The opening of Up is faultless. Beginning with a period set piece showing children Carl and Ellie meet, it segues into a montage that spans their entire life from marriage to her death, all scored to Michael Giachinno's pitch-perfect score. It's an emotive delight, reducing even the most cynical moviegoer to tears as the beauty of a shared life and the inevitable passage of time is effortlessly shown. Yeah, the first ten minutes of Up are nothing short of greatness. But you know what else is great? The following eighty minutes. Married Life could have been a prime example of peaking too early, but Pete Docter (a director whose other films placed third and fourth on this list) is smarter than that. The highs and lows of Carl's life aren't just background to his grumpy nature, but essential to his character arc. He hangs onto Ellie, who he personifies his house as, literally dragging the burden through the rest of his life. It's only in a third act reveal, which, if anything, is more of an emotional hit than the opening, where he learns a dying Ellie wished him a new life after her passing, that he sees past such self-obsessed thoughts. Up is a kid's film intrinsically about death and moving on. All of this is juxtaposed with a bright, exciting adventure yarn of the kind Carl would have obsessed over as a kid; talking dogs, bright birds and exotic locales. He even meets his childhood hero, only to discover the inevitable disappointment such an encounter brings with it. The way the highly emotional arc and fantastical story visually and thematically blend shows Pixar at the absolute peak of their powers, making one of their most ridiculous ideas into an undisputed masterpiece. The final shot, a zoom out of Paradise Falls as the clouds clear to reveal the house sitting where a childhood Ellie dreamed it would be, is complete perfection. Up isnt just Pixars best movie. It isnt even just the best animated feature ever. It is one of the greatest films of all time. Agree with this list or would you have it totally different? Share your ranking down in the comments.
