A humane story amid a color riot

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2009)

It is difficult to get the image of that flying house suspended by countless colorful balloons off your head, once you see Up. I guess, it would stay with me for the rest of my life.
Up easily climbs up to claim a place amongst the finest animation films ever. Not surprisingly, it comes from Pixar, the team that gave us Wall-E, Ratatouille and Finding Nemo. Also, after a quite a long time, its about 'people' as against a garbage-crusher, a rat and fishes respectively earlier. Up is as colorful as an animation film ever was. What a color riot! Some frames just stay with you, the mastery of their composition impossible to miss.
The choice of characters itself breaks clichés. A grumpy old man as the hero and an amiable obese kid as his ally completely contrast against what one would have thought would be the choice for characters who are supposed to be on an adventure trip to South America. Both characters endear themselves to us as the story moves along.
Two things that stood out for me - (a) The initial sequence that chronicles the life of Fredrickson and Ellie together is a master-stroke. As it ends, it leaves the eyes moist - and all that without a word spoken. (b) The closing shot with the house perched besides the paradise falls - it is one for the textbooks; probably one of the best closing shots ever.
Not to be missed at any cost.