Every time I hear that John Lasseter is conjuring another movie, I keep worrying that, eventually, his team is going to run out of ideas. While WALL-E is still my favorite (mostly because I'm a space nerd and they used the voice of Michael Crawford as the recurring musical theme for gd's sake... so many of my favorite things), I think UP is rather special. Considering the era they're playing with and the perfect fairy tale bending of reality, they've actually created a new story. Obviously it has elements of tales we've heard before... explorers have spun yarns for centuries... but it's collection of fantasy, era, age clash, children of divorce, and following a path after the death of a loved one births a new story to tell.
I love Doug... because I can't help it! He's the embodiment of all the dog jokes the moronic impulse-buy gift books tell us. My mom is a great dog lover, so, I'm a sucker for the honesty and hammy fun. Of course, I like Alpha, too... it's a great not-too-scary-bad-guy idea for this generation of children. The few young kids I've gotten to know aren't in the mood for the villains of my childhood. Scar from The Lion King (pure evil and the use of the truly creepy Jeremy Irons for the voice still freaks me out), Jafar from Aladdin (if he didn't scare you with the whole dark, maniacal thing he had going on, he certainly makes you want to take a shower), and even Ursula from The Little Mermaid (with her towering, monstrous conclusion and gruesome, watery death) are all either beneath the imaginings of this generation or more than they feel like handling. But then, my thoughts on what's happening to this group of kids is another story for another day... I'm just trying to say that UP has appropriate opposition without being overwhelming in the dogs. Christopher Plummer, admittedly, makes a relatively disturbing madman in the part of Charles Munz, and while I really like that the movie subtly implies that all our heroes are human and are bound to be toppled eventually, Munz doesn't overwhelm.
But, still, the point that moves me the most is the love story. I always had a fantasy about meeting the love of my life as a child, growing up with him, falling in love, getting married, etc... I enjoyed seeing it realized on screen. I appreciate the themes of lost opportunities and the abandon that Carl learns to exhibit to move on from his old life and into a new chapter with a different sort of family... very 2000s. I like any film that makes a point to teach a little reality while entertaining its audience simultaneously. It's hard to realize that you've missed out on things you wish you had done with someone... a grandparent, a friend, a spouse... but there are ways to hold on to that without it anchoring you in place. Anyone who has lost someone probably grapples with the feelings of betrayal... that deviating from your life with that person means you've turned your back on them. This film captures the necessity of the mourning process (he crossed his heart, after all, he had to get to the Falls) as well as the end of the process. Ellie leaves Carl a note in her adventure book that he should go on and have a new adventure without her. This message is the greatest wish made out of love we could leave behind for our friends and family.
I've read that some reviewers are disappointed in Disney's lack of a girl lead who isn't a princess. Part of John Lasseter's plan for Disney was to bring back hand-drawn animation and the first among these projects is scheduled to be The Princess and The Frog (what it does have going for it is an African American heroine, a twist from the original story, and it takes place in New Orleans... the villain is a witch doctor, for crying out loud... these all sound like fun, to me). Though women might need to work their way into new roles (and I do believe that Pixar will leap that hurtle in the future) I quite like that the leading character of this fairy tale is an old man with his cane and dentures. I think our elderly are a sadly neglected demographic and this film speaks to reviving their significance, their vitality. Carl doesn't speak much, so, I won't say anything about the valuable stories they have to tell (though they do) but the ability they have to fill the empty spaces in our lives rather than to be tossed into the forgotten spaces of retirement homes is an idea I hope children take away from this movie.
I'm not a critic... I'm just sending out a personal opinion... but I think UP is entertaining without being trite or cheap and offers my personal priority in watching any kind of film... some lesson to learn. I'll be taking my mother to see the film once school lets out and hoping that all the Carls and Ellie's in the country find some peace and enjoyment in this story.
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