Rated PG
Caution Rating: 1.5
I have hardly anything bad to say about Up. It’s a touching, funny, exciting, and immersive slice of cinema that deals with classic ideas and universal emotions. It may be an animated film, but it’s rich with surprising maturity and a depth of insight that will surely appeal to all ages.
Growing up in a small town, Carl Fredricksen dreamed of exploring the far-flung corners of the earth. He idolized Charles Muntz, a daredevil and adventurer who brought home newsreel footage of exotic Paradise Falls, an idyllic wilderness buried somewhere deep in the primordial forests of South America.
One day, on his way home from the theater, where he marveled over Muntz’s latest exploits, Carl comes across another young explorer named Ellie. The two strike up a fast friendship, and as they grow older, their inseparable bond grows with them.
Carl and Ellie eventually marry and settle into a routine life. They promise to save for a trip to Paradise Falls, but as the emergencies and inconveniences of everyday life arise, they repeatedly have to break into the fund to pay for home repairs and medical bills. As the years speed by, adventure and discovery seem further away than ever.
Though they’re elderly and frail, Carl decides to surprise Ellie with plane tickets to South America. Tragically, she falls ill and dies before they can take their long awaited trip. Depressed and alone, Carl becomes a curmudgeonly widower and clings to his home (his only link to his late wife) as urban blight and industrialization encroach upon his very doorstep.
Greedy developers are desperate to take the land and build more retail space. After Carl strikes a construction worker with his cane, the developers take advantage of the unfortunate incident in order to have him declared a public menace and committed to a retirement home.
But when the nurses from Shady Oaks come to take him away, Carl unfurls a colossal array of balloons that lifts him and his house high into the clouds. For a few blissful moments, Carl relishes his serene freedom, but he soon discovers a stowaway.
Russell, a bubbling and eager Wilderness Explorer (think Boy Scout) who is determined to earn his merit badge for assisting the elderly, was clinging to the porch as it lifted off. With Russell’s burdensome help, Carl hopes to pilot the house all the way to Paradise Falls and fulfill his long deferred promise to the love of his life.
Up’s fantastical plot is certainly outlandish, yet it’s deeply rooted in the real world issues of love, grief, kindness, and acceptance. The voice cast is excellent, but it doesn’t feature any marquee talent. Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer are household names, to be sure, but they’re not exactly A-listers (especially among the younger demographic).
The film doesn’t boast a box office-busting star, but what it lacks in wattage, in makes up for with solid, memorable characters. It’s a successful trade-off that pays big dividends. The cast’s relative anonymity allows them to sink deeply into their roles and breathe life and resonance into relatable and realistic characters.
Up builds upon a sturdy foundation of emotional weight and clarity. I don’t often cry during a film, but this one had me holding back tears from start to finish. Carl’s grief, loneliness, and pain are palpable, and his undying love for Ellie defines his character and forms the heart of the film.
It’s heavy stuff, and there aren’t a lot of laughs during the first half of the movie. It actually takes a while for the humor to gain any traction, but once it does, it drives home. The film continues to pick up steam as it rolls along, before culminating in a far-fetched, but genuinely and surprisingly exciting conclusion. Michael Giacchino’s charming score is anchored by a simple and touching theme that perfectly complements both the film’s tender and exhilarating moments.
I guess I did have a few quibbles, but they’re exceedingly trivial. While the animation is smooth and immersive, I was slightly bothered by a certain lack of detail. Carl’s ears, for instance, are basically geometric shapes with holes in them. I also noticed that a few of the characters looked very similar to one another or almost identical to characters from other Pixar movies.
Finally, while it’s certainly not overdone or distracting, I felt like the highly advertising 3-D technology wasn’t utilized as well here as it was in DreamWorks’s recent release, Monsters vs. Aliens. To be fair, and completely honest, however, it may be that I’m already becoming accustomed to this amazing technology and it simply doesn’t “wow” me like it once did.
Up is that rare film that never fails to play successfully to both kids and adults. Unlike Monsters vs. Aliens, which seemed to be built for children but studded with bits of humor that placated parents, Up is structured and scripted in such a way to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
Any objectionable content is kept to a minimum, with no bad language and no sexually suggestive material. There are a couple of very minor gross-out gags, and some intense and potentially frightening scenes.
Anyone with a fear of heights or dogs may be bothered a bit as the film draws to a close. There’s also a dash of violence and even a flash of blood, but nothing is explicit or pushed to an extreme. The film does deal with some heavy adult issues that, while not inappropriate, will likely pass over younger viewers’ heads.
Up values loyalty, selflessness, and bravery. It’s also a story with a message. It teaches us that we can’t live life to the fullest by simply playing it safe. Carl certainly takes a chance by converting his house into a hot air balloon, but he comes to realize the boldest move he can make is to open his heart and appreciate the time he has left. He has to travel halfway around the world to find that everyday life is the true adventure, and that people and relationships are the greatest discovery.
Caution Rating: 1.5
