Up

"You know, you don't talk very much. I like you."

It is common, with the release of each new Pixar film, for some critics to spend a lot of time comparing it unfavorably to previous Pixar releases, before sheepishly noting that mediocrity by Pixar standards is still something extraordinary by normal standards. Let me do the opposite with Up. I’ll insist that this is a wonderful film, bursting with creativity and remarkable, in the way Pixar efforts usually are, for being a “family film” that doesn’t pander and treats its story like serious business. I’ll mention, just in passing, that it doesn’t quite have the thematic cohesion and daring of the Brad Bird-directed Pixar movies, or the seamless narrative and visual perfection of Monsters, Inc.. But I won’t dwell on it. What would be the point?

One way to approach writing about Up is to describe a series of moments that make it absolutely clear that this is no ordinary piece of kiddie animation; moments that made me gasp with delight or surprise. (I’ll try to do it without spoilers.) How wonderful, for example, that the children in the film are actually voiced by children — not to mention lively, talented kids who can make childlike excitement convincing. Pixar continues to prove that casting name-above-the-title celebrities in animated films is a recipe for bland, generic voice work.

And how amazing — incredible — that the movie deals with aging and death in a way that’s gentle, but also serious and considered. Up opens with a striking, lyrical montage that takes us from our protagonist’s happy marriage to his childhood sweetheart to the latter’s peaceful passing from natural causes. And there’s a particular shot toward the end of it that took my breath away. We watch from a distance as Carl and Ellie venture for the umpteenth time up a grassy knoll to their favorite picnic spot, Carl realizes that Ellie is too frail to make it. Horrified, he rushes to her aid, and as he runs down the hill to embrace her, his hat flies off in the breeze. It’s not strictly necessary, or crucial to the plot, or a funny sight gag; it’s just a beautiful and sad moment, a lovely detail. I was so grateful for it.

Eventually Carl (Ed Asner) ties a thousand helium balloons to his house and flies off to Venezuela — a childhood dream of his late wife’s — along with a nervous, charmingly fussy pre-teen stowaway named Russell (Jordan Nagai). At this point, Up goes off the deep end creatively — in a good way. The next hour of the film is weird, throwing in an old adventurer who’s lost his mind, a giant female bird named Kevin, and the most unusual talking dogs you ever did see. It’s a hilarious, delightfully unpredictable marvel, filled with dozens more singular little moments I don’t care to ruin — and it’s a rebuke to the stagnant, generic 3D fireworks of, say, Monsters vs. Aliens..

Up is presented in 3D too, though there will be a 2D option. I can’t say that it makes a strong case for the format — it still seems kind of unnecessary, and the polarized glasses mute the film’s dazzling colors. But Team Pixar, in its infinite wisdom, has no interest in hurling objects at your face to make you flinch. I’ll pay this compliment: after a while, I forgot that I was watching Up in 3D. And that may be the start of something.

I’ll return here to the obligatory words of caution I mentioned at the beginning. Up lacks the awe-inspiring complexity and ambition of Brad Bird’s The Incredibles and Ratatouille, as well as Andrew Stanton’s Wall-E. And emotionally, the film opens with a wallop and then gradually lets up, ending up in a place that’s sweet and kind of touching, but not terribly memorable.

These, I want to be clear, are quibbles. Up is not — at least on first viewing — awe-inspiringly, groin-grabbingly great. It’s merely fantastic, and a must-see.

-- Eugene Novikov

Released:	2009
Starring:	Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary, Bob Peterson, Jordan Nagai, Ed Asner, Delroy Lindo, Christopher Plummer
Directed by:	Pete Docter
Rated:	PG