Title: Up Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson Written by: Bob Peterson Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger
I do like the Pixar. I don’t believe everything they turn out is pure gold, but I am impressed with their success rate. Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo are practically flawless. At the same time, I wasn’t a big fan of Cars or Ratatouille. And, honestly, I can’t say I was really looking forward to Up. Precocious child teaches cranky old guy to love. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. And, for the most part, that’s the story. What I didn’t expect was the emotional depth involved. If I were still capable of human emotions, I might even have shed a tear or two. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Pixar has a knack for mining original and untapped veins of emotional drama, from separation anxiety to the fickle nature of a child’s love to the heartbreak of being left behind by the modern world. In Up, crotchety old Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) decides to embark on one last attempt to live the life he and his late wife always dreamed of. Pretty heady stuff for a kids’ movie. But that’s where Pixar excels, combining just enough emotional content for adults and cutesy merchandising opportunities for the kids.
Will kids want a geriatric action figure? Since he’s involved in some pretty intense action sequences, it’s a definite possibility. Like I said, the generational odd couple is familiar territory, but I was definitely drawn in by the characters and the emotional needs they fulfilled in each other. Clever, charming and sincere in its message, Up succeeds as a character-driven action/adventure film with a surprising amount of heart. While death-defying adventure is nice, Up contends that quiet moments with the people you love are just as rewarding. (I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry.)
On the FBOTU Scale of Fabulousness, I give Up 4 out of 5 cranky elderly emoticons:
P.S. I saw the film in 3D, and while it’s not essential to the film’s success, it did make for a vibrant and engaging movie-going experience.
“Bunch of fags that cry at a cartoon!” I’m so there too- I welled up 3x and my hands started to sweat when they were on top of the blimp. I had to remind myself it is animation.
gnewton34 06/01/2009 08:14 pm
There was a short before it when you saw it? ARGH! The theater I went to didn’t show a short and I thought it was odd but just shrugged it off. GRRR!!!
This one really got to me. I was also pretty weepy through the whole thing but twice the tears rolled.
My problem with Pixar is that while their movies are stunningly brilliant from a sheer techincal standpoint, I’ve never seen a single one that I connect with emotionally. I never get absorbed by them like I do with Japanese animation. None of the characters speak to me. Now, I haven’t seen WALL-E, and I keep getting told it will turn me around. I probably won’t be seeing Up for a while because it was either this or Drag Me To Hell, and Sam Raimi trumps Pixar for me any day of the week.
3D is the way to go! I had no idea what to expect out of this movie beyond “man lifts his house with balloons”—what a pleasant surprise! I loved it so much!
evilboyrobin 06/01/2009 07:19 am
I also saw it in 3D. I must have been emotional yesterday as I was weepy during the whole thing including the short before it.
gnewton34 06/01/2009 01:27 am
I saw it in 3D and loved it. I freely admit it made me cry twice.
Movie Review: Drag Me to Up
By Chance
June 01, 2009 at 1:08AM EDT
Title: Up
Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Written by: Bob Peterson
Starring: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger
I do like the Pixar. I don’t believe everything they turn out is pure gold, but I am impressed with their success rate. Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo are practically flawless. At the same time, I wasn’t a big fan of Cars or Ratatouille. And, honestly, I can’t say I was really looking forward to Up. Precocious child teaches cranky old guy to love. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. And, for the most part, that’s the story. What I didn’t expect was the emotional depth involved. If I were still capable of human emotions, I might even have shed a tear or two. I probably shouldn’t have been surprised. Pixar has a knack for mining original and untapped veins of emotional drama, from separation anxiety to the fickle nature of a child’s love to the heartbreak of being left behind by the modern world. In Up, crotchety old Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) decides to embark on one last attempt to live the life he and his late wife always dreamed of. Pretty heady stuff for a kids’ movie. But that’s where Pixar excels, combining just enough emotional content for adults and cutesy merchandising opportunities for the kids.
Will kids want a geriatric action figure? Since he’s involved in some pretty intense action sequences, it’s a definite possibility. Like I said, the generational odd couple is familiar territory, but I was definitely drawn in by the characters and the emotional needs they fulfilled in each other. Clever, charming and sincere in its message, Up succeeds as a character-driven action/adventure film with a surprising amount of heart. While death-defying adventure is nice, Up contends that quiet moments with the people you love are just as rewarding. (I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry.)
On the FBOTU Scale of Fabulousness, I give Up 4 out of 5 cranky elderly emoticons:
P.S. I saw the film in 3D, and while it’s not essential to the film’s success, it did make for a vibrant and engaging movie-going experience.
Previous Comments
“Bunch of fags that cry at a cartoon!”
I’m so there too- I welled up 3x and my hands started to sweat when they were on top of the blimp. I had to remind myself it is animation.
There was a short before it when you saw it? ARGH! The theater I went to didn’t show a short and I thought it was odd but just shrugged it off. GRRR!!!
This one really got to me. I was also pretty weepy through the whole thing but twice the tears rolled.
My problem with Pixar is that while their movies are stunningly brilliant from a sheer techincal standpoint, I’ve never seen a single one that I connect with emotionally. I never get absorbed by them like I do with Japanese animation. None of the characters speak to me. Now, I haven’t seen WALL-E, and I keep getting told it will turn me around. I probably won’t be seeing Up for a while because it was either this or Drag Me To Hell, and Sam Raimi trumps Pixar for me any day of the week.
3D is the way to go! I had no idea what to expect out of this movie beyond “man lifts his house with balloons”—what a pleasant surprise! I loved it so much!
I also saw it in 3D. I must have been emotional yesterday as I was weepy during the whole thing including the short before it.
I saw it in 3D and loved it. I freely admit it made me cry twice.
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