Up: A roller-coaster of emotion and technical wizardry

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2009)

Coming off last year's hit Wall-E, Pixar attempts to sweep the hearts (and pockets) of moviegoers with Up. I had the privilege of seeing the film in Philadelphia two weeks before its release. Since Wall-E is in my personal top ten, I couldn't contain my excitement for the excitement Pixar had in store. But I was a bit worried that the premise of a man and his flying home couldn't translate into a feature. So is Up a worthy addition to Pixar's critically acclaimed catalogue?
Well, just take a wild guess.
Up revolves around 78 year old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who has kept adventure alongside his childhood love Ellie. Meeting as pipsqueaks, the pair shared a lust for escapism and eventually married. Together they had this fantasy of going to Paradise Falls, an elusive world in South America where many wonders lay. But through a somber montage, we see things fall apart and pass away, leaving Carl alone in the house the two rebuilt through their lives.
I should mention that Up has many sad (yet endearing) moments, for Carl deals with emotional loss while trying to rekindle his flame of adventure. After the aforementioned montage, one audience member burst into audible tears; I admittedly had to fight some back as well. When you see Carl wishing to be alone and personifying Ellie through their home, you can't help but feel (insert sad adjective).
But alas! This *is* a Pixar film, after all. As Carl begins his journey through the skies, we're soon treated to blissful wonder, pure excitement, cunning suspense, and, of course, laughable humor. Pixar is the master of manipulating emotions, and a roller-coaster's worth is packed into 96 minutes.
While resting in his buoyant home, Carl receives an unwelcomed addition to his adventure: 8 year old Russell, a Wilderness Explorer (i.e. Boy Scout) who helps Carl for an aiding the elderly merit badge. I originally thought the chipper chubbster would be annoying, catering mainly to the younger audience. However, Russell provides comical relief and has surprising emotional depth.
As the characters' journey continues, we discover the pair is more alike than the 70 year difference would suggest. Along their way we meet a rare (and hungry) bird with a sense of humor, dogs who can talk, and many other surprises that I won't spoil. I honestly wasn't bored at all; even during the slower parts Pixar gives us much to admire.
Unsurprisingly, Up looks AMAZING. While I didn't see it in 3-D, the 2-D version has plenty to marvel at. Instead of going for realism a la Wall-E, Up tries a more stylized look a la The Incrediblesand succeeds marvelously. I love Carl's squarish head, the vibrant colors, the miniscule details, everything. As a technology junkie, wondering about the programming and rendering used to make the film made my head spin. Things like the scripted physics behind Carl's balloons or the global light reflecting off Russell's chocolate bar were enough to give me a nerdgasm.
The sound is fantastic as well. Again, Pixar gives us a great original theme which is mostly played on piano. It's sparse in emotional parts, loud and boisterous in action scenes. Edward Asner does an exceptional job voicing Mr. Fredricksen. All the technical aspects are what we've come to expect from Pixarwhich basically means they're perfect.
However, I don't think Up is perfect overall. Granted, this is a film about a man who attaches balloons to his house and flies away, but there were moments that made me question certain choices or actions despite Up's fantastical setting. Furthermore, the central villain was a bit weak (not on a moral scale, though) and quickly came into play with little buildup. Though these seem a bit nitpicky, I was brought of the film at a few points and questioned certain things after the movie finished.
Yet these complaints aren't deterring me from jumping on line and putting on 3-D glasses when Up is released. While it's no Wall-E in my book, Up is a film that will take your emotions up, up, and away. It's about loss, love, and realizing the destination isn't what necessarily matters; the adventure getting there is sometimes the most important thing. So take a seat beside me when Up is releasedbut could you get me some tissues this time? Oh, and while you're over there, you might as well grab that Oscar too.
9.2 / 10, rounded up for Pixar's hard work through 10 films