Reviews
Up
October 9 2009
Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
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It’s 1939 and shy eight-year-old Carl Fredricksen has a chance encounter with the loud and eccentric Ellie, who shares his love of adventure and one famed explorer in particular, Charles Muntz. Flash forward and they’re dating, married, living in domestic bliss, suffering a miscarriage, and struggling to move on before Ellie dies, all with an emotive piano chord in the background that changes pace with their lives.
The first 10 minutes of Up make Bambi’s mother’s death, Mufasa’s murder and Dumbo crying into his mum’s trunk look like unmoving tosh in what has to be one of the most effective, albeit manipulative, tearjerker moments of the year.
Unlike its predecessors, Up is impossible to sum up in a sentence. After his wife’s death, Carl (voiced by Edward Asner) meanders through life, battling a businessman looking to buy the land on which he and Ellie built their lives together. He loses the fight after lashing out at an employee (quite possibly the first time blood has made an appearance in a Pixar film), and is forced into an old folks’ home.
So far, so depressing, but just as you think Pixar have sneaked a kitchen sink drama into the multiplex, Carl ditches his old life, literally uprooting his home thanks to the aid of some balloons. With one breathtaking narrative leap, Up is transformed into a comedy adventure as Carl and overeager ‘Wilderness Explorer’ Russell take to the skies. Together they encounter a chocoholic bird named Kevin, ‘talking’ dogs and, finally, Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) himself, who, like all childhood idols, is not what he once seemed.
This is an appropriate tenth film for Pixar, cementing their status as a grown-up film studio. Up is a film that breaks all the rules of animation – a film for children starring an old man, one that eschews the usual singing sidekicks, and one that has the courage to mix its many laugh-out-loud moments with scenes capable of turning the most hardened cinema-goer into a blubbering wreck.
Despite the integrity with which Carl’s lonely life is revealed, the film’s realism never overrides the magic of the animation itself. The launch of the house – soaring through the sky beneath multicoloured balloons – is a beautifully crafted sequence, demonstrating that director Pete Docter is more than capable of hitting the heights without his mentor Bob Peterson.
Pixar may have several sequels in the pipeline but Up is yet another original, boundary pushing story. It’s not quite Nemo, but it will have you shouting ‘Squirrel!’ at every opportunity.
Anticipation:
Enjoyment:
In Retrospect:
'It’s Pixar, and that’s enough'
I think this line pretty much sums up how i feel about this film.
Keep'em coming Pixar.
Written by @richbristow on October 9th, 2009 at 11:37
not quite Nemo? No, it's 100 times better!
Written by ricky66 on October 11th, 2009 at 00:08
I agree with ricky66. Nemo is good, but I think a little overrated. I wouldn't rank it as high on the Pixar list as most people. There are at least 4 Pixar films, including this one, that I would rank ahead of Nemo. Up is the best movie I've seen so far this year, and I'm looking forward to buying it on dvd.
Written by David on October 19th, 2009 at 17:25
I, and much more importantly my kids, think Fantastic Mr Fox is at least as good – and that is not intended (by any of us) as a slur on Up.
Written by Anton Bitel on October 19th, 2009 at 19:05
I'd plump for The Incredibles as Pixar's best. Up was magnificent though. My wife is already driving me mad interrupting herself by shouting "Squirrel!" in the middle of a sentence, so thanks for that.
Written by The Incredible Suit on October 20th, 2009 at 09:48
Toy Story 2 is definately my favourite. Finding nemo comes pretty close though.
btw, "quite possibly the first time blood has made an appearance in a Pixar film"
Finding nemo? dori gets hit in the face and bruce the shark goes mad after smelling blood? you probably mean Human blood though :D
Written by @DavidLivesona on October 20th, 2009 at 10:13
Another vote for Toy Story 2. Loved Up but it definitely didn't quite have the same magic for me.
I'm so glad Pixar are making clever, beautiful and engaging kids films, and it's not just crap like the Ice Age franchise that gets kids into the cinemas.
Written by Derek on October 20th, 2009 at 13:02
I think everyone has a style that they favor in Pixar's catalog. Different directors hit very different, yet equally successful strides. The Incredibles is my favorite (American speaking, sorry for the clumsy spelling :)), but Brad Bird's story telling is different from Pete Doctor's, Andrew Stanton's, John Lasseter's, etc.
Andrew Stanton (for Nemo, Wall-e fans) crafts extremely humanizing stories about love which reach far and wide with their message. That's pretty deep, and sometimes dark, stuff compared to the fast moving adventures that Pete Doctor heads (Monster's Inc., Up).
After 10 releases, it's getting harder and harder to rank any Pixar film against another. Our favorites are going to continue to shift as Pixar keeps putting out challenging, fantastic cinema.
Written by Marc on October 20th, 2009 at 14:22
Up is an amazing movie, the 3D version was great, and found myself crying like five times. I would almoust give it a zix!
Written by @ylvaturkey on October 20th, 2009 at 14:23