Film Review: Up Soars

Up.

Just Wow.

This movie is breathtaking.

It truly is.

It is, in my humble opinion, the most human Pixar movie yet.
Yeah, we've had "human" stories before...like The Incredibles, Ratatouille, and the Gels of Wall-E, but never anything like this. Honestly, I could never identify with the characters in The Incredibles (except for Edna...she's the best thing in that movie)...and Luigi was a prop for Remy...and the Gels were...well, just really lazy people who had forgotten what it was to be human.

Up reveals that Pixar knows how to tell a human story.

Put simply, Up is a story about ordinary people who do extraordinary things...and I'm not talking about building translator collars for dogs or flying a house with balloons...though those things are extraordinary in their own right. Up is about real people. They have real lives, jobs, and development that is completely believable. Carl Fredrickson is a retired balloon salesman who has been living in the same house for many years and refuses to sell it to the suits who are tearing down his neighborhood and building, well, new buildings. They offer him an enormous (unnamed) sum, but he always refuses. The reason why he doesn't want to sell his house is heartbreaking and touching. Russel, the adorable Wilderness Explorer, has his own reasons for wanting to earn his "Assisting the Elderly" badge.

There is also a really great message about society and the elderly present here that is really important and I'm glad Pixar addressed it. Carl isn't taken seriously by many people who should respect him. Even those who are supposed to take care of him (nursing home attendants who come to pick him up via a court order) are disrespectful and condescending. Russel keeps trying, with the best intentions, to assist him in absolutely everything. There are lessons about death, dying, living, and life all sprinkled throughout the movie and it really deserves to be scene. For instance, we get to see positive forms of passion, Carl and his wife Ellie love adventure...they want to visit Paradise Falls in South America, but their savings end up going to other things they need. Instead, they spend their lives working at the South American exhibit at their local zoo. Russel wants to become a senior Wilderness Explorer and aims to earn all the badges(he's only missing one!). There is also a negative portrayal of obsession epitomized by Muntz, a once famous explorer, is obsessed with finding a rare species of bird. He's driven to madness through this single minded goal-unable to take pleasure from the events that take place around him.

There are a lot of great things about this movie that make it another amazing entry into the Pixar canon.

I currently find myself loving Dug The Dog. He talks like I'd imagine a real dog would if they could, simple, and good natured. He's the nerd dog of the alpha pack. While the other dogs are loud and harsh like their master, Dug is sweet and easily swayed over to the good guys' side. He has a number of adorable quotes which include "I was hiding under your porch because I love you" and "I have just met you and I love you"-all the while wagging his fluffy tail and being adorable.

Let's not leave out Kevin, the giant rainbow bird who likes chocolate and sitting on Carl's roof. They're all in for a surprise when they realize that Kevin's...well, a girl. XD

All that said, it is a tearjerker.
It is possibly the most sad animated film in existence. Strangely enough, it isn't depressing at all, just sad because it feels so real. I myself cried at least three different times during this movie, yet I immediately wanted to see it again.

Don't let the fact that you'll probably cry your eyes out multiple times in this movie stop you from seeing it. Up is another Pixar movie that celebrates the everyday as the amazing,, which makes is a must see...just bring tissues.