An overrated effort by Pixar, but it still left me pleased.

Rating: 6/10 (25 June 2009)

I went into this film with extremely high expectations based off the praise giving reviews, and I came out content but disappointed. The best parts of the film was the great animation and the beginning, both brilliantly executed. The sequence about the old man's life with his wife was very touching and sad, and was one of the best scenes in all of Pixar's films. In the beginning there were also great parts, such as when the old man tells the developer, "Take a bath, hippie!"
I thought the character of the cub scout was cute and funny, and I genuinely felt bad for him. I thought the scene where the old man soared off with the balloons tied to his house was brilliant, and seeing the house soar was truly breathtaking in its animation and scope. And of course, it was hilarious to discover the little boy is on the house as well.
The film began going downhill when they arrived in South America, and although the bird character and the dog with the pitched voice were funny, the film grew less funny over time and the plot and characters began to diminish. By the end of the film I had lost most of my interest and was left with mixed impressions, and I thought the whole attempt at drama and suspense was overblown. See this film, but see it with certain cautions.