For animated filmmakers, the Holy Grail is to create something that is equally popular with adults and children. Sating these divergent demographics is no mean feat, and more often than not recent films churned out by the celebrated Dreamworks and Pixar stables have found themselves pleasing the pre-teen market, while failing to connect with an adult audience.
This is why previous Pixar outfits such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Wall-E are so universally lauded; they not only bring a smile or tear to a tot’s face, but they also fill us, the grown-up child, with laughter, sadness and joy. Up, I am pleased to say, falls successfully into this category. It is a wonderful film that captures the spirit of youth and the loneliness of old age; one that is visually breathtaking, emotionally heart-warming and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
Our protagonist is Carl, a 78 year-old cantankerous widower who, in the wake of his beloved wife’s death, decides to escape his impending relocation to an old people’s home by tying thousands of balloons to his house and lifting off in search of Paradise Falls, the tropical idyll to which his sweetheart Ellie had always dreamed of relocating. Little does he know that he has a stowaway, however, and he finds himself stuck with 8-year-old boy-scout Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), who just happened to be on his porch. Together they embark on an epic adventure that involves a 13-foot-tall chocoholic bird named Kevin, a pack of talking dogs and a run-in with Carl’s childhood hero, the explorer-cum-villain Charles Muntz, who is voiced brilliantly by Christopher Plummer.
Like its more triumphant predecessors, Up’s success is owed largely to its skilful sense of humour, with gags targeting both children and adults adeptly. In particular, the idea of having dogs wear electronic collars that translate their thoughts into words is an ingenious one, which leads to some very funny moments (many involving non-existent squirrels). At times, Up is also incredibly touching, and the 5-minute montage depicting Carl and Ellie’s entire life together at the beginning of the film – from childhood to marriage to her death, via infertility (is this controversial for a film with a U certificate?) – is injected with as much pathos than anything you will see on your screens this year.
More than anything, Up, like the much-acclaimed Wall-E before it, is commercially daring and pioneering in its subject matter, tackling issues that Disney films of yore wouldn’t have gone anywhere near. On top of all this, it is visually stunning, and watching it in 3-D certainly adds a new dimension (pardon the pun). Moving, funny and beautifully made, Up deserves all the praise it has garnered, and then some. Believe the hype.
Stephen Bain
10 months, 3 weeks ago
I haven’t seen this yet but it certainly looks quite mature. The last film I saw with an old man in the central role was Gran Torino (brilliant!). That certainly wasn’t a film for children.