Up (2009)

Torn between Year One, The Hangover, and Drag Me to Hell at the movies last night, my friends and I finally decided on the movie Up- which surprisingly proved to be a great choice!

Up chronicles the adventure of a 78-year-old balloon salesman named Carl. Carl and his wife Ellie possess adventurous spirits, and both share a lifelong dream of traveling to South America to live next to Paradise Falls. After Ellie passes away, Carl is forced to move to a retirement home. But before they can take him away, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies off to visit the wilds of South America.

Not long after being airborne, Carl discovers a stowaway on board his house. Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer is along for the ride as the two of them develop an unlikely friendship and journey toward fulfilling Carl’s dream.

While Wall-E still remains my favorite Disney/Pixar film, Up is as unique and well done. I especially loved the sequence near the beginning of the film that illustrated major events in Carl and Ellie’s life as they aged-such as getting married, attempting to have children, and the changes they made to their home throughout the years. This was done at a fast pace and set to music, with no dialogue. This particular scene reminded me a great deal of Wall-E, in that a story can be told with little to no dialogue and still be unique, understood, and inspiring.

The characters in Up are both loveable and hilarious. This is definitely a humorous movie with witty dialogue, but it also has its sad, moving moments too. Rated PG and directed by Pete Docter, (writer of Wall-E and director of Monsters, Inc.) Up is not just a movie for kids. Both adults and children will be impressed and entertained by this unique story. I don’t know how much longer it will be available in theaters, but be sure to see it on DVD when it is released. You won’t be disappointed.

-Lindsay