My Movie Review on UP (2009)

Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?

This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my take of Disney-Pixar's "UP".

Here's the rundown of this adventure:

Carl Fredericksen is an anti-social recluse who is hardly what anyone would call a people-guy. The only person he ever made a connection with was his wife, Ellie, who died long before his old neighborhood was turned into a city. Ever since Ellie's passing, Carl has also been extremely protective of his house. Especially since a foreman has constantly threatened to tear it down to further his construction plans.

After accidentally hurting a construction worker, Carl is sentenced by the court to live out the rest of his days in a retirement home. Instead of merely complying with the court, though, Carl decides to achieve a lifelong dream that he and Ellie had since childhood: To travel to South America and visit a landmark called Paradise Falls. Not wanting to leave his house, though, he decides to attach over a hundred balloons to it so that he could travel to Paradise Falls without leaving his home in the hands of the construction workers.

Along the way, Carl is unwittingly accompanied by a boy named Russell, who is part of a scouts troop called the "Wilderness Explorers". The two of them also meet a giant-flightless bird (whom Russell names Kevin), and a dog with a translation collar named Dug.

I know that this summary basically gave away some of the story, and I deeply apologize for the spoilers. However, it was the best I could come up with in terms of providing clarity for what the film was about while not giving away too much.

In all honesty, this movie was another that I initially didn't plan on reviewing any time soon. But, when I discovered that the legendary Ed Asner passed away last week due to natural causes, I was immediately inspired to review "UP" as a dedication to him, mainly since his role as Carl Fredericksen was the one I grew up with the most. It was how I became familiar with Asner too, so it played a significant part in my life. Considering the fact that Carl Fredericksen was one of Asner's most iconic roles, I found "UP" to be most fitting for making a dedication-review.

So, what do I think of "UP" in words?

Well, what's there to say?

This movie's AWESOME!!!

For instance, the direction and screenplay by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, and the story by them and Tom McCarthy, were amazingly well-done.

Admittedly, the film itself was pretty straightforward compared to most of Pixar's filmography. For a movie with a 96 minute runtime, it was pretty quick-paced in some areas. I didn't think that was a bad thing, though. The film did manage to keep itself together thanks to how character-driven it was. Plus, the filmmakers ensured that the story was intriguing for people to want to see where things would be going.

One of the most unique aspects the film had was the fact that an elderly man was the protagonist, because usually elderly characters in animation are often in supporting roles. With the exception of some animated adaptions of "A Christmas Carol", having an elderly character be the protagonist of an animated feature is something that I don't think has ever been done before in animation history. Plus, there are so many other aspects of this movie that help it stand out, particularly to where it was sort of a showcase of Pete Docter's imagination and creativity.

When it came to giving "UP" an incredibly balanced tone, Docter and Peterson didn't mess around. They created a story that wasn't predictable in the slightest thanks to giving it tons of surprises, and there were moments of thrills and suspense capable of putting people on the edge of their seats. There was also a vast amount of emotion that was both very strong and genuine, and the filmmakers incorporated enough heart to help the movie be far from a soulless endeavor. The comedy that the film had was likewise well-executed, witty, hilarious, and entertaining to watch! Even the parts where the dogs go "Squirrel!" made me unable to resist laughing.

The animation was astonishing, if I may add.

Pixar never ceased to amaze me in providing a movie with stunning visuals. I loved how they were pushing the envelope when it came to bringing out the textures of the characters and environments, and the scenes taking place in the sky were gorgeous to watch. The best part was that Docter, Peterson, and the animators were clearly putting a lot of heart and commitment into their work, and they weren't afraid of taking risks either. It's something that I've always enjoyed seeing out of a Pixar film, really.

The performances of the cast, characters, and character development were awesome as well.

I really can't lie, Ed Asner was perfect for the role of Carl Fredericksen. He not only had the right voice and gruffness to play an animated elderly lead character, but he managed to help Fredericksen be likable even when he was being a grouch. He incorporated a nice sense of humor too, and the way he threw himself into the character emotionally was incredible! As a matter of fact, Asner sounded like he did way more than supply the voice of the character, even with just a grunt.

Carl himself was a lovable and engaging focus every step of the way, and the montage featuring his life with Ellie was a beautiful thing to see. Plus, his development throughout the film helped Carl be remarkably human, and it was amazing to see his relationship with Russell, Kevin, and Dug transform from not exactly tolerating their company to being fond of them in every way.

Likewise, Christopher Plummer was stupendous in the role of Charles F. Muntz. Despite Muntz not having as much screen-time compared to the other characters, Plummer incorporated a theatricality and sense of humor that aided Muntz in not being a mere stick character. He put in tons of personality and emotion in his performance, and similar to Asner's work as Carl...he sounded like his voice wasn't the only thing he provided.

Another thing I noticed about Muntz was that the filmmakers provided buildup for the character to make up for him not being present very often, and his meeting with Carl and Russell turned out to be the right lead-up for him to become one of Pixar's most compelling antagonists. He had solid motivations, a fully-realized backstory, and dynamic development that helped him be as human as possible. In a way, Muntz is also an alternate reflection of Carl.

In addition to this, Jordan Nagai portrayed the part of Russell splendidly, and Russell himself had lots of character growth to help him be three-dimensional. He had a wonderful personality and innocence as well, and the revelation that his parents were divorced gave the character an added depth and an understanding of who he is. As an Asian-American kid, I also enjoyed the fact that Docter and company didn't incorporate any certain Asian stereotypes in Russell, because it showed that not every Asian-American person talks or acts a certain way. The chemistry shared between him and Carl were fun too, even as it continually evolved.

The performances of the people playing the dog characters were brilliant, if I may add. Despite the dogs only talking through radio collars, the performers played their characters as if they managed to think like dogs. The dialogue that the filmmakers gave the dogs also fit them like a glove, because they represented how a dog would talk or think if they were able to communicate with people.

Out of all the dog characters, Dug was undeniably the most lovable. Bob Peterson nailed it in his portrayal of the character, and every time I think about Dug I'd remember how much I love dogs. Plus, he's the canine who grew the most throughout the film, and without him...well, I'm not sure how the film would've kept going.

Kevin was a pretty lovable character too. The gags revolving around her were hysterical to watch, and the way she was portrayed by the animators gives a reminder that birds are creatures with personality, feelings, and emotions. And just like Dug, Kevin was so important to the story that it likely would not have proceeded without her, and her character development was outstanding. Pete Docter did a surprisingly excellent job providing Kevin's animal vocals, if I may add.

Finally, the music by Michael Giacchino was magnificent.

One of the most incredible things about Giacchino's score was that it carried a crescendo that helped the movie feel larger than life. He made melodies that were fitting for every moment and managed to capture the film's tone. They reflected the emotions and personalities of each character like a glove too, and there was something incredibly classical about his music that made it feel reminiscent of film scores from the late 1900s.

In conclusion, "UP" is what I'm happy to classify as another jewel of a Pixar film. There's literally no denying how much creativity, passion, commitment, and hard-work was put into this movie.

So, I rate "UP" a solid five out of five stars.