Up

My favorite movie of 2009 was also the best-reviewed film of that year. “Up” is the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival and it won many awards such as the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. That particular award was almost guaranteed when you consider that “Up” is only the second animated feature in Hollywood history to be nominated for Best Picture of the year. I was not in favor though of having 10 nominees each year but I am grateful for the new system they have come up with to determine those nominees. The five total nominations "Up" got at the Academy Awards is impressive when you take into account that it was more than most other movies had going into that night. The film is so important to me in that it is the first film among my favourites that I would rather not watch multiple times in order to prevent becoming desensitized to its sweet spirit. That wasn't easy because in the days following its release on Blu-ray, everyone who came over to my house wanted to watch it. Pete Docter and Bob Peterson (with John Lasseter and Andrew Stanton as executive producers) made a practically flawless film in the Pixar tradition of a good story with great characters and beautiful music among other things. Any Pixar fan knows that “story is king” at Disney/Pixar. There is also a balance (a perfect balance in some cases) between comedy and heart in almost all of their films and that is why Pixar has yet to release a financial flop.

To help illustrate why this story has affected me so much, I must relate my experience when this film was released. When the first trailer came out, I did my usual research for a Pixar film to see who in the company made it. Upon seeing the familiar names from “Monsters Inc.”, I was expecting a similar show. Every subsequent trailer for the film gave me the same hunch. Speaking of the marketing of this film, it was done very well in that the trailers helped us understand the basic story but left out the backstory behind it. We knew that the movie was about an old man flying up in his house with a child stowaway but we did not know the reason behind this act of Carl's. That reason ended up being more touching than we could have imagined. I was expecting heart in the film, just not as much as was actually in it. If I knew how powerful the film was going to be, I probably wouldn’t have taken a date. “Up” is the first 3D film to make me cry and upon buying the Blue-ray disc, I realized that the film is powerful every time. In my opinion, the heartrending montage of the lives of Carl and Ellie can be associated with scenes from “Bambi” when his mother is killed and from “Dumbo” during the song “Baby Mine”. Considering that those moments were from animated films in the 40’s, this opening sequence is a bold and dramatic move for what some might consider a children’s movie. Before seeing the film, I looked on a magazine cover and I noticed the grape soda “badge” on Carl's jacket. Of course, I did not know of the significance of this “trifle” until the scene where Ellie gives it to Carl. The music cue during that moment is when the tears started for me. I bet no one expected a montage like this to open the film. In fact, some people said that the rest of the film did not live up to its opening 10 minutes. I disagree because this entire tear-jerking opening that spans a 60 year time period is needed so as to justify Carl’s mission in the minds of the viewers. The introduction of all the characters in Carl's traveling party are so well done and very humerous. We are in favor of Carl’s goal to get to the falls until after Kevin is kidnapped. Then once Carl makes it to the top of Paradise Falls, we begin to question along with him whether it was worth it. Ellie wondered 60 years ago “Who knows what lives up there?” and we come to see that nothing lives at the top of the falls, not even a large plant. However, Ellie herself through the little message at the end of her adventure book resolves everything with the lesson she learned throughout her marriage with Carl: life is the greatest adventure. I like how even though Carl’s priories have changed from that point on, he still has an attachment to his original mission. He takes the time to put his and Ellie’s chairs side by side next to the falls before he leaves. When his house floats away from him at the end of the climax, he is sad and yet at the same time he is able to let go. The very ending shot is paramount for resolution purposes because we have spent so much time with that house while watching the film. It is very touching and resolving to see Ellie’s painting come to life.

