With their run of success maintained by their latest feature, Pixar is one balloon that definitely hasn't burst.

Rating: 10/10 (28 October 2009)

How can you tell a feature length story about a man who tows his house around for the duration of the film? Furthermore, how can you have said feature length story's central character be an elderly male who may not be youthful enough to appeal to children, and who also may not be marketable enough to sustain a production line of tie-in merchandise? The answer; ask Pixar.
Early promotional material from plot summaries to teaser trailers did not interest me in Up as much as the studio's previous endeavours; I personally prefer animated films about inanimate objects or animals as opposed to human beings (an example being The Incredibles; highly enjoyable and well-made but my least favourite Pixar film simply for the fact that there were no talking toys, monsters, bugs, fish or cars). Having not seen Up in cinemas early following its release, I finally made my way to a viewing, glad to be extremely surprised by what the film had in store for for a Pixar fan wondering if this was possibly going to be their first release which did not garner my full enthusiasm. Taking off my 3D glasses following the film, I could have hung my head in shame.
When Carl Fredricksen, an elderly man living alone in the house where he grew up with his deceased wife, is threatened with being placed in a retirement home, he escapes by attaching a myriad of colourful helium balloons to his fireplace. Floating away from the city, he discovers Russell, a young wilderness explorer, has become an inadvertent stowaway on his front porch. Following a dangerous storm they land in South America and become caught up in a hunter's search for an elusive wild bird. Though the characters may not immediately strike you as likable, they soon gain your appreciation and before long you're backing them as they take on the enemy and his pack of hunting dogs (who communicate in the most novel, entertaining and laugh-out-loud manner you may have ever seen in a film about talking dogs).
The outstanding technical achievements of the film aside, Up is a complete marvel in terms of storytelling. Whether it be within the script or shown with equal clarity in a visual manner, the journey of Carl Fredricksen as he sets out to fulfill the wishes of his dead wife is conveyed as hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure. That audiences are shedding tears at the BEGINNING of the film is a testimony to the sheer depth of character development, achieved not through complex dialogue but by means of a montage of images detailing the protagonist's life with his partner. Such emotion resonates throughout the entire film; Pixar have not grown complacent despite their success and must be applauded for continuing to take daring risks not only with their productions themselves, but also with the conflict and trials that their characters face within them. At times I found myself wondering if Pixar were really going to let certain events play out with such potentially devastating outcomes.
By far my favourite artistic aspect of the film was the house; tethered to Carl and Russel as they trek towards their destination, it illustrates how Pixar see a potential roadblock and overcome it with such creative ease. Not once does the floating house become a burden to the film throughout its entire runtime; not once was I concerned that it was becoming tedious. This, coupled with the home signifying a great deal of Carl's life-long relationship, ensures that what could have been a weight on Pixar's shoulders is something carried through the events of the movie well and with relevance.
Pixar clearly understand the elements that make a film a classic. Toy Story is arguably their only film to date to have achieved classic status (and it's about time, nearly fifteen years after its release), however in my opinion the majority of the Pixar canon is only waiting for time to be able to honour its legacy. Up rightfully earns its place in this majority.
10/10