"UP" ... Once again Pixar jumps to the lead with this stunning display of
their creative virtuosity. To call it a cartoon is almost an insult, because here is a story that is better than that of most
other movies, so good, in fact, that you quickly forget that it is a cartoon. While there is enough here to entrance children,
the story itself is so sophisticated that only adults will catch the many asides and nuances. Or being able to understand
the emotional intensity that only comes with age and maturity.
The
opening scenes sport a montage of events that beautifully display the life story of Ellie (Elie Doctor) and Carl (Jeremy Leary),
two childhood sweethearts who have always loved each other and ask for nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of their
lives together. Though happily married for many years, Ellie passes away before her time, leaving Carl Fredricksen (voice
of Ed Asner) alone and grieving for his loss. If you want to know the definition of "poignant," then watch the first scenes
of this movie.
Carl's
world slowly changes around him as creeping urban development begins to surround and tower over his modest home. When a minor
accident threatens to consign him to a nursing home, Carl surprises everyone by turning his house into an air-born basket
carried aloft by thousands of helium-filled balloons. Then it is his turn to be surprised, for he finds a stowaway aboard
his floating spaceship in the person of young wilderness scout Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai), who happened to be there looking
to do a good deed for the elderly Carl.
The
one dream that Carl and Ellie were unable to enjoy together was their long hoped for trip to South America, so off Carl and
Russell go to the land of the table top mountain tepuis in Venezuela and the site of Angel Falls, here referred to as Paradise
Falls. Carl and Russell land their house on the tepui where they can walk to Paradise Falls, some distance away. During this
journey they will be shadowed by a strange bird that wishes to befriend them. They also meet Charles Muntz (voice of Christopher
Plummer), a famous inventor who Carl Fredricksen has long idolized, but they are surprised to find that his minions are a
lot less friendly. (A, See It and Rent It!)
