Up (Film)

Title: Up
DVD, 2009
Directed by Pete Doctor

One of those movies that, in my opinion, is great for 'tweens' because of its combination of real life, grown up problems and the sense of wonderment that only a child possesses.

Description:

The film begins with a young boy named Carl who is full of spunk and zeal and a love for adventure and exploration. He finds that one of his heroes has to face claims of fraudulence yet never gets a chance to return, to Paradise Falls, the site of a legendary bird. Carl meets his future wife Ellie and they vow to build a house above Paradise Falls together. Fast forward to the present day, we find Carl living in the same place he did with his wife Ellie, but now she has passed away and Carl has retired. After fighting with his neighbors over the recent urbanization of his neighborhood, Carl is told he must move out of his home and into an old folks home. Deciding to fulfill his promise to his deceased wife, Carl ties hundreds of balloons to his house so that he can take his house with him to Paradise Falls.

Believing himself to be alone, Carl soon finds that a young boy from the neighborhood has accidentally tagged along. Russell draws the grumpy side of Carl out, as he had hoped to go on his voyage unimpeded. Russell and Carl find their way to Paradise Falls and discover that Carl's childhood hero still lives their in secrecy, still searching for the rare bird he had fraudulently claimed to have found. Muntz, as the man is named, turns out to be unworthy of the hero status Carl had once given him. It is up to Carl and his young friend Russell to find the bird for themselves and the process, Carl learns more about himself than he had anticipated.

Review:

It is difficult to cover all of the scenes in the film in such a short description but, needles to say, the film is filled with awe-inspiring animation and heart-warming relationships between the characters that are sure to satisfy the most stingy viewer. Real life problems like death and loss are not skirted over in this film, and in many respects this is a very, very sad film. The curmudgeonly old man and the chubby naive boy make for quite the disparate pair, but through Russell, Carl sees the young adventurous spirit he once was (and in some respects still is). A very beautiful movie and one worth revisiting over and over again.