UP review

[Bluedog]

Anybody have an opinion? The theater by me is showing it in both 2d and 3d (for $2.50 more). I don't remember the last time I used 3d glasses - it could be cool, but perhaps its just a gimmick to get more money, and can even be distracting....Not really sure.

[Cavlaw]

Anybody have an opinion? The theater by me is showing it in both 2d and 3d (for $2.50 more). I don't remember the last time I used 3d glasses - it could be cool, but perhaps its just a gimmick to get more money, and can even be distracting....Not really sure.
I got to check out the new technology for the first time with Bolt. I was pretty impressed. It's not "true" 3D, not yet, but it's a far cry better than anything that's come before.

The depth of the picture into the screen works very well. They still can't make anything come forward, so to create the effect they leave something at screen level and drop everything else in the picture back. It works ok, but the normal effect i the reason to pay the extra money, not to let them try to simulate things coming out of the screen at you.

[mph]

Anybody have an opinion? The theater by me is showing it in both 2d and 3d (for $2.50 more). I don't remember the last time I used 3d glasses - it could be cool, but perhaps its just a gimmick to get more money, and can even be distracting....Not really sure.

We saw it in 2D yesterday. We could have waited for another 30 minutes and watched the 3D version, but the extra $17.50 ($3.50 X 5) helped me make up my mind.

Whichever version you see, make sure you see it. It was an absolute delight. My children (ages 3 to 5) loved it. My wife and I loved it. I'll need some time to reflect, but my initial reaction is this is the best Pixar film to date. I've certainly never found myself as emotionally connected to characters in an animated film.

[acciconoclast]

You lose a little bit of the color in 3-D but of course gain in other ways. It's a great film in either 2 or 3-D. And a bit more "commercial" than Wall-E.
some scenes have you almost dying from laughter, while others are breathtakingly poignant. The music score is simply outstanding.

To make the movie work, they need the audience to know what makes the main character tick and the audience must empathize with that character. Pixar accomplishes all that in a stunning 4-minute sequence right at the beginning.

[CameronBornAndBred]

UP is way fun. We went earlier today (I love Sunday matinees, nobody there and cheap). To start, you are treated to a fun Pixar short about an unfortunate stork and his baby provider (Babies of all species are made by clouds), it was cute, although after all of the previews my wife was pretty sure they would never actually show a movie. The movie opens following Carl, a kid wannabe adventurer, watching one of those old news reels about a real life adventurer who is booted from all his high profile science and exploration societies because they believe he has faked one of his finds, the skeleton of a large bird in South America. The news reel shows him declare that he will return with a live specimen to prove his discovery, followed by him taking off in his blimp.
We then watch Carl age through the years after becoming befriended by another young adventurer Ellie, whom he eventually marries. Together they promised each other that they would follow in the footsteps of their hero, the fallen from grace adventurer that has returned to South America in search of his prize. Due to various unforseen circumstances that life throws their way, Carl and Ellie are unable to follow their adventurous dreams before Ellie passes away. Left alone in their house, Carl faces slim prospects as the city forces him to abandon the home he and Ellie made for themselves and head off to an assisted living facility.
Of course Carl takes it upon himself to move him and his house away before that happens, and that's where his biggest adventure starts. Similar to Wall*E, the beginning of the film has very little spoken from our hero, in fact Ellie ribs him about being so quiet. He does talk while aging, but you never here what he says. In classic Pixar style, the tale is told through the beautifully detailed animation, without need for many vocal words.
On his journey, Carl is joined by Russell, a junior adventurer in the mold of Carl when he was a kid. Questing for his "Assisting the Ederly" badge, Russell gets unwittingly taken upon Carl's quest, and along the way meet several characters that flesh out the rest of the tale. It's a story that is told with humor and suspense with a dash of sorrow along the way.
By the end I had laughed because it was funny, cried because it was funny, and cried because it was touching. The characters are great, and not all of them can speak. As evidenced by the short that opens the film, Pixar does not need words to tell an engaging tale, but when they have the words, the film is better for it. Highly recommended, go have fun.

