About dealing with the past

Rating: Null/10 (6 September 2019)

First of all, the silent opening of this film is one of the finest pieces of cinema I've ever seen. The initial meeting between Carl and Ellie, their life together and the loss at the end, is a story in and on itself. Pixar is often at its finest when there's no dialogue. And this is the crowning achievement in that. Sure, there is some dialogue at the initial meeting, but after that it's pure visual storytelling. And it is glorious!
If only the rest of the film could have been as good. And yes, I'm taking the mickey out of you. Kinda. It's still a really good film, suitable for all ages, while still retaining that core of values, depth and wisdom that marks all great Disney/Pixar films.
That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the storyline. Going to South America is fine and the fact that it is achieved with balloon is just one of those precious things that just works despite its innate insanity. Put then we get introduced to the dogs. And the birds. And Christopher Plummer's character. Which all put together leave me with mixed feelings. They're good on their own. The dogs are fun, especially Alpha and Dug. Plummer's character can be both charismatic as well as menacing. The bird is... well okay, the bird is just silly, frankly speaking. Put it's the mix of them that has the hiccups. This movie could have been this great pulp adventure. Especially if you just kept the Plummer character and got rid of the rest. Put it's not. It's simply... silly.
Not to say that the silliness doesn't work. It also helps a lot that both Carl and his junior woodchuck partner in crime Russell are both fantastic characters. Carl especially is one of my favourite Pixar characters of all time. Perfectly curmudgeon, but still extremely likable and sympathetic.
I honestly think that I might like this movie better as a whole if it didn't have that opening narration. But it has and it is so good that the rest of the film pales in comparison. Still, very much worth a watch and one of Pixar's better ones.