Review for the film Up (no spoilers).
Pixar has done it again. I am amazed by the consistent quality of animated films that Pixar cranks out. Even Cars, perhaps their weakest film, was considerably better than I thought it was going to be and not unwatchable (they won extra bonus points for having the guys from Car Talk do voice-over work).
Up is the next installment of that fine tradition. I didn’t think it was possible to top last summer’s WALL-E, but they did. And I loved WALL-E.
Up goes beyond being just a wacky adventure film. It touches on life, death and what we make of each. And it shows what happens when one forgets to follow their dreams (the case of Ellie) and when one becomes so obsessed with their dreams, that they lose their mind (the case of film’s villain).
I paid extra to see the film in 3D and honestly, I don’t think is worth it. Sure, it looked great, but there weren’t that many times where I realized I was watching something in 3D. Coraline still holds the title of best 3D film that I’ve seen thus far.
This is easily Pixar’s most serious–and in some parts, darkest–film to date. We see characters bleed, which unless I’m forgetting something (maybe Incredibles?), is a first. The montage that covers Ellie and Carl’s life together towards the beginning of the film is equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking. Watching the characters age before your eyes is great.
As serious as Up is, it is also very funny. The mismatched characters of elderly Carl and the young, energetic Russell make it an endearing buddy film. Add to that mix a few goof ball animal characters (namely, Dug the dog) and you have another classic film from Pixar.
