Up

Directed by Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Produced by Jonas Rivera, John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton
Written by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter & Thomas McCarthy
Starring Edward Asner
Christopher Plummer
Jordan Nagai
Bob Peterson
Music by Michael Giacchino
Studio Pixar Animation Studios
Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures
Release date May 29, 2009 (2009-05-29)
Running time 96 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Up is the latest film by Pixar and it is certainly their best yet. It is simply a wonderful film that both adults and children will enjoy immensely. Of course this is what separates Pixar from their contemporaries, in that they can make animated movies that are much more sophisticated in their plot and characterisations than the others and even many live action films.

The unlikely hero of Up is Carl, an elderly gentleman who finds out after his wife dies that life has past him by and that he never achieved any of the dreams that he had as a child. This is a far cry from the talking animals and fart jokes that other animation studios often use, and this is what separates Pixar from the rest, in that they are able to think outside the box and experiment and do something unexpected. Other studios make films just to sell merchandise and toys, but Pixar took a gamble. No toy company took the risk of bringing out Up merchandising because they wrongly thought that no-one would want to see an animated film about an old man. Thankfully they were all wrong.

I also liked the visual aspect of Up. The colours are wonderful and the depth and look of the backgrounds look spectacular. Just the visual aspect of seeing Carl’s house attached to the balloons and floating in the sky is very cool looking.

This is the best film that I watched from 2009 and certainly the best film that I have watched this month so far. Pixar shows that there is someone making incredible, thoughtful movies now and not just the mindless crud that usually comes out of Hollywood.

Up should be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards but it won’t be because it’s animated. There is an undoubted bias against animated films by the Academy which is why only Beauty & The Beast has ever been nominated for best picture. Up contains a warmth and heart not found in many films these days.

* I must make a note that I have only just made my self-imposed deadline of a post a day by 30 minutes. I thought that this was going to be one that I did not get online in time due to a busy, demanding day.

* Sorry that my words do not do any justice to this brilliant film. I wish I could articulate better how much I loved this movie.