[JasonEvans]

Ready for this...

I did not love Up.

There, I said it. And I don't feel dirty for doing so.

Make no mistake, Up is a very good film, but falls far short of most of the films in the Pixar universe. I would rank it around Cars and A Bug's Life at the bottom of the Pixar list. It is not close to Wall*E, the Brad Bird films, Nemo, Monsters Inc, or Toy Story-- that's for sure.

http://pageslap.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/up-pixar.jpg

There were huge problems with the Up story. The timeline was all messed up-- especially the age relationship between the Carl and the bad guy (which should have been 20+ years but appeared to be nothing). Even my kids were bothered by the way they flew all the way to SAmerica seemingly in just a few hours. I know it seems silly to complain about realism in a story about a man who uses a bunch of balloons to fly his house to the Amazon, but it did bother me and my kids kept on asking me questions because it was bothering them.

It did not feel to me like all that much interesting stuff happened in the story. It was pretty flat and ordinary from an exposition standpoint and had none of the depth that, for example, Wall*E had. The quality of the animation was good, it always is in a Pixar film, but I was surprised that I was not more impressed with the SAmerican vistas. I vividly recall being breathless at the animation in Nemo, Monsters Inc, and Wall*E-- that never happened in this film.

Make no mistake, it was a good movie and an enjoyable one. If you are looking for a kid flick, you could certainly do a lot, lot, lot worse. But, it will not be one of the top 5-10 movies of the year as most Pixar films are and I will not be going back to see it again.

--Jason "the stork and cloud short was cute and funny" Evans
http://www.cgexplorer.com/_sys/wp/wp-content/uploads/partly-cloudy-pixar-3d-animated-short-film-575x322.jpg

[Bluedog]

Ready for this...

I did not love Up.

There, I said it. And I don't feel dirty for doing so.

Make no mistake, Up is a very good film, but falls far short of most of the films in the Pixar universe. I would rank it around Cars and A Bug's Life at the bottom of the Pixar list. It is not close to Wall*E, the Brad Bird films, Nemo, Monsters Inc, or Toy Story-- that's for sure.

There were huge problems with the Up story. The timeline was all messed up-- especially the age relationship between the Carl and the bad guy (which should have been 20+ years but appeared to be nothing). Even my kids were bothered by the way they flew all the way to SAmerica seemingly in just a few hours. I know it seems silly to complain about realism in a story about a man who uses a bunch of balloons to fly his house to the Amazon, but it did bother me and my kids kept on asking me questions because it was bothering them.

It did not feel to me like all that much interesting stuff happened in the story. It was pretty flat and ordinary from an exposition standpoint and had none of the depth that, for example, Wall*E had. The quality of the animation was good, it always is in a Pixar film, but I was surprised that I was not more impressed with the SAmerican vistas. I vividly recall being breathless at the animation in Nemo, Monsters Inc, and Wall*E-- that never happened in this film.

Make no mistake, it was a good movie and an enjoyable one. If you are looking for a kid flick, you could certainly do a lot, lot, lot worse. But, it will not be one of the top 5-10 movies of the year as most Pixar films are and I will not be going back to see it again.

--Jason "the stork and cloud short was cute and funny" Evans
http://www.cgexplorer.com/_sys/wp/wp-content/uploads/partly-cloudy-pixar-3d-animated-short-film-575x322.jpg

I agree. Just saw it in 2d last night. While I'd certainly recommend the film and I found it enjoyable, it was one of the "worst" (it's all relative) Pixar films to date , in my opinion. My main complaint is pretty much the same as Jason's - the story line was almost too basic and not enough happened to keep it interesting. Also, a miscarriage in a Pixar film? I'm sure young children wouldn't catch that part of the story, but the beginning vignettes were quite touching/sad/adult-themed. I was surprised to see that - I guess that's why it got a PG rating instead of G.

