"It will lift you up where you belong."

Rating: 10/10 (19 June 2009)

So here we are, 17 years after the release of "An Officer and a Gentleman," and it appears that the tagline for that "tropically sexy military drama" has found, in Pixar's "Up," a film that suits it all the better. Pixar films have always been noted for their deep themes and profound focuses, ranging in the past from creative passion to the curse of celebrity, but never before has a Pixar film had the guts to take on love in all its many forms.
"Up" opens with a scene of young Carl, our protagonist-to-be, dreaming of adventures to South America's Paradise Falls with renowned explorer Charles Muntz, who has lost his reputation in the eyes of the cruelly skeptical scientific community. Young Carl meets young Ellie, a fellow Muntz devotee, and the rest is history, illustrated through an emotional roller coaster of a montage stands as one of the most powerful ever committed to screen. It captures the spirit of marital love, illustrating that romantic love is more responsible for happiness than any material possession. As this montage ends, the film's main plot begins.
Fortunately, the rest of "Up" stays afloat even after beginning on such a high-flying note. The plot is unpredictable and has a number of shocking moments, so I'll say just this. Russell, Carl's incidental friend, forms a platonic relationship with Carl that is truly touching and illustrates a whole new type of love. Like the opening montage, the payoff of this relationship is emotionally powerful and real at the same time. While one or two of Russell's lines about his family ring false, these do very little to puncture the film. In fact, they are completely canceled out by the inclusion of some funny canine humor and by the introduction of who is one of Pixar's best and most complex villains yet. Mum's the word on this one.
All in all, as that very different 1982 film's tagline suggests, "Up" will lift you up where you belong with its poignant examination of love and its thrilling storyline.