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Our generation has plenty of options when looking for some piece of history or pop culture to define it, just as generations before us have their own defining moments. Sept. 11 happened as most of us were on the edge of puberty. Barack Obama was elected just as many of us became old enough to vote.
But I submit that my generation needs to look no further than a slice of today's pop culture that began just as we were old enough to understand/appreciate it, continued to mature as we did and now stands, in my opinion, as the only source of entertainment left in the country that is actually likely to entertain everyone, regardless of age, preferences or fads.
I am talking, of course, about Pixar.
What is so unique about Pixar is that when "Toy Story" first came out and we were just entering grade school, we watched it because Woody was funny and Buzz was cool; as we grew up, we started to appreciate it for its subtle and witty humor and appealing characters and story. Now, 10 movies later, we have "Up."
"Up," directed by Pete Docter ("Monsters, Inc."), is about an old man named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) who puts thousand of balloons above his house and uses them to fly to Venezuela. This, of course, is one of the most ridiculous premises ever imagined, which, coming from a studio that specializes in talking toys and rat chefs, is really saying something. But "Up" reaches far beyond its ludicrous premise, to the point it is an afterthought. This is largely due to the character development in the film.
Carl is an extremely unlikely hero for a kids' movie. He is a grumpy, unfriendly, cynical old widower, who cares more about his mailbox than he does any living human. However, this is not what Carl is like when the audience first meets him. When he is, in fact, a very sympathetic character. Carl is accompanied by a young boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai), who follows him on his journey to the hidden South American wonderland known as Paradise Falls quite by accident; he merely wants to complete his collection of Wilderness Explorer badges by earning his "Assisting the Elderly" badge. These two characters alone provide the movie with most of its charm and fun.
"Up" continues the Pixar tradition of being great entertainment for all, and, much like Russell in the movie, also goes "above and beyond the call of duty" in this regard. "Up" is very mature for a kids' movie. The major dynamic of the movie involves Carl dealing with the death of Ellie, the love of his life, before he is able to take her on the adventure they had promised each other since they were children. This lack of companionship leaves Carl crushed, especially since he and Ellie were not able to have children, something else they wanted deeply. The movie delicately and masterfully explores their relationship in its opening sequences, condensing their entire life together in a powerful, wordless montage that spans no more than 10 minutes.
"Up" is also a very simple movie, all the way down to its extremely small cast and two-letter title. It, like "WALL-E," manages to express a wide range of ideas and emotions while at the same time actually saying very little. Ellie, who is the third-most important character in the movie, and arguably as important as Russell, has no lines as an adult (young Ellie is voiced by Elie Docter) and at most has 15 minutes of total screen time. Such subtleties are common for Pixar and are part of what makes "Up" so good, as they are particularly prominent in this movie.
"Up" is, unsurprisingly, also a very funny movie. About 90 percent of the comedy comes from two sources: subtle physical comedy and Dug. Dug, as is common of an animated movie's biggest source of humor, was given a lot of hype as part of the movie's advertising campaign. Most people will be unsurprised by the very funny, very peppy talking dog. Of course, this particular talking animal is given the twist of having his thoughts voiced by a very clever collar, while the rest of his face and features remain decidedly dog-like. Dug is at his best when paired with Carl and Russell's other animal sidekick, Kevin the snipe. All other details about Kevin will not be discussed in this review because they constitute the movie's main plot.
All in all, "Up" is a lot of things. It is complex, while at the same time being very simple. It is funny, while being very deep. Most importantly, though, is the fact that it is good. Very, very good.
E-mail: freestyle@lnpnews.com
