Up – Disney Digital 3D
Quickcard Review
Up – Disney Digital 3D
Directed by: Pete Docter
Cast: (Voices) Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG
Release Date: May 29, 2009
Click here For Megan Lehar’s complete Scorecard Review of Up
Click here for the He Said – She Said of Up
Plot: Carl Fredricksen (Asner) is a widower about to lose his home to developers, so instead of giving it away, he takes off (literally) with thousands of balloons attached to his house. He attemps to go to South America, but a wilderness scout named Russell (Nagai) accidentally comes along.
Who’s It For? Who doesn’t love Pixar? This is a perfect family film, and the elderly have another character to fall in love with since Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino.
OVERALL
Perfection is easy to spot. You just know it when you see it, and then you’re able to explain why later. The opening sequence of Up that sits in silence, telling the story of Carl and Ellie is so heart-warming and so overfilled with emotion. Tears fell at the end, and I almost guarantee it will do the same for you. I say almost, because my wife didn’t shed a tear. I know. I know.
After the beginning it’s a great ride filled with ups and downs. Ruseell is perfect as the slightly overweight sidekick who is eager to help Carl so he can get a scout badge. If he wasn’t a cartoon, I’d think it’s a shame that he’s got the extra weight, but animation lends it’s to make him lovable. And speaking of animation, I saw this in Disney Digital 3D and was once again pleasantly surprised they are using this technology for good (adding depth and dimension to the film) and not evil (pies being thrown in your face). It’s worth the extra $3.50 … unless of course you’re bringing a family of four and then you can save your money.
Carl’s adventure serves purpose whenever he remembers Ellie, but I have to admit his old curmudgeon attitude took me a while to appreciate. Ellie is sweetness personified, and that’s the way these two were as a couple, so why has Carl lost all signs of that? Plus Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) is not a good enough bad guy for this flick, even with the technology he created (but never explained) of making dogs talk. While talking dogs is a funny idea, the one-liners were hit and miss and they went to the “squirrel” well one to many times. I say all of this because during these moments I realized the entire movie isn’t perfection (like the beginning), but it is still great fun and something everyone should see in the theater. It’s one of the year’s best so far.
Final Score: 8/10
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Just saw “Up” and have to acknowledge the first 20-30 minutes are just brilliant. The nuances that define the old man’s life are both subtle and valid, and how they are depicted show a keen eye for life on the part of the creators.
Once the balloon house takes off, however, the plot gets a little too Disney… i.e. must have funny animals and dogs, plus a cartoon villian, and the characters’ antics go a bit too far to be believed, even given suspension of belief.
I don’t think it’s a 98 but I’d give it a 90 and require every student of animation to watch the first sequences many times over.
Yeah, the opening sequence was incredible. By far the best part about the movie. The silent story of Carl and Ellie’s life made me cry, which was wonderful. I wasn’t a fan of the unexplained talking dogs, but I came to love their characters. I’ve recommended this movie to everyone!
I loved ‘Up’, even the second half of the movie. To me, the adventure antics were totally necessary–the whole point of the movie is that he has an adventure to rekindle his love of life, and the first half of the movie is the set-up to justify the Disney-esque action of the second half. And, to be honest, it’s not Disney-esque at all. The dogs who only talk because of their mechanical collars are a subversion of Disney’s talking animals, and the humor of the evil dog with the squeaky voice was a subversion of the stereotypical ‘Jafar’ like Disney villain, whereas the actual villain was far more nuanced and human. He is, in effect, a darker version of Carl. Whereas Carl learns to let go of the past, the villain cannot. It’s clever stuff.
Additional: I think the reason Carl has not retained any of his ’sweetness’ as Bayer puts it, is quite simply..er..the love of his life DIED! She was the person who brought out his sweetness; he loved life because she was in it. At the beginning of the movie this is nicely set up…she is the extrovert, he the introvert and it is only because of her that he learns to let go. When she dies, of course he is angry and bitter, and retreats back into his shell. From a psychological point of view I think it makes perfect sense.