'Up' - June 5, 2009

UP

Pixar Studios

Director: Pete Docter/Bob Peterson.

Pixar. Few studios have names so commonly associated with both critical and commercial successes. It all began with Toy Story, which was followed up with such hits as A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, Cars (which I think is an overrated disaster), Toy Story 2, and last year's amazing Wall E.
Pixar has reinvented the wheel for what animated cinema can do. Increasingly, they've found denser and more interesting ways to deal with complex ideas that never pander to children. They seem to understand that kids understand life's complexities as clearly as adults, and this has brought them their success.

In reaching for mature thematic issues and storytelling while still maintaining an air of fun absurdity, 'UP', Pixar's latest, is no different. It tells the story of Carl Frederickson, once a young spirited adventure loving man, now a crotchety old man, heartbroken from the loss of his life long love Elie. The film's opening sequence, simultaneously the film's best and most manipulative passage, shows us Elie and Carl's first encounter in an abandoned old home now being used as Elie's play space, to their marriage, loss of a child, and finally, Elie's passing. It is an extremely effective piece of visual story telling, which utilizes repeating motifs and images to give you a picture of a life lived together, and finally allows you to grieve at the loss of that life. However, it is so simplistically emotional that I found myself feeling slightly used. However, this is, after all, a kid's movie.

The movie picks up with Carl living out his days in isolation from the rest of the world. His neighborhood is being torn down around him, and his only visitor is Russell, an enthusiastic and plump 8 year old trying to earn his 'assisting the elderly' merit badge. Carl, however, has little patience for him.
When an altercation between Carl and a construction worker puts Carl in line for a retirement home, he comes up with a bold scheme. Using helium balloons from his days as a balloon salesman, he decides to fly his home to Paradise Falls, an amazing and picturesque location in Venezuela. However, he finds a stowaway: Russell, who has ended up on the porch while trying to earn his final merit badge. From here, the adventure gets underway. I will save the rest of the details for the viewer.

The first question that must be answered is: Is 'Up' worth seeing? Absolutely. It is as enjoyable, funny (though parents be warned - there's a lot of pain here), and engaging as any film Pixar has made. That being said, does Up belong on the stage with Pixar's best work? No, it does not. The thematic complexities of The Incredibles and Wall E cannot be found here. It instead falls closer to the simple but sweet films Finding Nemo and Ratatouille. It is, in fact, much too close to them.

Let me explain. Finding Nemo deals with the pain of loss through an enjoyable adventure in much the same way Up does, and Ratatouille's story of the underdog achieving a dream and finding his place are both themes explored in Up. It seems to me that Pixar is just repeating itself, and the film becomes less exciting and thrilling for it. I never found myself on the edge of my seat like I did with those earlier films, and for all it's emotional complexity, I found myself much less engaged as a result.

Another reason for this is the script. Up is a film that wants to create both pathos and laughs, but it's a bit too broad in both categories. At times, the combination of talking dogs, strange birds, and two battling septuagenarians seems to fly way off into the absurd, and doesn't feel rooted. The universe that these characters live isn't as rigorously or clearly defined as in Pixar's other films, and so we're not sure what world we're in.

To their credit, Pixar has made a highly enjoyable film, and box office numbers seem to be illustrating it's success, but I think it would be wise for them to search for some new ideas in their coming features, and make sure they're creating entirely credible and defined worlds like they have done so successfully in the past.

3/5

-Liam Billingham