Up: Review

There was a question asked a few weeks ago. Can you name a bad Pixar movie? Let's see if you can? Challenge your friends. I bet you can't name a one. There maybe ones you don't like as much as other, but since Toy Story, Pixar have been the most consistent film studio around. And their latest, Up, is right there with their best.

Carl Fredicksen is an old man with a dream: to travel to a far away land that he and his wife have talked about, and to follow in the footsteps of their hero, an explorer from their childhood who was sent away for inventing a creature. With his home in the middle of a modernisation site, and he accidentally injuring a man, Carl is forced to give up his beloved home, but he has always been a fighter, and by attaching thousands of balloons, he releases his home and his new adventure begins, along with an unexpected traveller, a young scout who happens to be at his door when the journey began.

Pixar love movies. You can see this within the first few minutes of this delightfully funny and surprisingly moving tale. A montage scene showing Carl's life, which last no longer than three minutes, managed to reduce me to tears. Film directors take note. That's how you show the path of time.

Once the explorers get to their destination, there are plenty of laughs for both young and old. The cute bird and the Labrador with a voice collar will keep the kids happy, while the gags will have the adults laughing like loons. I cannot look at a squirrel now without bursting into hysterics.

This is beautiful film making too. Every single scene is so rich in detail, helped massively by the 3-D, that it's like a pure work of art. I was always captivated by the old Disney animations, in the way they made the background every bit as important as the foreground, and the same can be said of this. So even if the storyline doesn't grab you (although it will), the background will keep your attention.

Edward Asner is perfect as the voice of Carl, giving him enough grumpy attitude to make him endearing, while Christopher Plummer as the voice of the villain (who looks uncannily like Kirk Douglas) captures the baddie without going too over-the-top.

If there is a more sweeter, touching, funny and life-affirming film this year, I will be very, very surprised. Miss this gem, and you will be missing one of the best films this year...by a country mile!