UP (Ray's Review)

At this point it's clear that there is something special in the water at Pixar. Other animation studios - Disney included - are content with cheap gags and decent design, but Pixar takes such meticulous care with the script and character development that it takes your breath away. When Pixar nails it, they really send it out of the ballpark. Their newest, UP, might not quite reach the lofty heights of their best ... but it's awfully close to achieving liftoff. Ed Asner stars as the voice of Carl Fredricksen, an old man living in a cute old house in the middle of the urban development that has sprung up around him in his lifetime. His beloved wife has passed away, leaving the childless Carl alone and clinging to the dreams he once had to explore South America. So he does what any dreamer would do: he ties thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats away. Unfortunately, a Wilderness Explorer by the name of Russell stows away, and the two go off on the adventure together. The script by Bob Peterson is much more nuanced and complex than what we have seen from the studio in the past. Carl's tender melancholy might be better suited for older kids or adults, and there is a surprising lack of humor to the film. What replaces that missing element are effective character moments, a potent villain, and some of the most beautifully orchestrated action sequences of Pixar's twenty year history. The voice work is terrific, as usual. Asner has been playing the grumpy old man for forty years, and his grizzled voice work here has the texture and warmth to sell Carl to audiences. Newcomer Jordan Nagai is excellent as young Russell, infusing him with a sincerity that is infectious. Christopher Plummer is also excellent as the villainous Charles Muntz, his voice leaping from smooth to obsessive with ease. My only complaint about the voice work is the use of John Ratzenberger as a construction worker. Having voiced several Pixar movies already (as well as a long stint on CHEERS), his voice is obvious to the point of distraction. Thankfully he doesn't stay too long here. But voice work is only one of Pixar's strengths. Director Pete Docter orchestrates several beautiful sequences here, including the first twenty minutes of the film that set up Carl's long relationship with his wife. It might be the best twenty minutes of Pixar's existence. The mostly silent sequence rivals the opening section of WALL-E, but trumps that film in emotional wallop. Any adult not affected by it must be dead or comatose. This sequence alone assures Pixar of next year's Oscar. Besides that, Docter also conducts a transcendent moment when Carl releases the balloons and his house floats away, the multicolored glow of the display casting across the gray buildings. It's a simple and pure moment of movie magic. I must also compliment the magnificent lighting crew at Pixar for their fabulous work here. What often sets Pixar's films apart from the rest are the arresting visuals, particularly the "cinematography" of the film. The Pixar crew has created another triumph of CGI lighting with UP, which is filled with deep shadows, soft, wistful glows, and bright sunfields. It is truly beautiful to behold. While clearly a film for children, UP contains a lot of adult concerns and a fairly large amount of scary violence. Kids will love the talking dogs and the large floppy bird, which provide some of the scarce comic gags. But, overall, this film is dealing with issues of aging, life, loneliness, and friendship that might soar over the heads of most kids. Like last year's WALL-E, the film might be too complex for younger kids, which might cause it to underperform at the box office. But this deserves to be seen on the big screen, where some of Pixar's most amazing visuals will have their best showcase. While not the very best of Pixar, UP gets some serious altitude.