The Review

When Pixar began its PR campaign for UP, a movie about an 78 year-old balloon salesman and his annoying wilderness-explorer tagalong, they were brashly thumbing their nose at traditional trend marketing that demands kids’ movies must be pop-culture carnivals full of American Idol references, X-Gamish activities, and modern hip-hop numbers; that they need Will Smith, Shawn White, or Shawn Puffy Colmes, with talking animals, sight gags every twenty seconds and one melodramatic friendship moment.

Pixar quietly hung their posters with a sly grin. Why? Because they know something the rest of Hollywood does not: Great story-telling sells, period. The movie begins when Carl, a quiet adventurous boy meets Ellie, a tenacious, exciting and equally adventurous girl. The two become fast friends, and in just a few minutes, their entire lives flash before our eyes. We watch them get married, buy the little house they used to play in, watch the clouds, save money for adventure trips, spend the money on emergencies, prepare for a child, lose the child, sell balloons, put on bow-ties, sit and grow old together until Ellie finally grows weak and dies. When the music stops, Carl is alone in his home, unwilling to move on or let go of his late wife.

Heavy stuff for a kids’ movie, no? Don’t worry. The montage is artfully subtle, especially in dealing with the lost child, and Ellie’s death is neither spelled out nor unnecessarily prolonged. The kids will move on with the film and forget the montage, but I was never able to shake it. It was simply flawless storytelling.

The rest of the movie plows along effortlessly as Carl decides to keep a promise to his wife and escape his harsh reality in one swoop by sailing to South America… through the air, in his house! His plan is going along quite nicely until he realizes an annoying 8-year old has stowed away. The two end up in South America, where they have an adventure that is strikingly original, hilarious, and never dull. The director’s use of dogs is particularly brilliant. An inventor has set up his team of dogs with special collars that give voice to their thoughts. When Doug finds his way on scene, his dialogue is so sneaky-funny that I found myself saying “if dogs could talk, that’s exactly how they would sound.”

I won’t give the plot twists away here. Suffice it to say Carl gets caught up in a very unexpected adventure that forces him to choose between sulking in the past or moving on with his life without Ellie.

Not only is UP one of the best animated films ever made, it is one of the best movies that has come out in years. Period. Just Queue it, all right? Then buy two for Christmas gifts from Amazon, and keep one for yourself. Really. It’s that good.

THE KIDS

Some have objected to the heavy content of this movie, and it’s true that it might be too much for really insightful 3 year olds. Otherwise, the effects will almost certainly be positive. UP doesn’t demand that kids learn about death, but that they learn how to move on when bad things happen. And as an added bonus, they might just want to spend time with grandpa all of a sudden. Don’t be surprised. And of course, they will love the movie, whatever the age.

THE VERDICT: Irritant Free!

How Annoying Is It? I’m trying to think of anything that might potentially drive a parent crazy, but it’s just not here, friends. Russel, the boy, is definitely irritating, but that’s the whole point. And even he becomes likable as the movie progresses. No, I can find little fault with this movie. It is a story that is told and illustrated so beautifully that it might just leave you re-assessing the value of your own relationships.