I'd actually say that WallE was my least favorite Pixar film, which I know I'm in the minority in. I don't think I'd even recommend WallE; I found it boring. At least Up had comedic moments, kept viewers interest, and had good character development. I'd still say Toy Story, Cars, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and Monsters Inc were all superior to Up and WallE (haven't seen a Bug's Life). In any event, still glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll watch it several times like I have for Finding Nemo.

[gethlives]

For me the opening vignette was one of the life of Fredricksons was one of the most touching scenes I have ever seen in animation--probably on par with the final scene in Monsters, Inc. which always makes me tear up. My ranking of Pixar films right now would be:

1) Wall-E
2) Ratatouiie
3) Incredibles
4) Finding Nemo
5) Monsters Inc.
6) Up
7) Toy Story 2
8) Toy Story
9) Cars

I haven't seen A Bug's Life. Really only Cars is the one I consider less than a classic.

[JasonEvans]

Toy Story at #8!?!?!?!? Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?! We are talking about the film that started the digital revolution. It is one of the 5 or so most important films of the past 25 years, IMO.

And it was really good too.

I would rank the Pixar films thusly--

1. Wall*E
2. Toy Story
3. Incredibles
4. Monsters, Inc.
5. Ratatouille
6. Finding Nemo
7. Toy Story 2
8. A Bug's Life
9. Cars
10. Up

Worth noting that there are several groupings of the above list. Films #1-#3 are all very close and could change position at any time. Similarly, #4-#7 are all excellent pics and I could put them in just about any order. There is a big drop, IMO, from #7 to #8. Also, films #8-#10 are about the same.

I see 3 giants, 4 great films, and 3 very good ones on this list.

Now, if you want a real chore, rank the Pixar shorts!! For The Birds, Boundin, Presto, One Man Band, Jack-Jack Attack, Lifted... whew!! That is not easy!

--Jason "I think Gerri's Game is my #1... but this is hard!" Evans
http://visualjournalist.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/gerris-game.jpg

[gethlives]

Toy Story at #8!?!?!?!? Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?! We are talking about the film that started the digital revolution.

I'm not denying it's importance but I don't think it was nearly as innovative in terms of story telling of some of the ones that followed it. Would I get shot if I compared it to Birth of a Nation? I mean that is perhaps the most important film in history and I don't think it holds up that well. (Please note that I am not suggesting that Toy Story III will feature Buzz Lightyyear as a KKK member).

I think that Toy Story II was in some ways a more interesting story than the orginal and the animation had improved.

But glad we agree on Wall-E--arguably the best film, animated or not, of the decade.

[bjornolf]

My ranking would be slightly different, though I agree that there are groups that could switch around.

1. Incredibles
2. Toy Story
3. Cars
4. Wall*E
5. Monsters, Inc.
6. Finding Nemo
7. Toy Story 2
8. Ratatouille
9. Bug's Life

I have NOT seen Up yet, but I'm sure we will in the coming weeks. My rankings are probably a little colored by my kids. They LOVED Cars. Watched it probably 50 times, if not more (on DVD, twice in the theater). Although they liked Wall*E almost as much as Cars, and I still put it at #4. My kids would probably go Cars, then Wall*E, then Monsters, Inc., then Incredibles (thought they LOVE Jack-Jack Attacks), then Nemo, followed by the Toy Story movies, then Bug's Life, and Ratatouille last. My kids are a little young for Toy Story 1 & 2, so they don't see it as quite as impressive as the ones they grew up with (Wall*E and Cars). It's difficult for me to rank them, cause I really loved them all.

