I am a constant fan of
Pixar, have been since their breakout hit
Toy Story but in the past few years I've been somewhat disappointed with the fair coming from Pixar, I was not a fan of Cars or Ratatouille and all though it was a fantastic action film I felt that The Incredible missed the mark somehow, but last year with the release of the phenomenal
Wall-E, they once again proved that they have what it takes to make a good
film. Not to say that the above mentioned were not good, in fact just the opposite. I loved all of them, it was just that with the likes of Toy Story 2, Monster's Inc, and the pitch perfect Finding Nemo under their belt.
When I first saw the
movie trailers for
UP I was wondering how Pixar could mix a flying house, an old man and a boy into a story that would be interesting. I was pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity of the writers. The story of UP could be directed to quite a few people I know. In a nutshell, the story is about being young-at-heart.
The story is simple it follows Carl, who as a young man, dreamt of great adventure. This love led him to his wife, Ellie, who like Carl, fantasized about a faraway place in South America. As on old man and now without his beloved wife, Carl faces the loss of his home, the one connection to his wife, and being forced into a retirement community. When Carl is finally pushed to the brink and makes a bad decision, the courts decide it’s time for him to be placed in a nursing home. Carl, however, has other plans and, unknowingly with a persistent boy named Russell in tow, floats away toward the site that his childhood hero visited in his great exploits. Once there, Carl quickly finds out that his hero is not all he was cracked up to be and must find a way to safely return Russell and himself home.
It is outstanding movie with a powerful message of love, life and renewal. It's also a real tear-jerker. The movie tugs at your heart and places some sentimental music at just the right times, music by Michael Giacchino who also did the music to "Star Trek" (2009), "
Land Of The Lost" (2009), "The Incredibles" (2004) & "
Ratatouille" (2007) is excellent! In terms of the animation, the film looks great, especially in 3D. The animated old man is surprisingly realistic, even bearing stubble after a few days in the jungle. The best animation is in the brief cartoon at the beginning, in which several clouds make baby animals and give them to storks.
Overall, "
Up" is a visually impressive movie that has sad and funny moments and is one that the whole family can enjoy together.
