Half-Ass Movie Review: Up
Along with Russell, a well-meaning Boy Scout who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Carl flies his house to South America, where he and Ellie had long planned to explore. And from there, it’s an old-fashioned adventure story that just happens to star an old man and a young boy pulling a floating house along like a parade balloon and running afoul of the old-time explorer once idolized by young Carl. Said explorer commands an army of talking dogs, by the way.
This is Pixar’s first movie to feature regular people as the lead protagonists, and it turns out they can make an old man and a chubby kid just as compelling as they can anthromorphic fish, insects, cars, toys, monsters, robots, or even Mr. Incredible. Carl is the sort of crusty old guy who’d be a one-joke background character in most animated movies, but here he’s fully-realized in a way that many live-action characters never quite manage. And Russell is an absolute delight. He’s eager and well-meaning, and he plays like a real kid. His enthusiasm over relieving himself in the woods will be relatable to anybody who ever went to a park as a child, and his exhausted reluctance to pull the house any further will seem familiar to anybody who’s spent time with kids. And the campfire scene where he tells Carl about his dad will just break your heart.
The runaway favorite should be Doug the Dog. A friendly dog with a collar that lets him verbalize his thoughts, he is sweet and loyal and dimwitted and you’ll want to reach into the screen to scratch his ears. The other talking dogs are much more threatening, but beautifully designed, and also very funny. Particularly noteworthy is Alpha, a Doberman with a broken voice modulator. There’s also a large and extremely rare bird (who Russell names Kevin), the source of some great slapstick comedy. Up is an impressive mixture of comedy, adventure, and solid character work. The final air battle is exciting and suspenseful, even though it involves two old men, a blimp, a flying house, and a squadron of biplanes flown by dogs. It’s beautiful work all around, and is further proof that Pixar understands some basic truths that elude other animation studios.
See, after ten movies, they haven’t once resorted to pop culture references to get a laugh. Toy Story came out in 1995, and it still seems fresh. For contrast, check out anything from Dreamworks Animation. Even releases from two or three years ago seem dated. Britney Spears references aren’t exactly aging well, you know? Too often, animation writers consider celebrity impressions to be “adult humor” which will keep the grown-ups from getting bored. This is, of course, stupid and reductive. Funny is funny. If you write a good story with funny jokes, adults and kids will be entertained by the same things. The gags in Up work for the whole audience at once. Pixar has shown time and time again that you can entertain with solid writing, without resorting to pandering. They do good work.
At this point, it’s hard to say enough about their technical wizardry. As always, the animation and
character design is gorgeous. Most of the movie takes place in a realistically-rendered wilderness, which is not something we’ve seen in animation. It’s amazing, from the big set-pieces like the realistic waterfall to the tiny details like the stitching on Russell’s Wilderness Explorer sash or Carl’s stubble.
character design is gorgeous. Most of the movie takes place in a realistically-rendered wilderness, which is not something we’ve seen in animation. It’s amazing, from the big set-pieces like the realistic waterfall to the tiny details like the stitching on Russell’s Wilderness Explorer sash or Carl’s stubble. And as always, it’s emotionally engaging. Carl’s attachment to mementoes of his late wife, the real reason Russell wants that “Assisting the Elderly” badge, even Kevin’s desperate struggle to get back to her young – there’s real feeling here. And while your heart will break early on, the final scene is absolutely exhilarating in its pure joy.
Sure, an elderly man with a walker might be an unlikely hero, especially for an animated adventure film, but in the end, Up is weird, funny, exciting, and impossible not to like. And be sure you get there in time for the short, Partly Cloudy. Not only does it explain where storks get the babies that they deliver, but it has what might be the cutest animated puppy ever. That’s right, I am willing to bribe you with a puppy to get you to the theater.
