A story about death vs. life, young vs. old, personal status vs. personal relationships, inner vs. outer journey, friends vs. enemies. Oh, and it was very good too. :)

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2009)

A movie, in a nutshell, about death vs. life, young vs. old, personal status vs. personal relationships, inner vs. outer journey, friends vs. enemies. Oh, and it was very good too. :)
Pixar has now made their tenth movie, and still going strong.. and boy, are they! That's 10 for 10, which is an amazing feat. Each of their stories are original, different, and shows us that these guys were not out to merely settle for retreads of the same lessons, formulas, stories, and jokes. Pixar films have the danger of being timeless. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion they already are! For those who don't know the general story, it's about an old man (who sold balloons) who is about to be evicted, decides that he is better off away, ties tons of balloons to his house and off he goes toward a place in South America called Paradise Falls, to fulfill a promise he made to his late wife. Along comes a kid who hitches along for the ride. To say more would be a disservice to the viewers, as the story unfolds to many great moments, adventures, dangers, and humor.
"Up," as mentioned, is yet another classic, and personally, I felt this movie went boldly beyond what one may categorize as merely kids' entertainment. In fact, there were moments of great emotion that only adults will fully appreciate. Among the Pixar movies, this movie probably moved me the most at a deep, emotional level, which is saying a lot given that it's an animation. They manage to do things with their skillful use of music, imagery, and story, that is both subtle and powerful. There are many things I can say about this movie and how it has many layers and themes and such, but those will be left for discussion boards and essays and talks over coffee.