Up

The magic that is a Pixar film is fairly well cemented with Up, had there been any doubt prior. Seen outside of the view from parents of young children or diehard fans of the studio, there can be no doubt left that a Pixar film is miles ahead of not only others placed into the CG genre, but simply most all other films combined. Up, specifically, is overwhelmingly refreshing in its ability to be accessible to everyone. There's no cornering of age groups or targeted demographics, it is at its most basic an undeniably good movie. Up's greatest accomplishment is with the ease it purports to do so, tho when given any thought there was clearly a tremendous amount of work and talent involved.

How this is achieved though a film whose base plot is that of a curmudgeonly old man fulfilling the dream of his dead wife while paired with a hapless boy scout is a wonder to watch unfold. Such a thing would seem to be the antithesis of a foundation for an adventure movie, with concepts that could go horribly wrong into the realm of schmaltz and false emotion. Yet the genuine heart of each character is told through care and craft at just the right pace and attention.

The running theme through Up is "The Spirit of Adventure," taking all forms from the everyday to the grand and sweeping. The story is so adamant in its search and delivery of adventure that no real logic need apply. Events snowball after each other that are so much fun to watch there isn't enough time to wonder why it's happening, just that it is and you can hardly believe your eyes. Before that suspension of disbelief is betrayed, we are brought back to earth (so to speak) to focus on the characters as they are set up for the next big leap. The characters themselves are a collection of oddities outside of the norm of perceived archetypes. And even though the film has a "bad guy," it's not the case in the traditional sense. It's a much more antagonistic involvement with believable and prescient motivations, albeit ultimately destructive. The main characters do set a wonderful tone for the film, following the arc of the acerbic and steadfast Carl managing his time with the unbridled young Russell in their continually peculiar situations. In that respect Up is 100% pure, storypoints seemingly lain out methodically and then toppling like dominoes as the audience tries to keep up. There are instances where you can almost hear Pixar subliminally bragging "Hey, every other movie, this is how you tell a good story. Please do not attempt this at home, we're professionals."

And then there's... the dogs. One can only imagine the story discussion that took place as Up was taking shape, starting simply enough and then cascading into what would become some of the biggest payoffs in the film.

"We should add a dog."
"We should add dogs."
"Like three or four dogs?"
"Like, a hundred and fifty dogs."
"Yeah."



Artistically, if any more adoration can be stood, Up is flawless. There is an acute level of detail on everything that not just raises the bar for competitors, it pretty much puts the bar in sole ownership of Pixar. Stylized characters mesh incredibly into a world that's not quite real but the viewer instantly believes it is so. A wood floor is warped just a touch. The fabric on a chair delicately patterned and worn. The bright color of a merit badge shows every stitch if inspected. The light refracted through a thousand balloons... stunning. As an added bonus, Up is available to be seen in 3D. While there are some cool "in your face" moments, the appeal of 3D in this instance goes more towards a viewing experience of watching a picturesque world come to just shy of life, perhaps like watching Tilt Shift photography on a scale yet unseen.

Up runs a gauntlet of emotion that has no reason to be in any ordinary film. At times sad and melancholy, yet at others laugh-out-loud funny and wide-eyed action. In any other hands, well, who knows. What comes out of the mix is an incredible amount of heart that is so rarely seen it's kind of weird to be found in. When was the last time you saw a movie that when the credits began to roll, the entire audience is just... happy? Odds are it was probably by Pixar.