Up
by Lelia Nebeker
Disney/Pixar’s UP soars, living up to its name in all senses of the word. The title not only describes the ascent of the main characters and their house via hundreds of balloons, but UP is also the direction in which this delightful movie lifts your spirits, as well as the way things are looking for Disney/Pixar come awards season. With all the explosion-filled, robot-driven, post-apocalyptic summer blockbusters filling the box office, UP is a refreshing change and truly a work of art. Everything from the balloons carrying the candy-colored house to the rainbow feathers of Kevin the giant bird is portrayed with such vibrancy that it looks like someone turned up the color dial on the world. Watching UP is the visual equivalent of a piece of homemade chocolate cake with brightly colored icing: sweet, luscious, and enriching.
The visual richness of the film is surpassed only by the richness of its story, making you wonder how they managed to fit so much heart into such a little movie. The concept itself—an elderly recluse fulfilling his childhood vow to pilot a dirigible to South America—is so sweetly innocent it seems like it was plucked straight from the imagination of a child. The artfully drawn characters are each a cluster of exaggerated features. Carl is a mass of right angles, from his glasses to his fingertips, and Russell is an egg-shaped cub scout with a workaholic father. Edward Asner brings a subtle vulnerability to the voice of the otherwise cantankerous Carl, adding just the right sweetness to his tone as he talks to his deceased wife. Young Russell (Jordan Nagai) ranges from genuinely kindhearted to comically whiny, and Christopher Plummer’s elegant voice is perfectly suited for the villainous Charles Muntz. Carl and Russell start off as begrudging travel companions, but as they get to know each other it becomes clear that they need each other more than they realized. UP is the story of a group of lost souls struggling to find what they’re missing. A widower without a family, a boy without a father, and a dog without a master come together to reunite a mother bird with her babies. UP challenges you to find the excitement in the ordinary, whether it’s watching the clouds with your significant other, or eating ice cream on the curb with your father. Every day is an adventure.
