Up June 8, 2009
Posted by ultimateserge in 2009, Animation, Christopher Plummer, Disney, Edward Asner, Pete Docter, Pixar, Up.add a comment
Format: Animation
Directed by Pete Docter
Starring: Edward Asner Christopher Plummer Jordan Nagai Bob Peterson Delroy Lindo Jerome Ranft John Ratzenberger Elie Docter
Release date(s): 26 September 2008(United Kingdom)30 January 2009(United States)
When you have such apt animators as Pixar, it doesn’t take much to create a great film. Pixar has shown consistently through the years, but what happens when the motivation fades: UP.
UP is the tale of Carl Fredrickson (voiced by Edward Asner) who has been obsessed with exploring Paradise Halls (in South Africa) with his childhood partner and eventual wife, Ellie. When Ellie passes on, Carl promises to continue and fulfill their long postponed dream. On his way, he meets a few unexpected comrades and a hostile childhood role model.
The main issue with Up is that unlike other Pixar masterpieces, it is overly comprising. Wall-E displayed the gloomy display of the future for human which was quite refreshing and made people think about the consequences of pollution. UP though is simply similar to slapstick boy meets girl film. It’s among those films that include multiple conflicts but ends so purely acceptable, leaving the audience uncontrollably satisfied.
The second problem is that UP does not display an extraordinary plot. It’s simple, delicate, and rather superficial. Despite everything I was surprised Pixar made the film so grim and depressing. It is fine to include one, two, or three mentions of a dead wife, but when the premise is set by such overwhelming and silly sentimentality, it difficult not to feel dejected. UP is one of those ‘Ah… cute” movies. It is built specifically to cause such emotion; to a degree that is not natural anymore. I’m sure that at some point the writers thought that Russell, one of Carl’s comrades (voiced by Jordan Nagai), should mention Ellie to get the fiftieth “ah…Cute, sweet” moment.
Now I don’t mean to send the wrong impression. UP is a good film yet average compared to other films like Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and Monsters Inc. In other words, as good as the graphics may be this is a low point for such a prestigious company as Pixar.
