Movie Review: Up

There ought to be two standards of greatness for films: Regular great and Pixar great. I mean, that's the only way to make things fair. I cannot think of a production company on a bigger roll than the folk at Pixar. Toy Story (I&II), Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Wall*E, Ratatouille, Monsters Inc., A Bugs Life... that is a fine display of quality film making. (Yes, I left out Cars. That is because I have not seen it. I don't watch things that have Larry the Cable Guy in them. Not gonna happen--ever.)

All of this leads us to their latest offering, Up. In a word, genius. Really, this movie is about as good as movies get. Touching, sweet, funny, and with something on its mind that ought to lead to some nice conversations between parents and children of any age.

"A pleasure is only full grown when it is remembered."-- C.S. Lewis

That quote popped into my mind when the credits rolled at the end. And, of course, to remember something, you've got to let the experience go, to surrender it to time, to memory. That's really what Up is all about.

It's the story of a man, Carl, who is driven to act (in the most extreme, imaginative way I can remember on screen) because he is desperately holding on to the memory of his beloved wife, Ellie. You can't blame him for it. As we see in a beautifully framed montage of their lives together, Ellie was quite a woman. Full of passion and an adventurous spirit, she elevated Carl's life in the same way those helium balloons he's made a career selling lifted his sales cart. But she dies, never having visited Paradise Falls, their dream adventure-vacation set somewhere in South America.

Carl is left alone, in their wonderful dream house, which he has maintained as a monument to Ellie, even still speaking to her as if she were standing next him. The house, you might say, is used as a metaphor for Ellie herself--certainly their life together. Greedy developers have beset Carl at all sides and are just waiting to take his property, too. After an accidental beating at Carl's hands, the retirement home seems destined to be Carl's future.

Not content to go quietly in that good night, Carl makes a choice that sets the movie in motion and takes the audience on a wonderful ride. I know, this doesn't sound particularly funny, but trust me, the funny comes. Along the way, we meet a young stowaway, Russell, the Wilderness Scout, and a talking dog named Dug. Actually, we meet lots of talking dogs--I mean, lots of them. And believe me when I tell you that they nearly steal the show with their zaniness. Oh, we also meet a giant bird, Kevin, who is not quite what "he" seems.

I refuse to give away plot points, so let me just say that Up is fantastic. Whimsical, funny, exhilarating at times, and with a profound message. From a technical standpoint, also fantastic. Not a thing wasted on screen--not even squirrel jokes. The colors are vibrant, the animation as good as any Pixar has created (though perhaps not at amazing as the detail on Ratatouille), and the script tight and well written.

If I'm a movie reviewer, I'm going to need symbols to say how good something is, right? Thumbs are taken, stars are over-used... Four/Four Torches!

I encourage you to talk about the movie in the comments section. Please, don't give away spoilers w/out a *Spoiler Alert*. Now, go see Up.