Up (2009)
By Tercius Bufete
Up is a wonderful film that plucks at the proverbial heartstrings and proves it’s never too late to chase after your dreams–not even when you’re 78-years-old and plagued with arthritis.
Like many previous Pixar releases, the most spectacular accomplishment of the film remains the characters. Like in Wall-E, they’re goofy and wonderfully rounded, but somehow able to carry with them a certain kind of spirit, which can only be described as irrevocably human. While some are flawed and inherently unhappy, each has unmistakable dreams that must be pursued. From the tear-jerking opening sequence, the audience is caught in the grasp of its aged protagonist and fully invested in the sky-high ride to come.
The biggest question that followed the announcement of the film was whether or not Pixar could continue its streak of masterful movies featuring an elderly protagonist. Not surprisingly, Pixar hits another one out of the park, this time all the way to South America.
The story begins with one of the most heartfelt romances in recent memory. Two children named Carl and Ellie bond over their admiration for an adventurer named Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). They promise each other that they’ll someday have a grand adventure that would make their idol proud. After growing up and getting married, they spend their lives saving for that adventure. But life’s little problems (flat tires, medical bills and home repairs) keep them from achieving their dreams, and then Ellie passes away and leaves a mournful Carl (Ed Asner) behind.
From the moment of their first meeting, it’s clear that Ellie is Carl’s world, and Up deals with Carl’s reaction to life without her. He becomes a recluse, stuck in a simpler time as everything around him changes. His daily routine begins with struggling to get out of bed, brushing his teeth, and fixing his bowtie, and it ends with his sitting on the porch all alone. Then he meets Russell (Jordan Nagai), a Wilderness Explorer Scout who needs to help a senior citizen in order to gain his final merit badge. This intrusion doesn’t sit well with the curmudgeonly Carl, as he simply wants to be left alone with his thoughts.
After an incident with a post office employee, Carl is deemed a public menace and on the verge of being forced into a retirement home. With this final push, Carl sets about with his plan to attach thousands of balloons to his house in the hopes that the prevailing winds will carry him to Paradise Falls, South America. The plan works, but Carl discovers too late that Russell has also been carried along for the ride.
Nothing short of beautiful, Up features the attention to detail and marvelous colors that I’ve come to expect from Pixar. But while the achievements in animation are impressive, they play second fiddle to the rich character development and gripping story arc. Although the film does border upon the ridiculous side of the fiction genre, it never becomes a cliché and remains true to its heartfelt core.
There’s never been an animated film that taps into the hidden corners of the human heart, the unresolved dreams, and lingering hopes the way that Up does. Up is beautiful, in its style…in its story.
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This Up movie review is copyright 2009 Small World Marketing and Shane Rivers. This Up review should not be reprinted without the permission of the copyright holders.
This movie review of Up expresses the opinion of the author only. Other Up movie reviews are available online, and some of those might or might not express different opinions on the movie. Like those other Up movie reivews, this Up review is intended for the entertainment and education of the reader. This Up movie review is provided as is with no warranty or guarantee implied.
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