Up (2009)
Oh Disney… Disney, Disney, Disney, Disney, DISNEY!!!!!! You are truly God, you are the alpha and the omega, and we will all do as you will, no matter what you throw at us. It’s like we are Job, and you are endlessly testing us, yet we never break faith and will keep coming back. Indeed, after all the Hannah Montana, Jonas Bros, Shia LaBeouf, Disney Channel fam/sit-com pestilence that you bring us, I feel like you don’t care at all, and would rather have us suffer at the hands of the Adversary for your own amusement than pull us out of the quagmire. And then, just when I feel I can’t take anymore, just when I’ve almost given up all hope, just when I’m about to stop believing in the magic that kept me holding on since before I can remember (literally), you give us a single offering, and I come running back. While it may be only one, it’s something that absolutely levels everything else, like a fire through a dead forest or a volcanic eruption. I shouldn’t really have any doubts, but sometimes you make it so difficult. I realize that this has been your game for the last decade: while we suffer for the better part of a year, you still, in the end, deliver. And so, in 2009, you come through, and keep us with Up.
It would be incredibly difficult to do justice to this film’s quality and impact via text, so I will simply comment from a distance. In addition, the less you know about this film before seeing it, the better. Basically, directors Pete Docter & Bob Peterson have forged a masterpiece that both tugs on our heartstrings and fills our eyes with visual wonder. The geriatric protagonist Carl Fredricksen (voiced by the type casted Edward Asner) is one of the most touching, if not one of the most original heroes to ever grace a family movie. Throughout Up, Carl experiences loss, loneliness, heartache, betrayal, transition, sacrifice, revelation, and rebirth, which chalks up to some fairly developed themes for a supposed children’s movie; indeed, the title Up might appear somewhat ironic as it sometimes feels like the tagline should read, “Things can only go up from here, right? RIGHT?” In all honesty, Up might be Pixar’s darkest movie to date. Then again, Pixar has been trending this way for the past few years. 2004’s The Incredibles was a lot of fun, but it was also surprisingly violent for Pixar’s expected demographic and preached a sinister satire of superheroes in America (like a junior version of Watchmen (2009)). While Cars (2006) was a more traditional Pixar outing, 2007’s Ratatouille brought a more tender tone to the fold, focusing on characters that struggled to fit into their respective societies. Of course, nothing could compare to the watershed that was WALL·E (2008), the opus that made An Inconvenient Truth (2006) look like Dorf Goes Green! After experiencing what was arguably the best movie of 2008, I figured that there was no way Pixar could top or continue down that darker path, and while Up might not exactly top WALL·E, it certainly is a more than worthy follow-up that does, in fact, continue down that darker path. In actual fact, WALL·E and Up are very much kindred spirits, both focusing on perils and reconstruction, with WALL·E being the macro worldview and Up being the personal soul-scape. Together, they represent two of the most emotionally leveling family films in cinema, and also two of the best. That being said, after these last two offerings, it’s no wonder that Toy Story 3 (2010) is up next.
There is no doubt that the majority of the credit goes to Pixar, the division that seems to be Disney’s sole shining light as of late; however, Up is pure Disney magic in a classical sense. While the medium might be cutting edge, the storytelling is timeless, just like in Disney’s golden age triumphs, dark 80s gems, and renaissance 90s pinnacles. In addition, Pixar only continues to make better films within the Disney stables, and whether it’s between upholding a royal legacy or making bank in the family films department, Disney’s deeps pockets provide both financial security and safe haven for Pixar’s alchemy. In essence, Disney and Pixar need each other, and Up is a sound indication of that. Whatever dirty business the mouse is into these days, Up is cause enough to still trust him and his minions, because at the end of the day, it’s the story that counts, and that’s why DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and its all-star cast will ultimately lose to a senior citizen.
It would be incredibly difficult to do justice to this film’s quality and impact via text, so I will simply comment from a distance. In addition, the less you know about this film before seeing it, the better. Basically, directors Pete Docter & Bob Peterson have forged a masterpiece that both tugs on our heartstrings and fills our eyes with visual wonder. The geriatric protagonist Carl Fredricksen (voiced by the type casted Edward Asner) is one of the most touching, if not one of the most original heroes to ever grace a family movie. Throughout Up, Carl experiences loss, loneliness, heartache, betrayal, transition, sacrifice, revelation, and rebirth, which chalks up to some fairly developed themes for a supposed children’s movie; indeed, the title Up might appear somewhat ironic as it sometimes feels like the tagline should read, “Things can only go up from here, right? RIGHT?” In all honesty, Up might be Pixar’s darkest movie to date. Then again, Pixar has been trending this way for the past few years. 2004’s The Incredibles was a lot of fun, but it was also surprisingly violent for Pixar’s expected demographic and preached a sinister satire of superheroes in America (like a junior version of Watchmen (2009)). While Cars (2006) was a more traditional Pixar outing, 2007’s Ratatouille brought a more tender tone to the fold, focusing on characters that struggled to fit into their respective societies. Of course, nothing could compare to the watershed that was WALL·E (2008), the opus that made An Inconvenient Truth (2006) look like Dorf Goes Green! After experiencing what was arguably the best movie of 2008, I figured that there was no way Pixar could top or continue down that darker path, and while Up might not exactly top WALL·E, it certainly is a more than worthy follow-up that does, in fact, continue down that darker path. In actual fact, WALL·E and Up are very much kindred spirits, both focusing on perils and reconstruction, with WALL·E being the macro worldview and Up being the personal soul-scape. Together, they represent two of the most emotionally leveling family films in cinema, and also two of the best. That being said, after these last two offerings, it’s no wonder that Toy Story 3 (2010) is up next.
There is no doubt that the majority of the credit goes to Pixar, the division that seems to be Disney’s sole shining light as of late; however, Up is pure Disney magic in a classical sense. While the medium might be cutting edge, the storytelling is timeless, just like in Disney’s golden age triumphs, dark 80s gems, and renaissance 90s pinnacles. In addition, Pixar only continues to make better films within the Disney stables, and whether it’s between upholding a royal legacy or making bank in the family films department, Disney’s deeps pockets provide both financial security and safe haven for Pixar’s alchemy. In essence, Disney and Pixar need each other, and Up is a sound indication of that. Whatever dirty business the mouse is into these days, Up is cause enough to still trust him and his minions, because at the end of the day, it’s the story that counts, and that’s why DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and its all-star cast will ultimately lose to a senior citizen.
4.5/5
McS
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