Up

Well, Pixar has done it again. Up is another excellent effort in the Pixar library. The story of stubborn old Carl who sets off in his balloon-hoisted house with stowaway Russell is a fantastic tale full of humour, great characters, and some really touching moments.

The opening of the movie sets up a wonderful bedrock to build from, giving our main character both depth and motivation. We immediately feel for him and we can understand him much better knowing what he is living for.

Up is a really fun movie while at the same time being a really smart movie. This movie is downright hilarious, yet it does not fall into the trap of many animated movies these days which use topical humour or humour that is either only for kids or only for grown-ups (see the Shrek sequels). The comedy here is accessible to all and exists within its own parameters. The jokes and gags never feel forced or out of place.

I also love how conflicts are resolved in Up. Whenever the characters find themselves in bad situations, the solutions are not random or haphazard but instead are intelligent and have a basis in ideas which came before. For example,Doug using the cone to trap Alpha, Russell calling out squirrel to scare away the dog planes, Carl using the tennis ball to trick the dogs when they have him surrounded. This only shows the intelligence involved in creating this wonderful film.

Up is touching, funny, and overall just a great time at the movies. Some of the ideas are goofy (talking dogs, for one, a balloon powered house for another) but it works. Up is a great film.

9/10