I was surprised 'Up' wasn't better though it's great anyway

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2009)

The problem is the storyline. Love parts of it, like the review of the old man's past life, and the tie-in to what he finds in South America. But some of the contrivances are as annoying as they are helpful, for example, the device that lets dogs talk. And then there's the way the floating house seems to drag the action down in places. Still, the many little quirks of an old man embodied in Mr Fredricksen's figure are pretty much breathtaking as is those of a young boy embodied in Russell. Ellie is fleshed out as a character so quickly and assuredly that I was flummoxed trying to imagine what kind of a team could have produced her. But then most of the art work is completely awe-inspiring and entrancing. (I found the bird Kevin to be disappointing, though.) I guess I would have made the story a little less wild, these films deserve to be instant classics, and I can't help feeling some of the more wild parts are going to hold it back. By the way the opening cartoon about storks delivering babies was a complete pleasant surprise and a clear indication of the level of genius at Pixar. I'm guessing they wanted us to practice dropping our mouths open.