Last week i went and saw Pixar‘s latest masterpiece called Up. If you’ve never heard of the film, it’s an animated movie about an old man, Carl, who is a recluse. He’s at the end of his days and is holding out against the world. He keeps his home as a memorial and still talks to the absent wife Ellie. One day Carl decides to pack up and fly away–literally. Having worked all his life as a balloon man, he has the equipment on hand to suspend the house from countless helium-filled balloons and fulfill his dream of seeking a beautiful Argentinian waterfall called Paradise Falls.
First, let me just say that the film begins with a montage of Carl and Ellie that is one of the best 10 minutes of film that i have ever seen. It is so sweet and wonderful that i’d go back and pay just to see that part.
The film is a funny adventure and the characters are often more real than human actors. I find it refreshing that the main character is a 70-year old man instead of the latest hearthtrob of the moment. Where Star Trek felt it had to have all youngsters dominate the film, Pixar handed the reins to what would seem a total unsympathetic character. Instead, he’s completely refreshing.
It’s a funny thing to say but I wish more movies had the creativity of Up, the realism of Carl, and the emotional weight of this animated film.
Am i alone on this?
Related articles:
- How To Pull A Carl Fredricksen (cinemablend.com)
- Pixar’s Up reviewed. (slate.com)
- Mark Blankenship: In Pixar’s “Up,” Two Chairs Mean the World (SPOILERS) (huffingtonpost.com)