Up

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Pixar have done it again - Up can side proudly alongside other modern animation classics like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc. and Wall E.

Ever since he was a young boy marvelling at the feats of his adventure hero Charles Muntz (Plummer), Carl Fredickersen (Asner - TV’s Lou Grant) has dreamed of exploring the world. Life took over, however: he met, fell in love with, and married Ellie, and the two lived happily, despite a childless marriage, until she died (yes - this is a kid’s movie). Now 78, lonely, and under pressure from a construction company to sell his house, Carl decides to realise Ellie’s dream - build a house in Paradise Falls, South America, a mythical land where Muntz disappeared to many years ago. So, tying thousands of helium balloons to his house, Carl lifts off and makes for South America - but an enthusiastic little boy scout, Russell (Nagai), has tagged along for the ride...

Up is gorgeous the look at - with every production Pixar get that little bit better - and in 3D the animation is beautiful. It’s also very funny, taps into the wonder of adventure and boasts one of the perfect (and saddest) montages in movie history. These help but they’re not the reasons Up will appeal - the appeal lies in the characters. Docter and Peterson have between them written Monster’s Inc., Toy Story and Wall E and they scoop up all the memorable elements of those hits into Up. The love Wall E has for Eve is mirrored in Carl and Ellie’s relationship; Buzz and Woody’s love/hate friendship is revisited with Carl and Russell, which develops into a Monster’s Inc. Sulley/Boo connection. But this is far from a ‘best of’.

Most big budget movies don’t have characters this well written, this real. Carl is a grumpy old man and in lesser animations this would have been enough - he’s old so he’s grumpy - but Docter and Peterson aren’t content with just that. They give Carl a real reason to be grumpy: he’s lost his the love of his life but he still talks to her, years after her death. This gives Up a gravitas not seen in many animations and it’s this that the entire movie is built on.

All the above happens in the first twenty minutes of Up and the audience is treated to a cracking buddy-buddy action adventure romp thereafter. Fun for all the family, Up is the animation to see this year.