BOTTOM
LINE:
Pixar do not seem to
know how to make a bad film, cranking out another winner with “UP”,
a delightful new CG-animated flick that has all the charm, character,
story and visual sophistication we have all come to expect from
Pixar, despite its unusual concept.
THE
GOOD: “UP”
tells the story of 78 year old Carl Frederickson who sets out to
fulfil his lifelong dream of exploring the wilds of South America.
The dense and moving ten minute prologue chronicles Carl’s
life with his lively wife Ellie, from their cute beginnings with
their shared interest in exploration, through to their marriage,
life and the eventual death of Ellie. Many themes of life, birth,
death, love and marriage are played out in this prologue, almost
making it worthy of a film on its own, with a moment or two pulling
at the heart strings and are much more adult than you would expect
in a kids’ film. When Carl finds himself being sent to a retirement
home after an unfortunate incident with a property developer, he
sets out to fulfil his promise to Ellie of exploring the wilds of
South America. He ties a huge amount of helium balloons to his house
which when released cause his house to fly away, setting him off
on his adventure. However, he has an 8-year old scout stow-away
on board and together, they find themselves in the midst of a grand
adventure neither ever expected. The premise for “UP”
is very unusual for a Pixar film, with characters that are not as
easily ‘marketable’ which makes the success of this
movie all the more astonishing. All of the ingredients are there
including great characters, funny dialogue, good story and wonderful
visuals, particularly when seen in 3D. The dynamics of the plot
are quite interesting, particularly as Carl’s hero Charles
Muntz (Christopher Plummer) turns out to be the main villain of
the piece, despite his heroic introduction in the news reel footage
at the beginning of the film. The filmmakers ability to work against
type by taking an otherwise heroic character on a genuine mission
of exploration and making him the bad guy, particularly as the heroes
are a 78-year old retiree and an 8-year old boy scout, is a testament
to their collective talents in making the whole thing work; this
can be said for the film as a whole because the concept is certainly
odd to say the least. “UP” is yet another winner from
Pixar Animation Studios who have produced an excellent, and unique
story almost everyone should enjoy.
