UP secures both Best Animated Film and Best Picture nominations and it totally deserves it.

[Writer's note:  This review was originally written when Up was in theatrical release and my thoughts on it haven’t changed since then.  I’m thrilled to see it nominated for both best animated feature and best picture at the Academy awards.  When reading over this, I found it funny that I compared it to District 9 and Inglourious Basterds in quality, both of which have also been nominated for best picture awards.]

I was on the train just a few days ago, travelling into the city (I live on the outskirts of Melbourne) and I couldn’t help but notice that the guy sitting opposite me was rather desperately trying to flirt with the girl he was seated next to.  He was attempting to get a conversation going, constantly asking her questions, leaning against her when he laughed and just generally making things painfully obvious.  At one point, she began leafing through a magazine and pointed to a small advertisement for Pixar’s latest film: Up.
“I really want to see that” she said to him, either being polite or flirting back, I couldn’t tell.  The guy threw his head back and laughed a little too hard, saying “Oh, you child!”  The girls face went a little red and she muttered something like “whatever, I think it looks good”.
Meanwhile I was sitting opposite this guy, silently stewing with thoughts of anger.  Didn’t he know anything about Pixar?  Hasn’t he seen any of their films?  How could he say that?

I came to the conclusion that it’s a common misconception that Pixar films are only for children.
I think there is a very important distinction to be made between a ‘kids’ movie’ and a film for ‘everybody’.

Pixar make films that are for everybody.  I’d argue too, that as the studio has expanded it’s been allowed to take more creative risks and thus, the last few Pixar films have been quite mature in their themes.  Sure, they’re often bright and colorful and feature characters who revel in slapstick humour – but that’s a part of animation, the ability to stretch the boundaries of your imagination, to present you with a world that could not ever exist in live action.

In a way, Up is perhaps their most mature effort yet.  It tells the story of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen, who sets out to fulfill a lifelong dream shared by both himself and his deceased wife.  How does he travel? By attaching hundreds of helium filled balloons to his house, ripping it from its very foundations and taking flight.  It’s not long in his journey when Carl discovers that there is a stowaway in his house; 8 year old Russell, a local wilderness explorer (which is basically a cub scout).  The two find themselves caught in a terrible thunderstorm which sends them crashing to the ground…

This is the plot synopsis that you’ve probably heard before, but it’s really all you need to know.  Part of what makes this adventure so exciting is the sheer amount of discovery along the way.  It’s been years since an adventure film was made which really pulls you along for the ride (the less said about Kingdom of the Crystal Skull the better), but Up manages to stand on its own purely as an exciting romp through the fantastical South American wilderness.  It’s this aspect which is most likely to keep the younger members of the audience entertained, along with some fantastic character humour.
Don’t get me wrong, this adventure/action will also entertain the elder members of the audience.  As I mentioned, UP contains some of the best adventure set pieces to be seen on the silver screen for years.  It will keep you on the edge of your seat for a majority of the running time.

The most impressive element to me, aside from the brilliant character animation, was the fairly mature thematic content.  On a simplistic level the ‘moral’ of the film is that life’s real adventure is made through the time you spend with the people you love.  How many of us have big plans for the future, yet often neglect the little pleasures?  It’s a curse which plagues almost everyone at one time or another and brings to mind the famous John Lennon quote “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”.

The film also explores themes of death and loss.  Again I do not want to give too much away, but there is a painfully beautiful montage only ten minutes into the film that will leave you breathless and reaching for a tissue or sleeve.  In fact, the emotional impact of Up is vastly superior to any other Pixar effort to date. I found myself wiping away a tear or two quite often.

I suppose you can’t talk about an animated film without mentioning the animation itself, but it’s almost a moot point when it comes to Pixar films.  They are constantly improving and delivering the best feature animation around, hands down.  Up is no exception.  Never once do you question the reality or consciousness of these characters.  One moment in particular, involving a character flipping through a scrapbook is animated so subtly that despite the caricature design, you’d swear you were watching a live action performance.
The art design is simply stunning, with the wilderness of South America practically leaping off of the screen with its colour and vibrancy.  The film is worth seeing for the visuals alone, although they’re really just the icing on the cake.

Along with District 9 and Inglourious Basterds, Up is one of the best films to come out this year.  If I was forced to pick a flaw, it’s that the middle of the film doesn’t quite stand up to the beginning and the end, but this is really just nitpicking.  If you’re reading this, then you probably know that it isn’t just a ‘kids’ film’, that the concept of animated features as nothing but childish fluff is a deeply flawed logic.  You know this, but maybe your partner doesn’t, maybe your housemate doesn’t, so why not show them something different?  Take someone to see Up right now, and then go again.  It’s one of the most action packed, adventure filled, emotionally satisfying films to come out in a long time.  What more can I say?

Oh, that guy did end up getting the girls number.  Hopefully she forces him to see this movie.

“I think there’s a ‘cleverness’ to our films that’s pretty deep, I think there’s an emotion that’s deep.  It’s very different from most animated films where people think ‘ah, these are just for kids’.  Our movies are for everybody.  And we really do mean that, they’re truly for everybody” – John Lasseter, director of Toy Story 1/2, A Bugs Life, Cars and an Executive Producer on Up.

Up score

85/100