Disney had a habit during the late 90s and into the early 00’s of making okay, family animated films that children of age 1 to 12 fell in love with. Anyone beyond that sat in the there with their eyes glazed over. Well as of late, Disney/Pixar (Pixar was bought by Disney last year) has continually put out incredible family films that are just what their name suggests family films. UP! is the newest in the line of films created by the geniuses at Pixar and I must say, they’ve gone above and beyond the standard of an animated family film.
The film, unlike what many of the trailers have suggested, is focused more on the older gentlemen, Carl Fredricksen, and how he ends up with a boy scout in a floating house. Carl is like any other old man, he just wants to enjoy his time to himself, in his house, without the bothersome annoyance of outside influences. Well, this isn’t exactly how things pan out and Carl constantly finds himself at odds with the rest of the world.
Carl grew up a curious and very quiet young man, interested in exploring from a young age. It’s during this time that he meets the woman he eventually marries, and end up in the childhood clubhouse, living their days together. He’s happy, she’s happy and you really have to do a double take when you think about where this film is going. Like Carl, his wife has been interested in exploring as well, and they plan a trip to South America in order to satisfy their childhood fantasies. Now, I don’t want to give away the film, but I will say this. It’s the first film since Wall-E where I’ve been brought to tears for a cartoon.
Now fast forward to today. We have old Carl in his house, surrounded by the loud craziness that it the world and up comes some boy scout named Russel, to “help assist an elderly person”. Through a strange set of circumstances, the pair end up together inside the house that is Carl’s home, heading toward South America.
Throughout the film the two encounter many obstacles in the fight to get the house to it’s destination. With talking dogs, colorful and funny birds, and evil explorers, bent on clearing their smeared name, the movie will have many moments of pure laughter, enjoyment, and raw emotion.
If I do have one complaint about this movie, it’s that there are points when you feel as if the creators were pushing a bit too hard to get that tear out of your eye. Sometimes you just want to say “Okay, really? It’s a kid film, let’s not rip their hearts out.” Namely the curious relationship between the boy scout and his father. Also, in regards to being for children, there are lot of times when Russel’s life is put in grave danger and while this can be an effective tool to get your audience’s attention, it’s a bit annoying when it happens over and over again and even more so when you have kids screaming, scared that a little boy is about to fall to his death.
All in all, the film is a great movie that will have you leaving with tear stains on your face and a smile spead wide from ear to ear. I give it 2 thumbs up and worth the extra cash to see it in 3D
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