Up

It’s still rated G, but Up is Pixar’s most mature movie to date. Dealing with topics like death, aging, and shattered dreams, this is a perfectly-crafted animated film that doesn’t patronise kids and will keep adults entertained, the storyline is just that engaging.

Up starts with a quick flashback of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen’s life, from an adventurous kid to marrying the love of his life, Ellie. We’re not spoiling anything here, but Carl eventually has to deal with his wife’s death and that’s when Up really blasts off into great storytelling.

Ed Asner injects a realistically heart-wrenching sense of unfulfilled desperation into Carl. Embarking on a last-ditch effort to make good on his wife’s lifelong dream of travelling to South America to build a home, Carl straps a bunch of balloons to his house and sets off on the adventure of his life. Meeting a host of hilarious and endearing characters along the way, from an optimistic 8-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) to a gormless talking dog called Dug (Bob Peterson), Up is a non-stop hoot.

With the combined creative forces of Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.), Academy Award-nominated animator, screenwriter, director and voice actor Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo) and multiple award-winning Pixar Animation Studios, there’s a reason why Up was the first animated film to have ever opened the Cannes Film Festival. If you don’t catch this stunning film on the big screen, we guarantee you’ll be kicking yourselves later!

Cast Christopher Plummer, Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson Director Bob Peterson, Pete Docter Runtime 96 mins

This review can also be found over here on KLue's website.

Article taken from KLue Magazine Aug 2009, Issue 130

Text Maybritt Rasmussen