Date: 2009
Director: Pete Docter
Actors/ Characters: Ed Asner/ Carl Fredricksen, Christopher Plummer/ Charles Muntz, Jordan Nagai/ Russell, Bob Peterson / Dug / Alpha
Summary: Seventy-eight year old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his home equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
Review
Up is a very different calibre of Pixar film to the others the studio have produced. Although the film is still suitable for a PG audience it is clear that Up examines themes of a more adult standard such as mortality, grief and family.
Audiences and critics alike were stunned by the opening of this film, Pete Docter has managed to beautifully capture the essence of married life in a succinct five minute montage narrated by Michael Giacchino's heartwarming and equally heart breaking score. The opening of this film is simply wonderful, it follows Carl and Ellie through marriage, the loss of a potential child and then the passing of Ellie leaving Carl alone and grieving at the end of the montage. Like I said, this narrative happens over the course of mere minutes yet it perfectly sums up the journey this unforgettable pair go through and that is why the opening of Up resonated with fans so significantly.
After Ellie dies, the main body of the film really begins. Carl meets Russell, a young boy scout desperate to earn his assisting the elderly badge so he can make his father proud, and the two embark on an adventure to Paradise Falls. Watching the binary opposition between Carl and Russell is incredibly endearing as these two characters balance each other out incredibly well. Russell is a fantastic representation of the spirit of childhood and reflects the same spirit Ellie had as a child which makes his and Carl's relationship all the more captivating.
As for the main narrative arc of the film, I think that the Charles Muntz storyline feels too immature for the tone set up through the film’s opening. I think the film would work better if the focus was solely on the universal themes of family and loss. The entire second act of the film just feels disjointed from the serious quality that the film begins with and part of me wishes the plot would solely focus on Carl trying to reach Paradise Falls rather than Charles Muntz's search for the snipe.
Up's resolution is also really strong. The way the film comes full circle in the end is executed wonderfully and everything is tied up really nicely as the film concludes. Carl's stepping in as a father figure to Russell is touching and the giving of the 'Ellie badge' always has me emotional. I love the final shot of the house finally sitting atop Paradise Falls as well as it evokes a real sense of catharsis and satisfaction for the audience. storyline feels too immature for the tone set up through the film’s opening.
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