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Joined: 23/6/2006
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Directors/Screenwriters: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring: (voices) Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, John Ratzenberger
Synopsis
By tying thousands of balloons to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen (Asner) sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell (Nagai), a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.
Review
As being the most successful CGI animation production company in fourteen years, Pixar has made a series of masterpieces starting with their debut Toy Story and its imaginative-titled sequel Toy Story 2, then their most commercially successful Finding Nemo, to last year’s sci-fi love story WALL-E. They have now done their tenth feature which has finally hit our UK cinemas (about time!). Get ready for Up.
Like the best of Pixar’s work, Up has a simple premise that somehow expands into a highly entertaining adventure which provides both comedy and emotion. From the director of another classic Monster’s Inc, the film is considered a personal project for Pete Doctor as he said that the protagonist is partially based on himself by incorporating his frequent feelings of social awkwardness and his desire to get away from crowds to contemplate.
To make an old widowed man as the protagonist in a children’s film would have been a massive risk, but the character of Carl Fredricksen should be declared as one of the iconic individuals of this young century, and it is because of the adventure he goes through. The first opening ten minutes of the film establishes Carl as a shy and quiet young boy who encounters an energetic and outgoing bucktoothed barefooted tomboy named Ellie. These two kids share the same interest to become an explorer, just like their hero, Charles Muntz.
Despite the promise of the adventure they idealized, these two decide to go on a quiet one as husband and wife. It’s all sweet and lovely, but this happy marriage comes to a tragic end, which leaves Carl isolated from the world around him. These first minutes shows the best of Pixar, in which these characters, though made in a computer, they have pure emotions to make you care. If you don’t cry during this memorable sequence, you are barely human at all. I can honestly say that my eyes pricked with tears during this film twice.
The general theme of Up is about trying reconnect yourself with the world, which is what old grumpy Carl goes through the course of the film as he sparks a friendship with a small group of colorful characters: Russell, a boy scout who just wants to assist the elderly; a hilarious talking dog named Dug (get it?); and a large, flightless tropical bird named Kevin. These characters are voiced so brilliantly by actors who don’t have to be celebrities to get their names across, including Edward Asner and Jordan Nagai.
I recently saw Toy Story in 3D a few days ago, which I felt was a decent attempt to reformat an old film that was always described in one word: perfect. Since Up is technically Pixar’s first film to be made in this format, it did a much better job at establishing it in several sequences. Whether you think 3D is a good or bad thing, it never hurts the breathtaking animation, which includes shots a house with a thousand balloons floating in the sky, as well as strong motion performances by a group of canines.
Like the other filmmakers working in Pixar, Pete Docter’s love of films is expressed in his own, as there are references from King Kong and most obviously Star Wars. There is also a sense of Hayao Miyazaki incorporating into this, as this rather unlikely hero goes into an adventure to enter strange new worlds to escape the difficulties of reality. Here’s a story that blends realism and escapism so perfectly.
Verdict
They have done ten films and still haven’t lost their touch as Pixar again bring an imaginative and enjoyable adventure that’s brilliantly funny and beautifully heartfelt. Whether you will see it in 3D or not, you’ll still be experiencing a masterpiece.
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Printable Version
Up - 
RE: Up - 
)... beautifully balancing sadness with hysterical humour and not to mention yet more memorable characters (take a bow Kevin and Dug 
Not too sure about being a classic. 'Cloudy with a chance of meatballs' was continually funny and laugh out loud throughout the duration of the film yet it does not seem to get the same attention. -- 
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