Brilliant Opening Deseves to be Seen; Rest Is Okay

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2009)

"Up" opens with a remarkable sequence that tells much of a man's life story with minimal dialogue. I've never seen anything quite like it in an animated movie. The closest I can think of is silent film, which also used minimal dialogue. I was very impressed, even as I was watching, to see how much the animators were able to convey, and the depth of the material. A couple of very challenging life events are addressed, in ways so graceful and subtle that one could not take offense or decide that the subject matter was inappropriate for a children's film or an animated film. I was fully engaged for this sequence, and ready for more. The opening is capped by a lovely, colorful, effervescent scene depicting a house taking flight. After that, the movie was still good, but it didn't engage me as much.