With 2008's ""WALL-E,"" Pixar proved it could push the boundaries of children's entertainment into the realm of legitimate science fiction and fantasy. With ""Up,"" Pixar proves it wasn't a fluke, crafting a film that functions first and foremost as a surrealist love story and second as a children's film.
""Up"" centers on Carl (Ed Asner), a retired balloon salesman living out life without his dearly departed wife, Ellie. Carl and Ellie bonded early in life because of their mutual love of adventure, particularly that of legendary explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer). Despite this, their vow of moving to the wild, unexplored terrain of South America is never fulfilled. When Carl has an unfortunate incident with a foreman trying to invoke eminent domain on his small home, the state declares him a menace and sentences him to a permanent stay in a nursing home. Carl doesn't comply, instead tethering thousands of balloons to his house and flying to South America with the power of helium and latex.
The first 20 minutes of the film are the most heart-wrenching scenes Pixar has ever produced. Carl and Ellie's life plays out through a beautiful montage, detailing the couple's ups and downs, including the death of their unborn child and Ellie's sudden health problems, made all the more upsetting by Carl's decision to buy plane tickets to South America that day.
Despite Ellie's death in the opening sequence, ""Up"" still functions as a love story, with the house acting as a vessel for Ellie's spirit. When Carl deals with tough situations, he often comments ""this wasn't in the plan, Ellie"" speaking to objects in his house such as an easy chair and a portrait. Little gestures like this in the film keep Ellie in the audience's mind throughout.
""Up"" is still a children's film, however, and has the requisite cute characters, ranging from cub scout stowaway Russell to Dug the talking dog. Russell has accidentally accompanied Carl to South America, where the second half of the film takes flight. Russell finds a rare bird whom he names Kevin, who is being chased by a mysterious collector who has created a race of super-intelligent talking dogs, whose sole goal is to capture the bird. The aforementioned Dug is an outcast because of his lack of killer instinct and tendency to lose focus when squirrels or tennis balls are mentioned. Carl is burdened (literally, due to the balloons losing their helium) with the choice of living out his old adventure to appease Ellie's memory or embarking on a new adventure by helping protect his new young friend and the exotic bird who has joined them.
""Up"" proves that Pixar is in a renaissance phase. The studio could have easily moved on from the ambitious ""WALL-E"" and returned to making spectacular children's fare like ""Finding Nemo."" Instead, the studio has found a way to incorporate fantasy, romance, and adventure into 96 minutes of glory. To paraphrase the great Buzz Lightyear, Pixar has already soared to great heights with ""Up,"" but if recent history is any indication, Pixar's subsequent films should aim for infinity and beyond.
Grade: A
