Up! begins by portraying two children, Carl and Ellie, who become friends through their common love for the explorer Charles F. Muntz. When their idol is accused of lying about his explorations in South America, Carl makes a promise to Ellie to one day follow the footsteps of Muntz and explore the continent too. The film portrays a typical “in love” couple that develops into old age. When Ellie passes away, Carl’s world descends into a depression and is followed by a series of unfortunate events, leading to Carl wanting to fulfil his promise to Ellie. Up! juxtaposes the reality and downfalls of life along with the creativity of a house being transported by balloons and talking dogs.
The amazing plot is augmented by completely mind-boggling visuals, especially with the 3D geek-chic glasses on. Not only do characters jump out from the screen, but mundane things like rain look really real. If you haven’t seen a 3D film before, this would be an unbeatable start.
Strangely enough you can relate to the two main characters; Carl, and the wilderness adventure scout, Russell. Carl is a grumpy old man who hates society, and Russell is an excitable, conscientious and mildly annoying little boy. This unbeatable relationship is where the laughs are reigned in. However it must be said, in comparison to other Pixar successes like Monsters Inc. and Ice Age, the genius is not essentially in the laughs, but in the imagery. Unfortunately, another great film is ruined by all the great jokes being on the trailer!
Despite this, the film is brilliant in the sense that it flips between the romanticism of Carl and Ellie, the silliness of Kevin the tropical bird, and Doug the talking dog. This, essentially, is what makes it for all the family.
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