UP!

Title : UP!

Genre:  Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids & Family, Comedy

Director : Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

Year : May 29, 2009

Duration : 1 hr. 29 min.

Stars : Edward Asner , Christopher Plummer , Jordan Nagai , Bob Peterson

Orientation : From Disney/Pixar comes Up, a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

Interpretative recount : 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen is pushed beyond his limit when builders force him to move out of his own home, where he and his late wife had built their lives. Determined to live out a lifelong dream and show everyone that he won't be living in an old folks' home, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and lifts off toward Paradise Falls, South America. he has a stowaway - an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Carl is unable to get the talkative and persistent whippersnapper back to the ground, and the both of them end up in South America. Along their trek toward the falls, Carl and Russell find a strange and very large bird, whom Russell dubs "Kevin," and a talking dog named Dug who is hunting the bird. Russell wants to keep them, but Carl does not want . As it turns out, the dogs belong to Charles Muntz, the adventurous explorer who inspired Carl and Ellie's dreams of Paradise Falls. He is in search of the mysterious Kevin bird, and will stop at nothing to capture it. Despite his desire to stay out of this big mess, Carl finds himself right in the middle of it. At 78 years old, he is about to finally realize what life and adventure are all about.

Evaluation : The story of Up can be interpreted on different levels. To young kids, it is a funny story about an old man, a boy, and some silly animals. Kids will love the colorful scenery, the talking dog, and of course the house floating away with all of the balloons tied to it. This movie is remarkable for a brilliant montage sequence at the very beginning, sketching out Carl's early married life with childhood sweetheart Elie. This is a terrific film.

Evaluative summation : The movie is packed with lovely jokes, some of them funny in inexplicable ways. Funny and poignant and full of life, Up easily qualifies as one of the best movies of the year so far. Adventure is about escaping death's closure, but it's also about clinging to life's openness - letting one escapade's end evolve into something new. "Up" is a tremendously affecting story of indomitable love, infectious spirit and embraced possibilities.