Pixar's Up

Pixar’s tenth feature film, Up, shows that the company haven’t lost their winning touch. I admittedly had lower expectations for the film, because while watching the trailers, all I was thinking was that “this’ll be cute,” but nothing much more. I didn’t think that it would have a great story to build around; well, after watching the film, all I can say is that you shouldn’t bet against Pixar so easily.

The filmmakers have created quite the work of art with Up. It does require a ton of suspension of disbelief (a house floating on balloons, c’mon) but is rich with deep and lovable characters and heartfelt drama, along with a fantastic but solidly-constructed plot that makes for one great adventure.

The film is about Carl Fredriksen (Asner), a septuagenarian who’s gotten increasing cranky and detached from the world after the death of his beloved wife, Elie. One day, he decides to escape the world to fulfill Elie’s last wish of visiting the Paradise Falls of South America by attaching a ton of balloons to his house, so he can fly/float over to the Falls. However, he gets an unexpected stowaway – Russell (Nagai), a young, persistent, and very chatty Wilderness Explorer. Needless to say, the two go on the adventure of their lives, even meeting the lost explorer Muntz (Plummer), and learning more of life’s lessons in the process.

Despite the presence of lovable animal sidekicks (Doug the dog and Kevin the exotic bird), Up has a pretty quirky mix of lead characters. One is an aging man, generally lovable but with a boatload of issues. The other is a kid, chubby and cute, yes, but also quite the nearly-annoying chatterbox, and is un-stereotypically not smarter than all the adults (although he makes up for it in heart, of course).

Up's eclectic cast of characters.

This film is also different from most other family-friendly films in the topics addressed by some scenes, and in the way real life is portrayed. The “villain” in the first part is not some fantastic creature, but instead, a large corporation which has been developing land around Carl’s neighborhood. The characters have their own big issues to deal with as well. Carl is full of the emotional baggage of not having fulfilled his wife’s dream before she passed, which my friend commented was symbolized by his intense attachment to the house, the last shared relic of their life together. Russell is implied to come from a broken family, and his smiling face and cheerful disposition belies the struggle he goes on with his personal situation. Even the aging explorer Muntz is shown to be undeniably obsessed with his life’s mission.

The dynamic between the two leads was a fun thing to watch though, and the growth of both by the end of the film made sense, and was executed well.

The expression on Carl's face says it all.

If there’s anything that I didn’t like about the film, it’s that one of the best moments already come early in the film. All I can say is that the beginning of Up tops Wall-E’s silent first part in terms of emotional resonance, and is a must-watch. The animation hasn’t significantly improved (except for Russell’s hair – almost lifelike!) but that is actually a credit to Pixar. They don’t have to make the most realistic or anatomically-accurate animated figures to tell a wonderful story.

In summary, Up is a heartwarming and smart film for all ages. It manages to deftly explore deeper life issues while portraying a fantastically great adventure. Unlike other Pixar works like Toy Story or Cars, Up didn’t seem to be targeted to a particular demographic, but after watching it, I realize that it is because Up is a classic that can be enjoyed by anyone.

*****

If you’ve already watched it, check out SlashFilm’s discussion of various Easter Eggs in the movie. Pixar loves inserting all sorts of references in their films; how many did you catch?