Very Uplifting....(I couldn't resist!)

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2009)

Pixar and Disney have again come up with the goods with the funny and touching movie.
The first ten minutes show a young Carl Fredriksen (voiced by the legendary Edward Asner), fascinated by the explorers he sees on newsreels. He meets a kindred spirit in Ellie and we see their life together until she passes away. This segment lets us see Carl's character and is very moving.
Carl continues to live alone in his house until a run in with a developer sees him destined to be shipped off to a retirement home. Facing this prospect he decides to go to Paradise Falls, an almost mythical place he and Ellie had always meant to go to but never did.
Here the film really takes off (see what I did there?) as Carl opts to travel via his balloon-fuelled house. Only when he is in the air does he find that a boy scout in search of a last merit badge for helping the aged has become an unwitting stowaway.
Our odd couple eventually land near their destination but trouble awaits as they cross swords with an unexpected jungle resident.
I didn't see the 3D version but the animation is still brilliant with the colours of the jungle amazingly vibrant. The story is also excellent. We empathise with Carl and his young friend as they reveal their stories and come to rely on each other. The chase sequences are straight out Indiana Jones and breathtaking (even in non-3D). While there is a "message" it isn't rammed home at the expense of making the film enjoyable.
One small complaint would be the film is perhaps too long at over 90 minutes and dragged a bit towards the end. So, while it is not as good as the peerless "Toy Story" it is a very enjoyable film for all ages and well worthy of being listed with the other Pixar classics.