Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Thoughts on Up (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the 3-D)


It is no secret that Pixar's 2008 film, WALL-E, moved me in ways I'd forgotten a movie could. The movie was delightful, adorable, and had an enchanting love story adding to its appeal. With such a hard act to follow, it's no surprise Up falls short of the bar WALL-E raised. This is not to say the film was bad; it just wasn't as great as their previous project. The movie is, however, thoroughly enjoyable. It's also the first Pixar endeavor presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film uses this effect very skillfully, adding depth and character to its scenes. It is a true testament to how much 3-D has grown up from the days it used to be mere flying-out-of-screen effects (I'm looking at you My Bloody Valentine 3-D).


The main characters are Carl Fredericksen and Russell. Carl is an old and curmudgeonly man who refuses to sell his house to a company building a skyscraper in the land surrounding it. Russell is a Wilderness Explorer who annoys Carl by asking whether he needs assistance so he can earn his "Assisting the Elderly" merit badge, the only one he hasn't earned.


Carl's wife Ellie passed away before either of them fulfilled their lifelong dream of visiting Paradise Falls, a South American jungle. Since her passing, Carl has become a sour hermit, missing her terribly. Design touches in the furniture and accesories of the characters lend glimpses into their natures. Ellie's furniture and glasses are all rounded and soft while Carl's are very square and severe. Without her adventurous and free-spirited presence, he's lost the joy she used to lure out of him. There's a brilliant sequence near the beginning that shows us Carl and Ellie's life from the moment they get married, through their discovery of their inability to have children, to her death. The whole thing lasts less than five minutes and yet it's the most moving scene I've seen this year. The effect is augmented by an excellent soundtrack (Key track: Married Life) that perfectly compliments what we see on screen.



Finally faced with an ultimatum, Carl finally decides to take the trip Ellie dreamed about and uproots his house using a cloud of balloons. What he doesn't realize is that Russell has stowed away with him; having been on his porch at the moment of liftoff. Together they reach Paradise Falls and find themselves dragging the house toward its destination. Russell then finds an enourmous and very colorful bird he names Kevin. Unlike Russell, who's comic relief annoyed me (Most characters like him do, it's not neccesarily the movie that's at fault.), Kevin provided some genuinely funny moments. The motley crew is rounded out by Dug, a talking golden retriever hunting Kevin on his master's orders.


This master turns out to be Charles Muntz, an explorer both Ellie and Carl admired as children. His adventures are what inspired Ellie's dream to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls and Carl is ecstatic to meet his idol and talk about his advetures. What they don't realize is that Muntz has been hunting Kevin's species for years, trying to capture a live specimen to return with him to civilization. Muntz is a very effective antagonist, balancing heinous acts with some comic relief (Mostly poking fun at his old age.) and provides a nice contrast to Carl's ideas about his exploration dreams and what it'd be like to meet his hero.


All in all, the film is both an excellent adventure tale and a sweet story about how fulfilling your dreams should not keep you from realizing that life around you holds enough delights to keep you interested. It's fitting that Carl ends up happier back at home with Russell than isolated on Paradise Falls. It also has a very good message that doesn't get pushed on us like on most animated films. Having seen both the regular and the 3-D versions, I completely recommend you go with 3-D here. It's a much more enjoyable experience that way.

Le verdict: ***1/2

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