you're supposed to get when watching this film.

What sets "Up" apart from other films of its kind is its use of an old man as a protagonist. Carl is the heart of this film and his love for his departed wife grounds it to a type of reality that we can relate to, it's because of this, the film can also incorporate talking dogs, and still be believable. There is also the relationship between Carl and Russell that is very touching. Neither character is a cliche of the usual cartoon canon, Carl is a widower and there is always a kind of sadness that comes with him, his house is a symbol of his past, something he must get behind him. Russel is a kid from a broken home, we learn in a very touching scene he doesn't have a father figure, yet he isn't depressed about it, he has a positive attitude, but we know he's probably hurting as well.

We can sense that where these two characters are coming from motivates their actions in the film which makes it all the more enjoyable. The film was directed and written by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, who have created a wonderful Hollywood movie, it's ironic that the films made in Hollywood which have the most heart these days seem to be coming from animation departments. Perhaps because animation is able to open up to a world of wonder because it is all make believe, but Pixar seems to understand better than most, there must always be something behind that wonder to add any weight to it.

"Up" is a joyous film, it represents the best Hollywood has to offer these days of entertainment, it's a film that doesn't lose any of its magnificence for me no matter how many times I watch it, I have a feeling it will last long after I'm gone, and more and more people will discover it as they did with films like "Pinocchio" or "Bambi".