The young can teach the old, the old can teach the young

Rating: 10/10 (17 September 2014)

UP! Is Disney & Pixar's 2009 animated story of Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) and Russell (Jordan Nagai) and their adventurous airborne journey to Paradise Falls. The dominant thematic elements in UP! are the focus on character, emotional effect and mood, the complexity of human relationships, and the coming of age. The story begins with Carl, a 78-year-old widower and the struggle he is facing to keep the city from turning his home into a construction site. As the pressure to avoid the nursing home as well as releasing his homeowner rights to the city intensifies, he develops the brilliant idea to leave town by balloon. Carl hopes to complete his book of adventures he and his late wife Eleanor were unable to complete. Unbeknownst to him, Russell, the 8-year-old neighborhood Wilderness Explorer sneaks his way onto the house as it departs to South America.
As the story progresses viewers are introduced to the similarities Carl and Russell share, as well as the changing dynamics between the characters. Carl is learning to live, love, let go, and embark on new adventures, without his beloved wife Eleanor while Russell is discovering his hidden strength and confidence. The consistent use of a bold color pallet enhances the theme, emotional and visual effects on perception in the film. For example, Carl and his house are often depicted in bland Earth-tone colors, reflecting his current unexciting stage in life. We also see elements of dark, Earth-tone colors in the scenes leading to an altercation between Carl, Russell and Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer).
Diving deeper into the plot, we see a colorful and exciting additions to the color pallet associated with excitement, calmness, happiness, etc. A great example is the use of color in the house's balloons, Paradise Falls, and in Kevin, the bird. The use of visible sound and invisible sound enhanced the viewing experience, creating a life- like setting through special effects from the sounds of animals and insects in the jungle to the creaking floorboards in Carl's house, as well as the scores used in climactic scenes.
In addition to an eventful plot, UP! introduced heavy issues for both child and adult audiences through its message of the coming of age. The young (Russell) teaching Carl detach himself from his state of depression, returning to the times of his younger years that motivated him to take a chance. The old (Carl) teaching Russell to leaves his timidity behind in efforts to earn the Wilderness Explorer badge of his dreams, despite his battles with insecurity. Overall, UP! is a great addition to the Disney-Pixar collection and is a viewing experience the family can enjoy.