Take my word for it: everything you have heard about "Up" is absolutely true

Rating: 10/10 (18 November 2009)

Let me tell you something. It is really, really difficult to write a compelling and compassionate review for a movie as wonderful and impeccable as "Up." Why? Because with a movie as complex and imaginatively powerful as this, there is a tendency to want to give away parts of the story in order to fully encompass to your readers how much you loved it. And believe me, there is a moment in just about every scene of "Up"'s running time that I loved and want to share with you, but for first-time viewers, this would be disgracefully rude, for I would be spoiling the wonder and magic that you would experience upon seeing the movie.
Part of what makes "Up" so powerful, is because it was made by Pixar and is therefore, empowered by a fresh and original story. Ed Asner voices Carl Frederickson, a retired balloon salesman who, on the verge of losing his home of seventy years, decides to fulfill his childhood ambition by strapping thousands of balloons to his house and flying to a legendary plateau in South America. And much to his surprise, he has a stowaway: a junior explorer named Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai). And together, the two of them sail to South America, completely unaware of the fantastic and symbolic journey that lies ahead of them.
And that is all that I am going to give away for you. To reveal any other key story elements would seem blasphemous to an enthusiastic amateur movie critic like myself. But I will say this: everything you have heard about "Up" is one hundred percent true. I still say that the two "Toy Story" movies are my favorite out of all the masterpieces and cinematic wonders that Pixar has made, but this is definitely right there behind them by a sliver.
And I will also say this. There is a tendency for people to assume, by the title and the premise, that this is a movie strictly for young children. Quite the opposite, it's more of a movie suited for children ages, say ten, and up into seniority. This is a movie that an adult can watch without the company of a child. The perfect audience for this movie is an entire family, although there might be some scenes a little too adventurous for the tots.
The animation by Pixar is fantastic, the screenplay is wonderful and rich with imagination and narrative strength, the story is gripping, the voice acting strong, but what makes "Up" so enthralling for me anyway is that it's not simply a movie. It's a movie that's *about* something symbolically and it's all personified by the character voiced by Edward Asner. This is a movie about growing old, about reaching the peak of your age and looking back on your life and yet making what lies ahead of you a new adventure altogether.
In the end, if you want a movie that is gut-busting in humor, strong in story, rich in depth and wit, packed with adventure and imagination, and symbolic in its telling, than "Up" is the perfect movie for you. I can't name one person off the top of my head that I wouldn't recommend this movie to. It's another masterpiece by Pixar and one of the more impressive motion pictures that I've seen in a long time.