Pixar keeps going up (pun not intended)

Rating: 9/10 (5 June 2010)

More than the consistent quality of its work, Pixar has a certain boldness going for it. What other animation studio could possibly get away with a film where the main character is a rat (Ratatouille), or one that is practically silent for the first 40 minutes (Wall-E)? Up is another impressive gamble, since it does what few other "kid's movies" have tried: having a grumpy old man as the protagonist.
The old man in question is Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner), a retired loner whose house is about to be demolished. Unwilling to move to a retirement home, he does the unthinkable: he decides to go on an adventurous journey he has dreamed about since childhood, and takes the house with him thanks to a lot of helium balloons. The only problem is, a boy scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai) has come along for the ride, which takes the unlikely duo to South America, where all kinds of strangeness await them.
The great thing about Up is that, once again, the filmmakers have put story over technique, so while the picture may look gorgeous and boast a visual inventiveness worthy of alive-action adventure flick (including the chance to see it in 3D during its theatrical run), directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (aided by The Station Agent's Thomas McCarthy in the screenplay area) never lose sight of what really matters, i.e. a captivating plot and believable characters. In fact, the reason grumpy old Carl works as a leading man is that the film's opening act, which establishes his background, makes him instantly relatable, thanks to a narrative bravery that surpasses Wall-E's wordless first act and even beats the likes of Bambi and Dumbo in the tears department. It's a tough act to follow, and it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume the film runs out of steam after that scene.
And yet this isn't the case, and it's all due to that unmistakably Pixar combination of thrills and laughs: from the perfect balancing act of Carl and Russell to the peril represented by one Charles Muntz (a textbook Disney villain voiced by the terrific Christopher Plummer), Up has something for everyone, including a brilliant spin on the age-old cartoon conceit of talking animals and bizarre sidekicks (a giant bird named Kevin, anyone?). It's an exhilarating ride that never ceases to entertain and move, a new confirmation of the fact that John Lasseter truly is the new Walt Disney.
In short, Up is a new high for Pixar, with yet another example of good storytelling used to make an improbable premise into an animation masterpiece and a gruff old fellow into an iconic character. It's like Eastwood's Gran Torino, but with more heart and lots of hilarious talking dogs. What's not to love?