Up (2009)

Pixar's first 9 movies have been absolutely fantastic pieces of art, and I'm glad to say that Up, their 10th, does nothing to spoil this run. 
I found it interesting that when we went to see Up in 3-D on Wednesday the cinema was full of young twenty-somethings like myself. I was expecting kids! Maybe since Toy Story came out while I and my fellow cinema goers that evening were at a formative age (I was 11 in 1995) and we've all grown up with Pixar. Or maybe everyone was there to witness a wonderful spectacle, because that's what Up provided, in spades.

Now I'm a bit skeptical about 3-D movies, I've only seen a couple, Beowulf and Monsters vs Aliens. The former was improved by the addition of the 3-D element, and the latter was complemented nicely. I've also seen Bolt and Coraline, which were released in 3-D, in standard 2-D versions only, and I think that because Bolt was a weaker movie, it would have been improved by 3-D, whereas Coraline would probably work either way. Basically I think that a movie needs to justify being in 3-D, especially when it costs so much more to see one! If a movie is improved by 3-D then it clearly wasn't a very good one in the first place. 

Up neither benefited nor suffered from being in 3-D, but it certainly made for an even more rewarding experience than a standard 2-D version probably would. 3-D added depth to the backgrounds/scenery, but not to the story and the characters - that depth was already present and correct. 

After The Incredibles, Ratatouille and WALL-E, which all deviated in many ways from their buddy-movie predecessors, Up presents a further step beyond what is normal or usual for an animated movie. In the first 5 or 10 minutes a montage sequence shows the elderly protagonist as he grows from childhood to old age with the girl who becomes his wife and companion, and the animation and music tell a story that negates the need for dialogue - in this sequence we learn that Carl's wife is unable to have a child, and shortly after we see Ellie fall as an old lady, before a brief scene at her funeral... Emotional scenes for an animated movie! Move over Bambi's mother, these scenes go straight for your tear-ducts, although not in any way that feels manipulative. It all feels real. I don't cry at movies, but I felt tears welling up no less than 3 times during the course of Up. 

I think adults will get more out of Up than kids would, although there's probably enough to keep them busy. Hang on - are animations supposed to engross the kids and have just enough to keep adults busy?? I love how Pixar doesn't water down their tales for kids. After the initial heartbreak in the opening scenes, Up moves on to become a hilarious adventure story, with Carl and his new found Wilderness Explorer sidekick, Russell, floating Carl's house down to South America so that our elderly hero can have the life he always planned to have with his wife. 

Along the way Carl and Russell an exotic bird named Kevin, a whole pack of 'talking' dogs and Up's dastardly villain. There's so much imagination and emotion going on, I was conscious of the big goofy grin I had on my face throughout. The animation, of course, is flawless, and absolutely breathtaking, particularly in some of the 3-D sequences as the house floats above the South American landscapes. 

The character of Russell is a bundle of joy. What could have been a very irritating character turns out to be lovable, as his boundless enthusiasm tranlates to the audience (well , me anyway). One of the most impressive aspects of Up's story is the way it doesn't condescend to explain what's going on in Carl or Russell's head through exposition or forced heart to hearts between the characters - so much is conveyed through their emotions and images, in the same way that WALL-E before it accomplished so much through minimal dialogue. 

I could go on and on about all of the many things that I loved about Up (and the short that preceded it, Partly Cloudy), but I won't. I would just encourage anyone and everyone to see it, and challenge them not to be sweet Up in the emotional adventure.