Up (2009)

"A wilderness explorer is a friend to all, be it bird or fish or tiny mole!"

Pixar are simply leaps and bounds ahead of anybody else when it comes to animated films. Their multi-level storytelling is better than any other animation company around and visually Pixar films are bettered by none. 2009 brings us their latest effort in the form of Up and looking back through the years it has been a rarity that 'their latest effort' has failed to live up to the expectation that has been placed on their shoulders.

Up is Pixar's tenth feature length film and the first time that audiences could choose to witness it in 3D. I have just returned from viewing it and I guess the question that I needed to address beforehand was '2D or not 2D?' 3D on the face of it is a completely superfluous luxury that cinema has coped without for over one hundred years and is only being employed in recent times due to advances in technology for one but mainly due to dwindling numbers of people going to the cinema. Offering films in 3D and the chance to wear fancy glasses is meant as a temptation for film fans to enter back through the cinema doors due to the fact that illegally downloading and making pirate copies of 3D films is impossible. Personally, I don't think the extra entrance fee for 3D films is justified so I 'boringly' opted to see Up in 2D. Scandalous.

Anyway back to the film. Up centers around 78 year old grump Carl Fredriksen and his desires to fulfill his lifelong ambition of visiting Paradise Falls, South America. With Charles Muntz as his idol we initially meet Carl as a young boy as he happens to meet fellow Muntzian Ellie, a young girl whose energetic personality initially overwhelms Carl but the two bond due to their shared desire to explore. After this chance meeting what follows is the highlight of the film in which we see Carl and Ellie fall in love, marry, fail to have children and grow old together whilst still maintaining that one day they will visit Paradise Falls together. During this scene in which words are absent and the only sound comes in the form of a beautifully fitting piece of music Carl and Ellie are constantly having to spend the money they have saved up in hope of visiting Paradise after they are hit by unfortunate circumstance after unfortunate circumstance. Eventually Ellie dies and their dreams never come true leaving the now empty Carl to develop a grumpy nature and live out his life alone in a house he refuses to leave despite building work going on all around him. As a side note, it is rare that a scene from an animated film touches me so deeply. Gems like this are few and far between in films orientated towards the whole family but Pixar have created poetic brilliance here that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking and probably goes down as one of the greatest scenes in animated history.


This scene sets up the rest of the main story which reminded me a little of David Lynch's 'The Straight Story'; one man realising that he has only one more chance to undertake something he believes that he needs to do in his lifetime despite the odds of doing so being stacked heavily against him. Carl, on the verge of being placed in a home for the elderly uses his job as a balloon attendant to float his house up and away into the sky, destination Paradise Falls. Expecting to be alone on his journey Carl is surprised when the plucky Russell, an eager Junior Wilderness Explorer whom Carl had met the previous day, inadvertantly joins him.

The only negative feelings I have towards Up is in the choice of content once the duo reach Paradise Falls. It descends into stupidity, which once again sees animation studios insult the intelligence of their younger audience. The introduction of dogs who can talk through electronic voice translator devices was way over the top and their reason for being there was never fully understandable. And don't get me started on that stupid bloody bird. Are these things really necessary? No. Were they in keeping with the beginning of the film. Not at all. In all honesty the magic that was created in the first fourty minutes of the film was never truly lived up to but it's importance did remain obvious throughout the film. Despite the introduction of stupid, superfluous characters the script is witty throughout, the colours always vibrant, the visuals are always very, very, good and the house with all it's balloons remains an important reminder of Ellie. Russell and Carl despite being such different characters do work wonderfully together. Up isn't just another animated adventure. It is Pixar's most character driven piece to date. The trip feels like it means something to Carl. He displays real emotion and the purpose behind his actions seems clear.

Rating: 7/10