Directors: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Starring (voices of): Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai & Christopher Plummer
Another well made, funny and heartfelt animated film from Pixar. Up might not push the visual effects of CGI animation forward but the maturity in it’s approach to certain themes makes it feel more grown up than most animated features.
Despite more and more competition in the CGI animation stakes beyond just the Shrek movies and with each of their movies being well received commercially and critically, Pixar have still managed to release yet another film that not only succeeds at being as entertaining as much of their previous pictures but shows even more maturity in its handling of themes with their films being emotionally engaging to adults as well as children.
Carl (Asner) is a lonely and grumpy old man living in the house he and his wife Ellie once shared before her passing. Refusing to move out to allow property developers to move in, an altercation with a worker leads to Carl facing movement to a care home. Instead of going along with this he instead hitches balloons to his house and flies it away determined to find the exotic land of Paradise Falls where he once promised to take his wife but failed to do so before her death. Carl’s plan becomes complicated though by the arrival of a wildlife explorer cadet named Russell (Nagai) who was on the porch of Carl’s house when it took flight. Upon reaching Paradise Falls, Carl soon realises that dreams aren’t always what you imagine them to be and neither is his childhood hero, the explorer Charles Muntz (Plummer), who Carl encounters living at Paradise Falls already.
Up raises the level of maturity for Pixar films. Beginning with an opening montage that charts the progress of Carl’s relationship with Ellie from their first encounter as children, through to marriage and into old age with their dreams of becoming explorers, and later parents, set back by delays until they’re ultimately left unfulfilled and Carl left alone after Ellie’s passing. The sequence is perhaps the most emotionally engaging, and true, sequence in any Pixar film yet and perhaps in animated film so far even touching upon a miscarriage and the death of Ellie. By the time the story settles on the present day and we meet Carl, now a grumpy loner, the audience feels immediately sympathetic despite his surly attitude to those he encounters. Having the story centre largely around an elderly man is also a risk, yet an impressive and successful one, considering the target audience for films are children but Carl is a well developed character. Other characters are similarly likeable and well developed too in typical Pixar style such as a dog named Dug, fitted with a collar that allows him to speak and an obsession with squirrels, and an exotic and overgrown bird named Kevin that Carl and Russell encounter on their adventure. The characters generate lots of comedy and Carl’s adventure is emotionally involving however, despite the fun characters and impressive opening, not everything in Up works successfully. As likeable as Carl and Russell are, their dynamic as a pair is merely okay and doesn’t quite as engage as well as other Pixar pairings such as Toy Story’s Woody and Buzz, Finding Nemo’s Marlin and Dory or even Monsters Inc’s Mike and Sully. The pairing of the animals Dug and Kevin make for a funnier pair than Carl or Russell though ultimately this is Carl’s story and his story is engaging in itself.
Interesting, and also entertaining, is Pixar’s choice of voice cast for Up. Ed Asner is a veteran actor who has played similar personalities to Carl before but is not as recognisable a name to cast in a Pixar film considering names such as Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, John Goodman or Samuel L. Jackson who have been cast in past Pixar films yet Asner is still good, making Carl’s feelings believable and sympathetic. The casting of Russell, Dug and various other talking dogs all work well and Christopher Plummer is good as the explorer/villain Charles Muntz too though he is not given quite as much time to shine as an actor such as he deserves.
Overall, Up is another entertaining film from Pixar. It has some great comedic moments, mainly involving its animal characters, and Carl is another strong character from the Pixar stable. With a very impressive opening sequence that shows Pixar are still the best at stirring emotions as well as funny bones in animated pictures, Up is very enjoyable.
Rating: 4/5
