Up and away

Up

My review for this movie is a bit late – we actually saw it over a week ago!  I would say it was a crazy week and blah-dee-blah, but really I have no good excuse.  Anywho – onto the review…

So here’s the thing – if you go to a Pixar movie, you know that you’re in for a treat.  This is not a studio that makes crap.  They just make movies that are varying degrees of greatness.  Knowing that, I expected I would enjoy Up, but not knowing much of what the plot was going to be, I still was in for surprises.

The basic premise is an old man sets off on a great adventure by floating his house up with a bunch of helium balloons, while a chatty wilderness scout stows away on the front porch for the ride.    A tad improbable to be sure, but when it’s an animated movie for kids, you go with it!

Photo courtesy Pixar Studios

What is truly remarkable in this movie is how complex story elements are told so simply and elegantly.  The first 15 minutes or so of the film tell a life story with few words – by the end of that sequence I was definitely misty-eyed.  It was reminiscent of the brilliant first act of Wall•E.  And this continues throughout the film – the storytellers have a real gift for keeping it all so simple, I want them to teach a master class for Hollywood screenwriters!

The voice talent is led by the incomparable Ed Asner, the man who has defined “curmudgeon” for ages.  And you have to love all those talking dogs.  Oh, but that’s giving too much away – see it for yourself!

Lastly I’ll say that as usual Pixar’s animation is the best there is.    Real life never looked so good.

Overall my rating is a solid A.  This is a film to see with someone you love, and I hope it inspires you to make the most of life’s little adventures.