A humble and affecting expansion on the tried and true formula so far developed.

Rating: Null/10 (21 October 2009)

When it comes to Pixar movies, one can usually flaunter into a box office, casually ask for the ticket and dip one's hand into one's wallet without fear of regret two hours after said event. One might not feel comfortable treating oneself to a single ticket to a children's animated movie, but then again, you could just pretend you're on the other side of the world for a moment and revel in this momentary state of consumerist bliss. This state of ease that is accompanied with the now annual event of catching the latest Pixar movie is one that has taken over a decade to emblaze upon the cinematic landscape, but it's a trait that has been well earned and deserved nonetheless. You see, in amongst the remainder of the year's children's movies, animated and so forth, consistently significant and memorable are those penned by the guys behind Wall-E, Toy Story and Finding Nemo. In fact, to say that such films are in a league of themselves—no, another ball game entirely is not too much of an overstatement if any. This almost universally accepted truth is so obvious; so accepted as the norm that it has this critic questioning why he's devoted so much space to restating it.
But you see, there's a reason that I and many other film-lovers, critics and casual fans will so often draw focus onto the fact that Pixar above all others, stand a fair distance above those that challenge them. The reasoning is simply that when one does take that ticket stub and takes a seat in return, two hours later, you'll no doubt leave knowing that what you saw was:
1. Worth your money. 2. Not a children's movie at all. 3. Definitely made by Pixar.
Up, which is the latest in the long list of movies now made by the studio, may not be their best work, but it's got the same consistency and lovable charm about it that one associates with such movies. Sure, the kids will love it, but best of all is that you yourself won't suffer the consequences of falling asleep mid-way through. Instead, directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson deliver something akin to the studio's work last year (Wall-E) and give audiences a tale that will bring a spring to your step as well as make you think, feel and care for its characters. Indeed, if you had to pinpoint the sole area where Pixar so often excel where other children's animated adventures fail, it would be in this sense of character and humanity. Rather than bludgeon the screen with flat caricatures and cliché jokes that reek of kitsch (although there are a few notable, disappointing throwbacks to these stapes in Up), Docter and Peterson give ample screen time to their characters which allows them to breathe and feel human—the movie's first act, which acts as an extremely poignant and sweet fifteen minute ode to love and the passing of time, most strongly achieves this and so early on too.
If there is one drawback to the feature as a whole then, it would be the middle act which follows in the path of such a sombre, reflective and highly emotive opening. Placed within the confines of your average movie, such shenanigans and slapstick adventures would probably exist as the feature's highlight, but here the inclusion of certain elements (such as talking dogs—yeah, yeah, I know it has to please the children too, but c'mon) only work against the grander, more refined areas of the story. Yet for every talking dog and lame antagonist ploy in general, there exists a counter-weight in favour of imaginative story-telling and awe-inducing imagery that will have you mesmerised by all the colours, vivid details and lifelike quality to the otherwise very stylised and cartoonish animation. Audiences who shelf out a little extra for some 3D glasses will probably enjoy the visuals a little more but not by much—to its credit, Up uses the third dimension sparingly and without awkward "Omygoditscomingatme!" contrivances; it's nice to see everything so crisp in three dimensions, but it certainly isn't mandatory in order to have a fun experience either.
When it comes to pure storytelling, Up's screenwriters played their game basic, but not without some distinct charm and originality. While the general arc is very much the same as most animated films and Pixar's movies in general (get lost in an adventure, which in turn allows the characters to become more human and closer to each other), the writers spread enough character work entwined with some genuinely thrilling segments throughout to make the experience something of its own, albeit not quite as refreshing as earlier works. This small truth is something of a tagline price to the renowned and admired stature briefly touched upon in the opening paragraph; Up certainly is a Pixar movie—and a great one at that sure to please those who enjoy the studio's work thus far—yet it's not something to get overly excited about. Instead the movie works as a humble and affecting expansion on the tried and true formula so far developed from within. If that sounds a little underwhelming, don't let it deflate your balloons; Up nevertheless does what it sets out to do and does so whilst retaining that signature charm that audiences have warmed themselves up to for over a decade now; this is cinematic comfort food for sure, and as long as Pixar up the ante following this somewhat refrained piece, one can remain optimistic the next time your wallet is taxed for a movie with the name Pixar alongside side its credentials.

A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)