Up: DVD Review
Up
Released by Disney DVD
Rating: PG
Voice Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob
Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger
A Pixar film is always likely to have me excited - animation is
one of the things I love - and I know with this animation studio
that their animators have spent hours poring over every frame,
ensuring every pixel is in place and every moment is perfectly
crafted.
Up is the tale of Carl Fredericksen, who, in the twilight years of
his life, after realizing he never followed his (and his wife
Ellie's dream) of taking a trip to Paradise Falls in South America,
decides to do something about it.
So with the bulldozers literally knocking at his door to make way
for a development, Carl unveils a roof full of balloons and heads
for the skies as he relocates for good.
The trouble is, just prior to his leaving, Carl was visited by
Wilderness Explorer, Russell, who's trying to earn his final badge
- for helping the elderly - and who was near the house when it took
to the skies. With his unwanted companion, Carl and Russell head
off for adventure - even if Carl doesn't want it.
Up is quite an adult tale - it's a yarn about accepting what's in
your backyard and living life to the full; it has a winsome quality
and has some truly touching moments. But none more than the first
sequence which fully illustrates Carl's life with Ellie before the
present day is just beautiful, emotionally stunning. Quite how a 3
minute sequence of animation can reduce this reviewer to near tears
is a testament to the human touch these computer animators haven't
lost.
But I didn't feel the resolute joy with the rest of Up that I have
done with similar Pixar releases - whether it's because this story
didn't resonate with me, I don't know; that said, I do love the
fact that Carl loses his purpose in his life after the loss of
Ellie - a rare quality for an animated film to portray - and by
relocating and following what were his family's dreams, he
rediscovers who exactly he is.
However, for every moment of minor misses, there are 1001 visually
stunning moments on Up - and even more so on BluRay - and at
the end of the day, when you're watching animation sometimes it's
more than enough to simply look up and be impressed.
EXTRAS: As ever with Pixar films, you get the
short which preceded the film in the cinemas, the winsome Partly
Cloudy, alternate scenes, a chance to visit the real paradise falls
and perhaps the best bit Dug's Special Mission, a spin off
animation about the talking dog Dug seen in the film. It's a great
package and continues to push the high limits of Disney DVD
releases.
Rating: 8/10
