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Thursday, May 28, 2009
Look, ‘Up’ on the screen: Another Pixar masterpiece
If Up isn’t Pixar’s best film (and it might be), it’s certainly the one that got me to cry the fastest.
Up tells the story of Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) who mourns the death of his beloved wife, Ellie. What’s left of his life is dull and desolate. An ugly incident forces the authorities to order Carl to leave the home they made together. Instead, Carl ties a ton of balloons to his house and points it to South America, where he and his wife had always dreamed of going.
In what may be the greatest scene in any Pixar movie, Up tells Carl and Ellie’s story, from their marriage to her passing, in a sequence played out in pantomime. It had me in tears before the movie was 10 minutes old. It’s this sequence that gives Up its powerful heartbeat.
Once he starts his journey, Carl discovers an overeager wilderness explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) has inadvertently stowed away - and then the story really gets going.
While last year’s WALL-E filled me with a kind of supercharged happiness, Up made me feel more reflective. I had to drive home from the theater for an hour, but instead of listening to music as I normally would, I turned the radio off, thinking about how this wondrous movie made me feel. WALL-E coursed through my memory like an electric charge, but Up felt more like a bracing, cool breeze.
And then it hit me. So much of the film is … me.
I may not be a dour old man like Carl, and unlike Russell, I’m not much for the great outdoors. But like Carl, I’ve coped with loneliness in my life recently, only to find solace in new friends. Up’s producer, Jonas Rivera, describes Russell as “the last kid picked for baseball,“ and I can relate to that too. I knew these guys. I am these guys. And I suspect I’m not alone. This movie ought to appeal to all kinds of people, whether they’re as young as Russell or as old as Carl.
Aside from how much I personally identified with the film, Up works because it showcases some of Pixar’s savviest storytelling. It bears many of Pixar’s hallmarks, but at the same time, it feels unlike anything the studio has ever made.
Written by Bob Peterson and directed by Pete Docter (Monsters Inc.) the movie encompasses so many different genres and styles, from romance to adventure, and even a little science fiction — yet it holds together beautifully.
In addition to the pathos of Carl, Ellie and Russell, there is the hilarity of Kevin the flightless bird and Dug the talking dog (wonderfully voiced by Peterson), the two funniest sidekicks Pixar has ever created. Visually, the film is gorgeous, particularly when depicting the lush jungles of South America - and that comes through, 3D or no 3D. The movie runs the emotional gamut, and hits every note just right.
By now, I’ve come to expect greatness from every Pixar movie - and yet the studio keeps surprising me at just how great they can be. This is not just the film of the year so far. It may well end up being the film of the year period.
GRADE: A+
(A note about the 3D: I have seen the film in both versions. The 3D is, exactly as producer Jonas Rivera told me, a “cherry on top.” In other words, it’s not essential to see Up in 3D, but if you have the money and it’s available, I say, why not? It literally adds depth to the experience without ever being showy in and of itself.)
Read (and watch) my interview with Up’s director and producer
See how I rank all the Pixar movies, including Up.
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