Say “Yup” to “Up” : Pixar’s latest is a charming mix of heartbreak, hope and hilarity

Jim Hill

16 years ago

Forget about the flying house, that giant bird and the
talking dog. All of those out-of-the-ordinary items. Because — when you get
right down to it –“Up” is a movie that celebrates the boring stuff. Those tiny,
little moments that really make life worth living.

Mind you, it takes Carl Fredericksen quite a while to
realize how important the little things are. 70 years, to be exact. When we
first met Carl, he’s this 8-year-old boy in the 1930s watching a newsreel which
reveals that Fredericksen’s hero – explorer Charles Muntz – has recently been
discredited.

As Carl walks home from the movies that afternoon recreating
Charles’ exploits, he discovers that another kid in the neighborhood is also enamored
with Muntz. This is 8-year-old tomboy, Ellie. Who is so determined to become
just like her hero that she has actually turned an abandoned house into a crude
approximation of Charles’ airship. And Ellie vows to someday follow Muntz down
to South America and then explore the mile-high mesas around Paradise Falls.

As soon as young Fredericksen sets his sights on this lively
lass, Carl falls in love with Ellie. And in one stunning, dialogue-free four-minute-long
sequence, “Up” takes you through their entire life as a couple. Their
unconventional wedding. How Carl & Ellie turn that old abandoned house into
a home of their own. The heartbreak that these two feel when they learn that
they can’t have children. Carl’s determination to make good on his childhood
promise to Ellie to someday fly her on down to Paradise Falls. And how real
life – a flat tire here, a broken leg there – kept getting in the way of making
that dream come true.

And then suddenly Carl is alone. Worse than that, due to an
unfortunate run-in with a construction worker, Fredericksen is now being forced
to leave the home that he & Ellie built and move into a retirement
community. And as this 78-year-old is pulling a suitcase down out of the
closet, he comes across his wife’s old scrapbook. Which is where Ellie wrote
about all the things she planned on doing over the course of her life.

And that’s when Carl remembers his long-ago promise to fly
Ellie down to Paradise Falls. Which is what then causes this elderly balloon
salesman to tie 10,000 balloons to his house and take flight.

Of course, what Fredericksen hadn’t counted on was an
accidental stowaway: 8-year-old Junior Wilderness
Explorer, Russell. This boy has just spent
the past few days badgering Carl so that Russell could then complete all of the
requirements for his “Assisting the Elderly” badge. And this Wilderness
Explorer chose the exact wrong moment to wander back up onto Carl’s porch.

Now you’d think – from the way that this character has been
portrayed in “Up” ‘s trailers & commercials as well as those “Upisodes”
that have been airing on the Disney Channel – that Russell is this movie’s
comic relief. But that’s where you’d be wrong. There’s a kind of heart-breaking
reason behind this Junior Wilderness Explorer’s efforts to earn that “Assisting
the Elderly” badge.

Even Kevin – that goofy 13-foot-tall bird that Carl &
Russell discover as they’re dragging their still-airborne house through the
jungle – has a sweet sort of secret that deepens this character. Makes you
genuinely care for this oversized canary.

That’s the real beauty of “Up.” Nothing is ever quite what
it seems to be. This Pete Docter film is loaded with surprises. Moments that will
make you laugh out loud (like that geriatric fistfight between Fredericksen and
Muntz, where canes can become swords and even dentures can be used as lethal
weapons) or tear up (Be sure to have a
few tissues on hand for Russell’s award ceremony toward the end of this picture).

Is “Up” perfect? Well, I could have done without all of those
“He smells like prune juice” jokes that the talking dogs in this movie continually
make at Carl’s expense. And given the high number of Disney villains who have
plummeted to their deaths over the decades, I have to say that I was somewhat surprised
to see Docter trot out this tired old cliche. But that said, given where this
film’s climax is set, it was a pretty logical way for Muntz to go.

But that said – overlooking these very small flaws – this new Pixar movie would be well worth the full price of admission if only for Dug the Dog. This character
virtually walks away with “Up” because of the amazing job that those animators up
in Emeryville did with creating this canine caricature. From the way this
character walks to Dug’s slobbery tongue, all of the necessary details are
there. And then when you factor in that Dug actually talks like a dog should (“I
smell you,” “I have just met you and I love you” and – of course – “Squirrel!”),
you’re talking comedy gold here.

I don’t want to say too much more about “Up.” Mostly out of
concern that I might then blow even more of this movie’s delightful surprises.
But this much I will say: When you do
plan on going out to see Pixar’s latest , be sure and factor in a little extra time
for what comes after this screening. For – once you’ve seen “Up” – you’re
definitely going to want to go out and get yourself an ice cream cone.

And then — when you’re out on that curb counting cars — be
sure and count ALL of the cars. The blue, the red AND the grey ones.

“Up” is rated PG. Not
for language, mind you. But more for several situations in this film that young
people may find rather intense. Not to mention two brief glimpses of blood.