The Shorts:
My mother's favorite short is the bird one. My kids love when all the little mean birds "are naked" as they say. My kids favorites are Jack-Jack Attacks (I love that EVERY one of his "powers" is just an insane exaggeration of something normal babies do all the time), For the Birds, and Red's Dream (which seems a little random, but they like the clown and feel sorry for Red). They also like the one about the little tin toy, which cracks me up when he's trying to get the kid's attention at the end. The baby's GINORMOUS diaper always makes me laugh too. My favorite of all though is the little snowman in the snowglobe. He has me ROTFLMAO every time, and I always yell at him to hurry at the end, but he never makes it. :(

http://www.smartcine.com/images/pixar_short_films_vol_1_still.jpg

[acciconoclast]

Interesting blog from one of the Pixar artists on UP. SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen it

http://louromano.blogspot.com/2009/05/art-of-up_3697.html

[whereinthehellami]

For me the opening vignette was one of the life of Fredricksons was one of the most touching scenes I have ever seen in animation--probably on par with the final scene in Monsters, Inc. which always makes me tear up. My ranking of Pixar films right now would be:

1) Wall-E
2) Ratatouiie
3) Incredibles
4) Finding Nemo
5) Monsters Inc.
6) Up
7) Toy Story 2
8) Toy Story
9) Cars

I haven't seen A Bug's Life. Really only Cars is the one I consider less than a classic.

I agree with you about Cars. It didn't do anything for me. I'm looking forward to Up though.

[JasonEvans]

Interesting blog from one of the Pixar artists on UP. SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen it

http://louromano.blogspot.com/2009/05/art-of-up_3697.html

Really cool blog. Some amazing images. It alludes to a theme that I really would have liked and would have made the movie better--


Muntz was originally based on Howard Hughes, the aviation pioneer who became a recluse in his later years. In an earlier version of the story Muntz was obsessed with the Snipe eggs, which could reverse old age like the fountain of youth.

--Jason "not often that the best ideas are left on the cutting room floor... too bad" Evans

[CameronBornAndBred]

I agree with you about Cars. It didn't do anything for me. I'm looking forward to Up though.
Man I love Cars. That movie makes me laugh and cry, but it's hard for a Pixar flick not to. I'm not posting my ratings, but Cars would be near the middle. (And near the middle of greatness ain't bad). Up would not be in the top half, but it wouldn't be at the bottom of the heap, either.

[bird]

I liked Cars more than the Incredibles. No accounting for taste.

[-jk]

I think what makes Pixar great is they tug our emotional strings without dragging us through emotional muck. We get to enjoy others' emoting without having to go there.

Lots of directors could learn from 'em.

-jk

[g_olaf]

My children (ages 3 to 5) loved it.

A word of caution... this movie might be scary for some kids... It is clearly a PG movie. My 6 y.o. daughter went to see it for a friends birthday party and about 5 or 6 kids had to leave the theater during one particular scene.

[JasonEvans]

A word of caution... this movie might be scary for some kids... It is clearly a PG movie. My 6 y.o. daughter went to see it for a friends birthday party and about 5 or 6 kids had to leave the theater during one particular scene.

Which scene? I guess some of the stuff with the dogs was a little scary, but there was always immediate comic relief in the dog scenes -- SQUIRREL!

--Jason "Doug was my favorite character-- by a mile" Evans

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/updoug.jpg

[Tom B.]

SPOILER WARNING!
SPOILER WARNING!
SPOILER WARNING!
SPOILER WARNING!










Which scene? I guess some of the stuff with the dogs was a little scary, but there was always immediate comic relief in the dog scenes -- SQUIRREL!


My guess is the sequence in which: (1) Kevin's leg is bitten and injured by one of the dogs, (2) Muntz traps Kevin in a net, (3) Muntz sets Carl's house on fire, and (4) Carl abandons Kevin and frantically tries to put out the flames while the menacing dogs drag Kevin away.

