Up
Starring: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Elie Docter, Bob Peterson
Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson
Rating: PG
Any fears that this latest animation flick would join the scrap heap of tired, old ideas are quickly dashed when the familiar opening comes onscreen.
The jumping, i-squashing lamp bounces its way on screen and immediately there's an expectation that the next 96 minutes will be pure quality. And it is!
Pixar delivers in spades with countless masterpieces, and now it can add Up to the list alongside unforgettable films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and WALL-E.
The film features an unlikely protagonist who goes from an eternal and wallowing grump to a daring and hard-working pensioner.
We first meet Carl Fredricksen (Asner) as a speechless little boy, during a time where the radio and imagination were the best forms of entertainment.
When Carl runs into into the tomboyish Ellie (Docter), an unlikely combo is made. Their differences are shoved aside as the pair's love of adventure shines through.
It is the next part of the movie which sets the tone. Eighty years of life are compacted into a few minutes in relative silence. Eloquently it gives a stunning portrayal of life: the trials, the tribulations and everything in-between.
Yet the inevitability of death strikes Ellie. The lonesome Carl is left passionless as an eternal dream to one day travel fades away.
Mr Fredrickson soon receives that fateful knock at the door from a young and overly enthusiastic Wilderness Explorer.
Russell (Nagai) is the eight-year-old intent on getting his final badge for Assisting the Elderly. Cross the Street? "No." The yard? "No." The porch? Another resounding "No!"
But this kind of answer, at times, never quite sinks in. The odd couple is quickly thrust into the air as Carl ditches his habitual everyday life for one final hoorah (with the help of hundreds of helium balloons).
Overgrown jungles in Venezuela become an unlikely destination as Carl looks to do what his late wife never did, and relocate to Paradise Falls.
An unexpected rescue mission comes to fruition, as does an unlikely foe as havoc rains down upon the traveling duo. If any more details were divulged it would be grossly unfair to spoil such a well-constructed and deserving finale.
Any criticisms of the movie's premise are unfounded, as this unique and original production from Pete Docter and Bob Peterson takes the studio to a whole new level.
Razzmatazz is avoided as the artform of animation is refined to a point of pure delicacy before ripping into a plot which gets thicker the more it is stirred.
Even the picky side of me couldn't pick on anything that could bring Up down a peg. If anything, it's faultless. Regardless of age, it will appeal to young and old.
I could finish with an 'up' pun or cliché, but I'll refrain. As Pixar has shown, inventiveness is their greatest strength.
5 out of 5
