'Up' soars above previous Disney/Pixar triumphs
Plot, casting and visuals make this film a must-see.
Published June 2, 2009
"Up," the newest film from Disney/Pixar, is their most remarkable film yet, but not for the crowd their past endeavors have been for: kids.
As much as Pixar markets this film as a children's movie, the themes and subject matter presented are mature in nature, which might not hit home with children but strikes true with adults. The film is fantastic, with great performances by Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer, stunning visuals and a deep and thoughtful plot that will have viewers looking back on their own lives.
Pixar has covered a lot of ground in its last couple films -- space in "Wall-E," superheroes in "The Incredibles" and cooking in "Ratatouille." In"Up," it creates a story of life and love. The story opens with Carl Fredrickson meeting the love of his life, Ellie and then it transitions to a five-minute montage chronicling their relationship from marriage to her death. The montage is one of the most beautiful and touching sequences in recent film history, being sweet and sad at the same time.
Following the montage, it picks up to show Carl's life after Ellie and how he plans to achieve her dream of following their childhood hero, Charles Muntz, to Paradise Falls. Fredrickson uses balloons tied to his house to reach the falls, but not without a stowaway in the form of a wilderness explorer scout named Russell. The film is quite mature in the first half hour, but once Carl and Russell reach the falls, the mature subject matter is dropped and replaced by a search and rescue of a giant bird, along with talking dog soldiers and a dirigible. Although this fantasy storyline does hurt the earlier feel of the film, practically turning it 180 degrees from its original tone, it works in part to the theme of the film.
The voice acting in "Up," as with all of Pixar's films, is excellent, with specific focus on the characters of Carl and Russell. Ed Asner is cast perfectly as the cranky Carl, but voices him with enough wit and humor as to not be extremely mean. Asner has the hard job of carrying most of the emotional tone of the movie, helping ground it in reality.
Countering Asner is Jordan Nagai, a newcomer who brings a childish wonder and glee to Russell that is a perfect foil to Asner's cranky sternness. Nagai's voice acting is extremely well done for it being his first time in a film, and his ability to accurately portray wonderment really brings a true feeling to Russell.
Christopher Plummer plays the hero turned villain, Charles Muntz, pitched perfectly and truly menacing, putting the two main characters in legitimate danger. Plummer makes the character quite dark and in one scene he attempts to light the protagonist's house on fire -- the darkest scene in the film. The voice acting in "Up" is phenomenal and it is the best voice acting in any Pixar film yet.
The visuals in "Up" are remarkable, featuring some of the most stunning seen in any of Pixar's films. The scenes with the house floating in the clouds with balloons are beautiful, looking almost photorealistic. These scenes create a sense of adventure and openness that really makes the film feel like an epic adventure.
When they get to Paradise Falls, the jungle foliage and waterfalls add to the epic feel of the film, again almost being photorealistic. The film's look changes once Muntz is introduced, creating a dark feel of the film, and adding to the action scenes of the film in the dirigible. In "Up," the visuals help further the immensity of the adventure that Carl and Russell are undertaking, creating gorgeous scenes, again proving that Pixar has outdone themselves.
"Up" is the most touching and spectacular Pixar film in the last five years thanks in part to the poignant storyline, amazing voice work and remarkably photorealistic visuals. Although it is not a children's film until later in the film, the first half will make most adults cry and cherish life just a little bit more.