Pixar Does It Again

I wasn't sure what to expect from Pixar's tenth movie, except for one thing: it was going to be good, since it was a Pixar movie (redundant but true). You've probably seen the previews: an old guy ties a bunch of balloons to his old house and flies away from his neighborhood. That was pretty much all I knew about Up, but, like I said, it was a Pixar movie, so I would gladly pay the admission price at The Rave and watch it in 3D.

So I went and saw it and I was blown away by this movie directed by Pete Docter. Up is a fun ride, and even though it packs a lot of jokes, gags, and laughs, it is also a heart-wrenching story about love, loneliness, and chasing your dreams. And while this is not the first time the geniuses at Pixar have tackled some of those themes, Up made it clear that the most deeply moving films nowadays seem to be coming from animation studios. Am I the only one who sees this pattern? Think of last year's Wall-e, for example, and how moving it was. Just like Wall-e, Up combines sunny with cloudy, funny with sad, and it does it seamlessly and in a vastly entertaining way that is by no means a kids-only movie. You want an example? Just a few minutes into the film we witness the whole lives of Carl and Ellie, as this serves as the prelude for everything else that will come later in the story. Those few minutes are incredibly emotive and compelling, and there is not a line of dialogue throughout the whole sequence. (Brings Wall-e to mind again.) From there, the tone goes back to fun and sunny, but the sadness and tenderness this sequence generates keep permeating the movie from beginning to end.

As you well know, dear readers, a story wins me over if I find it (and the characters) compelling. But when you add spectacularly amazing visuals, flawless animation, spot-on character design, and a technical prowess that puts pretty much every other film to shame, the result is a must-see movie that, strange as it might seem to people who know me, I liked much better than Wall-e, which was great as well. Could this be a contender for Best Movie of the Year when I write my list in December? Well, I don't want to hype Up too much or create impossible-to-meet expectations, but I really think you guys should go see this movie. Now.