Delightful

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2009)

The sneak peeks and trailers to this movie did not particularly inspire me to go to this movie. It looked like it was a rambling movie that didn't really speak to the comic or action side to the viewer. A guy puts enough balloons together to lift a house off it's foundation: So WHAT??? He inadvertently picks up a scout as he flies away: Again... so WHAT?? Getting the point of a movie is a big reason to motivate people to go SEE a movie I would think. But this was a Pixar film, and I NEVER miss a Pixar film. So, in a moment of spontaneous motivation (and seeing that 2 out of three spawn were currently in house that morning), I popped some corn, my wife filled some water bottles, and we all piled into the Tan Mini-van and went down to the Metropolitan theater (where I felt confident I would not be met with a sour presentation of this film) to purchase tickets and view this movie.
The last time I went to see an "3D" film was an iMax theater with sharks and fish. It was pretty cool, so I was happy to kid about how much the glasses added to the family appeal. We sat down and waded through the kiddie previews and trailers then came an announcement to put our 3D glasses on. The new Toy Story and Ice Age (both up to their 3rd sequel) previews were run. Sorry, when you get to a third sequel that wasn't originally written as a trilogy I can't get excited. The Disney lead-on filled the screen and away we went.
Within the first 10 minutes I was angrily batting moisture from my cheeks. I was shocked. Pixar emptied the climax of the plot first off, but what an opening sequence of events! Without giving too much away, the plot revolves around a core of love and a promise. Remember those "Cross your heart" promises? Well, there you have it. The rest is a strange adventure with some odd sub-plots that seem thrown in to keep the kiddies focused. Both colorful and deep, the only real question one keeps throughout the movie is whether the promise will be fulfilled or not.
My wife and I watched through the ending credits (hoping for a surprise tag somewhere. Sadly, no) and saw Brad Birds name come up in the conceptualization of this film, and granted some of his influence if felt. The primary animators are quite diversified and well established, some even old enough to be your father or grandfather. As I IMDb'd some of the talent, I was impressed... and as for Ed Asner playing the primary role: I thought he had died years ago!!! But he's alive, and a great talent for the part. Pete Docter who has been in the Pixar pen since the first Toy Story does an admirable job of making this one and a half hour film both entertaining and thoughtful. There are chases, there are technological malfunctions, there are obsessions, there are fanatics and there are devouts and totally absurd sequences. This movie is no less a study of society than ornithology is a study of birds. Its amazing.
And all through it you get to see how generations meet and interact on a very honest level. I am not young, but I am not old. Each generation will find something totally involving in this film. From an artists point of view the artwork and color are spot on; from a comedy point of view it is not overwhelming; from the heart... well, it's profound.
The audience clapped after it was over. During the viewing, there was a nominal level of noise from the "too young to even enjoy Dr Suess" generation but it wasn't distracting. This film is for kids; Well, not just kids... for kids, adolescents, early adulthood, young parents, old parents, grandparents... its for everyone. Highly recommended. Well done, Pixar, well done.