Pixar Does It Again

Rating: 10/10 (1 June 2009)

I don't know how Pixar does it, but their tenth movie is as good (or better?) than anything else they have released. I liked "Up" better than "WALL-E" as the latter seemed a little preachy, and I could not relate well to a beat-up robot, no matter how cute. With "Up" you had a widower/curmudgeon (I can relate to the latter!) surrounded by change when all he wants is to go back in time to the way things were. Events force him to make an unusual escape, hence the house flying by power of helium balloons.
I won't give away spoilers, but I will say that Pixar's success is due to their ability to portray relationships and their animation skills. Unlike other filmmakers, they will take out of the ordinary relationships and draw you in where you end up caring about what happens to them. It doesn't matter if it's toys, cars, fish, rats or even robots, the folks at Pixar excel at developing a story built around relationships.
I found myself getting misty-eyed (well, maybe a little more than that) at the first 12 or so minutes, not for the obvious part but simply for the beauty of how the story of Carl unfolded without words, just images. I knew the tragedy was coming, and perhaps that affected my view. The other part that hit me hard is when they found they could not have children, as my wife and I went through a similar thing. We decided to go the adoption route, something Carl takes his time on. ;) The special element to "Up" is the talking dog angle. It's what my wife and kids (all animal lovers) talked about walking back to the car. Pixar did not overdo it but integrated this masterfully. The Talking Dug stuffed animal should be a hot seller leading into the holidays, along with the DVD. I might even pay full price for this DVD.
Finally, the story centers on great adventures, the Spirit of Adventure. You'll find yourself wondering if and when you'll start your own adventure after the credits roll.