Up: A Pixar Film That Still Soars
While it may not be Pixar’s most groundbreaking film, “Up” is an adventure you definitely don’t want to miss.
Carl Fredricksen, a dreamer at heart and a devoted family man in reality, has spent a lifetime saving up for the ultimate adventure: a trip to the breathtaking waterfalls of South America. But as life slips by and the prospect of a retirement home looms, the 78-year-old Carl decides it’s time for a daring escape.
Escapism at its Finest
We shouldn’t start a review with the somewhat negative term “escapism,” but it perfectly captures the essence of this story. A grumpy, elderly misanthrope with a kind heart ties a bunch of balloons to his house and floats away to a faraway paradise. This film embraces escapism more than any other Pixar creation, even though it initially presents itself as the studio’s most realistic work. The meticulously crafted details and the seemingly lived-in house are all part of the illusion.
“Up” is a fairytale in the truest sense, even more so than a film about a rat aspiring to be a chef or a corporation powered by monsters. It’s a fairytale because this determined senior citizen embodies the secret desire of many: to break free and escape. Believing in such a daring escape is harder than accepting the existence of a robot who loves “Hello, Dolly!”. Carl Fredricksen, brought to life by director Pete Docter, resembles a blend of Walter Matthau and Spencer Tracy (which sounds strange, but works surprisingly well). He’s essentially an animated version of Clint Eastwood’s character in “Gran Torino.”
A World of Discomfort
The new world surrounding Carl fills him with, at best, heartburn. He’s surrounded by ill-mannered children, intrusive strangers, and vapid, smiling yuppies. But unlike Eastwood, who responds to the degenerating world with a gun-shaped hand gesture, Fredricksen simply floats away to the Amazonian jungle. The ability to resonate on multiple levels has become a hallmark of animated films, especially for Pixar, whose movies often captivate adults even more than children.
Modern animated films have evolved beyond simply keeping kids glued to their seats. They’re now packed with double meanings, dark humor, and complex allusions, clearly targeting a broader audience. The dystopian “WALL-E” (also co-written by Pete Docter) is as much a children’s film as “Teletubbies” is an erotic drama. Visually stunning and seemingly simple in its narrative, “Up” truly appeals to both children and adults.
A Sentimental Journey
While “Up” lacks cynical jokes and might be too sentimental to be considered a masterpiece, the delicate balance it strikes between being genuinely childlike and maintaining depth and nuance is commendable. Carl’s journey, accompanied by the chubby Wilderness Explorer Russell (who wasn’t invited), the charismatic dog Dug with a collar that translates his thoughts (also uninvited), and the rare, slightly slobbery bird Kevin with a passion for chocolate (you guessed it, uninvited), is primarily an adventure in the tradition of Jules Verne. Unexplored lands, unexpected plot twists, and characters transformed by their extreme experiences – even the dog faces a moral dilemma. The writing and animation are superb, with moments of humor and moments that tug at your heartstrings.
More Than Just a 3D Animation
But “Up” is more than just an entertaining 3D animation for family viewing. If you’re an optimist, it’s a film about how lifelong dreams tend to dissipate into thin air as you get too close to them. And if you’re a pessimist… the magical Eldorado of old man Fredricksen is only possible under one condition: if that world is literally another, a dream from which you usually don’t wake up at 78. Pete Docter was inspired to create “Monsters, Inc.” by the monsters he imagined under his bed as a child. “Up,” in essence, is a fairytale about what to do when the monsters have reliably settled in the neighboring yard: a bunch of helium balloons might just be the most appropriate option.