My wife and I enjoyed the film, but we both thought it was probably Pixar's most "grown-up" offering to date. It had some pretty heavy thematic elements that young children might not grasp, like miscarriage/infertility and the loss of a lifelong companion to a terminal illness. It was also a little more violent than your typical animated adventure fare. There are two scenes I can recall in which blood is visibly drawn, plus there's the fire scene, several scenes with menacing/attacking dogs, and the climactic scene in which the bad guy falls presumably to his death. I think that's the first time we've seen a human character die in a Pixar film.

[bjornolf]

Didn't Syndrome die at the end of Incredibles? He got sucked into a jet engine, afterall.

[Tom B.]

Didn't Syndrome die at the end of Incredibles? He got sucked into a jet engine, afterall.

Yep, I stand corrected.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Which scene? I guess some of the stuff with the dogs was a little scary, but there was always immediate comic relief in the dog scenes -- SQUIRREL!

I would guess the thunderstorm scene could scare the bejebus out of a kid.

[bjornolf]

Incredibles overall was a little dark. You had all the supers being kidnapped and murdered. You even saw gazerbeam's skeleton. You also had torture with that big electrical machine that zapped Mr. Incredible and held his family. There was also the, albeit short, part where Mr. Incredible thought his family was dead when the plane was shot down. The bad guys had a lot of automatic weapons firing all over, and several of them were smashed into cliffs or thrown hundreds of feet out of transports into the jungle or crashed into each other and exploded. You gotta figure at least a few of those dudes bought it. Things were pretty rough on the soldiers that tried to stop the giant robot at the end, too. Just saying.

[CameronBornAndBred]

Didn't Syndrome die at the end of Incredibles? He got sucked into a jet engine, afterall.
Blame the cape. Syndrome also killed off a bunch of folks in the incredibles, although you didn't see the deeds, just the bones of the aftermath.

[bjornolf]

Is anything in it worse than pretty much any five minute segment of Nightmare Before Christmas for little kids? My 3 and 6 year olds LOVED that movie. They laughed all the way through it.

[JasonEvans]

Blame the cape.

"No Capes!!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8)

--Jason "in the above clip, we see several human superheroes meet their demise-- it is more common than we think, I bet" Evans

[darthur]

"No Capes!!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M68ndaZSKa8)

--Jason "in the above clip, we see several human superheroes meet their demise-- it is more common than we think, I bet" Evans

That's a great scene from a fantastic movie, but like some other parts of the movie, I think it owes a great deal to Watchmen. There's a lengthy faux memoir in the Watchmen book that discusses how capes were impractical for "real" superheroes, going into some detail about how one guy gets shot after his cape gets stuck in a revolving door.

That doesn't change the fact that the Incredibles is a wonderful movie of course :).

[Udaman]

Saw it this weekend. Though many Pixar films have tugged on my heartstrings - this was the first that brought tears to my eyes. I thought the opening clip about their relationship was beautifully done (better than the Wall-E opening with no talking). This one was the most real as well - with the sadness of losing a partner, the high of celebrating life - even when you face loss, and the realization of what things really matter.

I would highly, highly recommend this.

Another note coming with Pixar rankings....

[Cavlaw]

I got a little misty watching it. My wife says it is her favorite Pixar movie, with Wall*E a close second.

[whereinthehellami]

I just saw it in 3D with my wife and 2 kids yesterday. I liked it. I thought the beginning was excellent and then it trailed off somewhat after that. We have a dog, so i thought there was some pretty good, funny scenes with the dogs throughout the flick. We took our 2.5 and 4 year olds to it, it was there first movie in a theatre. They liked it and didn't seem bothered by any of the scenes.

[FreezingDevil]

I got a little misty watching it. My wife says it is her favorite Pixar movie, with Wall*E a close second.

Up was a great movie to take the love in your life to. The opening scene that sped thru the all-too-real life of the lead character was truly touching. In just a few minutes, the filmmakers portrayed the joys and pains of life better than untold numbers of feature length films. To do that without commentary and with animation is rather groundbreaking, IMO