Up
As I was on the way to the theatre to see Up, my friend, who had just come out of it, texted me “Bring Kleenex!” I was surprised – the previews make Up look like a silly Land of the Lost lark (nothing wrong with that). I was confident I’d enjoy it, I mean, come on, it’s Pixar, but Kleenex? The traditional short that precedes the feature, Partly Cloudy, was sweet and old-fashioned and very silly and also wordless. I got a little misty inbetween giggles. The premise is simple – clouds make the babies that the storks bring to all the mommies, human or animal, but one cloud and one stork have not quite the best time of it.
Then came Up. Up is an adventure, as implied by the preview, but it’s also a fulfillment of a promise, a labor of love, an exploration of heroes and heroism, a buddy comedy, a story about the people whom we love but miss in our lives and adventures we miss in our hearts. I cried four distinct times, and I busted a guy easily three times as often, with plenty of giggles and “awww” moments inbetween. I don’t want to spoil why it makes you cry – but it breaks your heart early and wins you over repeatedly while it dazzles you with wonder. Yes, wonder. I felt at times like a 5 year old stepping into DisneyWorld for the first time, or seeing Fantasia on the big screen, eyes wide and heart thumping. I was also reminded of the specific type of awe I felt during the doors scene in Monsters, Inc. – a flabbergastedness at the scope of vision and creativity on display and gratitude for getting to see it. Turns out director Pete Docter was also the director of Monsters, Inc. I love it when I am smart. Up is incredibly, from its poignant score by Michael “Yeah I Did the Music for That Too” Giacchino to its careful scene design and through its thread of deep, genuine sentiment.
Ed Asner voices Carl, the old man who flies his house away on a cloud of balloons and a dream, with gruff stubborn charm. New unknown Jordan Nagai is his accidental ride-along, an earnest Wilderness Explorer scout with almost all his badges but no real experience. We see a young Carl in Russell, but Carl himself only sees a burden and an obstacle to his one goal, to get that house to Paradise Falls, South America. Along the way they meet Doug (voiced by Bob Peterson, also the teacher ray from Finding Nemo), the dog you have seen in the previews, but also many more characters with varying shades of hilarity and menace. The unmoving face of Kevin still has the same expressive life force of a Muppet thanks to excellent character animation. Mayhem ensues, soft drinks are snorted out of noses, and tears are shed. Up is graced with the beautiful majesty of a house held up by balloons, the million echoes of Carl’s childhood and life, the scrapbook pages he turns so carefully. It’s rich with elements for every age.
My six companions and I uniformly fell in love with this movie, and I can’t wait to see it again, even at $15 for 3-D. By all means spring for the 3D if you have the chance. Pixar has long proven its delicacy and skill with CG animation (and is doubtless the reason for the proliferation of the medium across all studios), and Up lives up to their standards and our expectations. In three dimensions the vistas of the clouds, the waterfalls and jungles, the caves, the house itself – they all dive into your as you do into them.
I can’t say too much about the story because the pleasure of it unfolding (a certain wordless montage comes to mind), even when you see it coming, is too sweet to spoil with specifics. Talking about it a day later with my “bring kleenex” friend, we compared times we wept and favorite moments of hilarity, and then agreed we’d pay for 3D again in a second. Up is worth more than Full Price Feature and it may just be the best movie of 2009.
MPAA Rating PG
Release date 5/29/09
Time in minutes 96
Director Pete Docter
Studio Pixar / Disney