For the first time in Pixar, the protagonist is an ordinary human being (let alone a grumpy old man). The portrayal of Carl Fredrickson has changed how I see elderly people. I have been familiar with grumpy senior citizens in my past but now I sympathize with them even more. I also now believe that most of them have a sweet spot. Ed Asner's performance is masterful. Just like in "Cars", John Ratzenberger's voice fits his character in "Up" perfectly. Kevin is a very fun character in that she is a mother and we therefore sympathize with her but her intelligence level creates some hilarious moments. Dug as voiced by Bob Peterson, the co-director, adds a feeling that was first introduced to us on "Monsters Inc." when he was the voice of Roz. Dug's speech pattern is so unique that I am sure it will have some place in pop culture. The performance of future Oscar winner Christopher Plummer is very good because he sounds very sweet at the start but his evil nature, once revealed, is frightening due to contrast. I love how when making his movies, Pete Docter doesn’t use child actors as the voices of his characters. This is the secret to his success in portraying innocence. We saw this in “Monsters Inc.” with Boo. Russell is played by Jordan Nagai and his performance shows how well Docter can direct actors. Jordan was not even auditioning for the part when Docter met him as Jordan was accompanying his brother, who was the one auditioning. I can relate to Russell as I was once a scout and I bet many other kids can as well. He resembles Carl when he was a young boy except Russell is not very shy. This use of non-actors is partially how the character of Ellie becomes the heart of this film. She is named after Docter’s daughter, who also provides the voice for her digital counterpart. The character of Ellie not only has a voice of innocence but also has such a cute enthusiasm & zest for adventure. Just like Ellie Docter at that age, she has joy. At the same time, she is friendly. This is something that really touches my heart because I have always wanted a friend like that, especially when I was 10 years old. Sometimes, we enjoy certain movies because we can see our own dreams come true for cinematic characters that we relate to. I have seen beautiful animated characters before such as Disney princesses and the Sprite at the end of "Fantasia 2000". The animation where the Sprite has butterflies in her hair and it parts to reveal her face & yellow eyes is very attractive to me. With “Up”, I have found a new piece of animation on a female character that is very beautiful to me because of the subtext. Seeing it in 3D was also a treat. After Ellie finds out that she can’t have children, she is shown sitting on a chair in the front lawn with her eyes closed. For the first time as an adult, her hair is let down and it blows so gently in the wind while the rest of her head is motionless. This is such a contrast to her joyful personality that for me in this moment, Ellie Fredrickson is the most beautiful CGI character ever created. Sometimes, sorrow can be beautiful. The short time we see Ellie in the film is so powerful that her spirit and character can be felt for the remainder of the movie. I remember how during my first experience seeing this movie that every time Carl would "talk" to Ellie, I would choke up with emotion. The music is key to making this happen and as mentioned before, we need some kind of reminder of Ellie so we as an audience can support Carl in his crazy but heartfelt mission. I like other elements of “Up” such as the unlikely but successful team of Carl and Russell. Also, just as “Finding Nemo” taught us how to speak to whales, “Up” identifies what a snipe is for all those scouts out there who never could find one.

After more than a decade, a Pixar movie finally won the Oscar for Best Musical Score. In my opinion, Michael Giacchino’s only competition that year for the award was Hans Zimmer’s work on “Sherlock Holmes”. Giacchino deserved his Academy Award because without his score, the film would not have been as powerful. I am always in favor of a score that has recognizable themes within it. “Avatar” lacked this and Ellie’s theme throughout “Up” keeps her sweet spirit available for recall. Every time I hear her theme, I feel something such as when Carl’s house first takes off and when he sees Paradise Falls for the first time. Sometimes, a simple moment in the score can be powerful such as in “Lord of the Rings” when you hear only the vocalist’s voice. In “Up”, Giacchino concludes the opening montage using only a piano and harp to play Ellie’s theme. I hope that this isn't the last Oscar that he will win. Just as I have not watched "Up" multiple times, I have not purchased its soundtrack so as to keep it special. Other elements of the film should be pointed out as well. Every Pixar film moves computer animation forward and "Up" is no exception but instead of one element of the movie being focused on, the film has many elements that were advanced. The behavior of dogs was studied as well as how elderly people look and move. Balloons and clouds are a big part of the film and they look amazing in this movie. The film does not provide as big of an innovation as other Pixar films but when you consider what "Up" is about, that is okay with me. This is the first Pixar film shown in 3D but it is not the focus of the film like on "Monsters vs. Aliens". The 3D is only used to make the images even more wonderous and touching. The realism created by the 3D brings the characters to life also. I like how the filmmakers visited the tepuis in Venezuela so as to better create that location for the film. This film does take place in the Pixar universe with cameos such as the Pizza Planet truck and Pixar toys in the little girl's room, all seen as Carl first lifts off with his house. The tree that Carl and Ellie have their picnics under appears to be the tree from "A Bug's Life". If I had to identify a particular "wow moment", it would be when Carl first sees Paradise Falls and the surrounding images.

This film has had an impact on the world. When I found out that a replica of Carl and Ellie's house had been built in Herriman, Utah, I made sure to visit. The sight was very heartwarming. The inside has also been replicated and even though it is a private home, from the outside I could see Ellie's chair and painting on the wall. Being inspired by this show, one man tried to cross the Atlantic using helium balloons but he didn't make it. “Story is king” and that message was slowly spreading across Hollywood as evidenced by films like Sony Pictures’ “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs”, and the DreamWorks films "Kung Fu Panda" & “How to Train Your Dragon”. Pixar learned this importance a long time ago with the writing problems that “Toy Story 2” had in its production. Fixing those problems and the subsequent success of that film proved to the studio that story comes first. The making of “Ratatouille” also had story problems that were in the end successful resolved. The entire film of “Up” is a masterpiece with not only its story but also its characters, music and so forth. You genuinely laugh and cry throughout the experience. This film is one of my top ten animated films and its musical score is #4 on my list of favorites after the music from "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings" and "Back to the Future" in that order. Even though I like Howard Shore's work on "Lord of the Rings" better, Michael Giacchino is the better composer in my opinion because he is not a one-hit wonder. It is hard to imagine Pixar topping "Up" but that is what we have said before more than once in the past 10 years. Their next film had extreme expectations and they were met.

5 Stars out of 5