Movie Review: Up (2009)

We already know that Pixar is in a league of its own when it comes to computer animated movies. Dreamworks and others may make entertaining films but they lack the depth that seemingly only Pixar and Walt Disney can provide. Up is one of Pixar’s most striking examples of this and what results is a film of quiet beauty that manages to placate every strata of audience in equal measure.

What has become par for the course is Pixar raising the bar in animation and then raises it again. Wall-E was a fine example of a studio with the imagination and confidence to challenge conventional movies for kids; the opening half hour was something to behold. Up has a similar opening sequence in which we as an audience witness a miscarriage and the death of our protaganist’s wife. Their marriage and her life was clearly unfulfilled as they had wanted it to be and following a shocking blow to the head of a repossession agent (blood and all), the aged Carl Freidreksen (Christopher Plummer) decides to do the things his wife wanted to do, namely travel to Paradise Falls in South America. When his house is due to be repossessed, the now reclusive Carl decides to fit hundreds of balloons to his property for the purpose of adventurously making it airborne. What he hadn’t envisioned was that a young wilderness explorer by the name of Russel (Jordan Nagai) would be embarking on this trip with him too. What follows is a lot of fun that I won’t spoil by revealing here.

The issues presented in Up do not represent conventional fare for a young audience and an elderly protagonist is certainly far from ordinary in this genre. Pixar nevertheless handles the material with such sensitivity as to keep children safe at all times while taking them through dramas they may not have seen before. Pete Docter who directed this movie certainly had the experience having directed Monsters Inc, written Toy Story and co-written on Wall-E. Unsurprisingly with this track record, he has managed to produce here is a film that is humorous and touching at the same time.

What I will say is that 3D is an unnecessary afterthought in the case of Up. It is magical and probably even better in 2D as there is more emphasis on the bright colour palette showcased by Pixar. Disney’s Bolt had sequences that were made with 3D in mind with chases and objects heading towards the audience etc. This movie doesn’t feel made for 3D in the same way.

What is still truly amazing about Pixar is that they don’t ever feel the need to take the easy route. They don’t need to bombard their younger audience with chase after chase and mindless action just to keep their attention. Pixar does it differently and demonstrates an almost literary depth that simply can’t be matched by any other animation studio in the world right now.

GRADE: A