Cinematography:
Jean-Claude KalacheComposer:
Michael GiacchinoCast:
Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, David Kaye, Jess Harnell, Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, Brenda Chapman, Teddy Newton (more)VOD (3)
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From the revolutionary minds of Pixar Animation Studios and the acclaimed director of MONSTERS, INC. comes a hilarious uplifting adventure where the sky is no longer the limit. Carl Fredicksen, a retired balloon salesman, is part rascal, part dreamer who is ready for his last chance at high-flying excitement. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl sets off to the lost world of his childhood dreams. Unbeknownst to Carl, Russell, an overeager 8-year old Wildnerness Explorer who has never ventured beyond his backyard, is in the wrong place at the wrong time - Carl's front porch! The world's most unlikely duo reach new heights and meets fantastic friends like Dug, a dog with a special collar that allows him to speak, and Kevin, the rare 13-foot tall flightless bird. Stuck together in the wilds of the jungle, Carl realizes that sometimes life's biggest adventures aren't the ones you set out for. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
In the case of the latest animated feature film from Pixar, I fell victim to my own expectations and, above all, the enthusiasm of the newspaper critics, who gushed like a fountain and it was clear that this film was the number one film event of the year for some of them. Such a high percentage rating is truly exceptional. The same was true in four other cases, so I went to the movie theater to sit carefully so as not to collapse from the flood of impressions. During and immediately after watching, I would give it perhaps two stars, but the objective value of Up is of course significantly higher. Pixar excels in both animation and the script for a classic family spectacle for all generations, but for me, there are a few "buts." Firstly, to my taste, the story relies too much on sentimentality and nostalgia, secondly, it moves too much in the spirit of political correctness and expectations limited by a family film, whereas I would like the grandpa to be really tough on the annoying brat who intrudes into his contemplation about fulfilling his dreams from his youth, and in the spirit of classic performances by Walter Matthau, really "give it to him." I also wanted more gags and the plot didn't grab me after they arrived in Venezuela. It's strange because the creators strive for a spectacle inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" or classic Verne-style adventures like "Five Weeks in a Balloon," which I grew up with as a boy. The idea of the flying house carried by balloons scored the most points, but it was obviously not a surprise to anyone. Overall impression: 60%. Up did not only lose to Ratatouille in my eyes but also to the robot Wall-E.
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There is no point in expecting it: you will not find the great truths of life here again in a form other than those which are very trivial, but that is also not what Pixar is all about. This studio matures with every film and dazzles kids with narrative action and a great ability to bring timeless children's dreams to the screen. The story of Carl and his strange retinue is captivated by emotions in some places (particularly the introductory retrospective is divine) and sometimes the first signal amuses (it’s probably too infantile for some people, but so be it). There is no denying that this is once more a compilation of several shorts, the level of which is not exactly stable, but the overall impression is clearly "Up".
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There are Madagascar (or Ice Age) adventures, and then there are South American adventures. The first ones rely on dozens of funny characters, put together by a weak storyline about family values. The South American adventure contains only one funny character and the movie tells a story of wasted opportunities and fulfilling one’s childhood dreams (which may also have a dark side — a cleverly presented difference between a child’s and adult’s perceptions). Up is an animated movie that can only be fully appreciated by adult viewers (kids will definitely have more fun watching the Madagascar series). The highlight of the movie is the opening sequence, which briefly summarizes the life of the main character from his childhood to old age. It’s pure beauty. If the creators said “sod the kids” (which they obviously couldn’t do :)) and went on with this type of storytelling, this could have been my all-time favorite animated movie.
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When I get bored of Pixar movies, you better shoot me as a precaution - I probably won't be okay, and who knows, it might even be contagious! Up is a near-perfect thing - near-perfect because I was missing two little things in it. Firstly, a scene, even a very short one, in which you could see how Carl prepared all those balloons, inflated them and so on, and then the building of the tent. Otherwise, it amounts to great satisfaction. The senior walker vs. sword fight brought me to tears :-)
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An animated flick that milks the emotions of the viewer with the same ease as the best live action dramas. In the moments when this happens, the simplicity and lack of originality of the story is a shame, it pops the balloons and brings down this bitter-funny gem, not in any drastic way, but enough to make it lose one star. Otherwise, I agree that the first 10 minutes are probably the best sequence I’ve ever seen in an animated film.
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Photo © Pixar Animation Studios
![Up - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/000/186/186275_dfdb5d.jpg)
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