Movie Review/ "Up" 3.5****

UP 3.5***This is the latest animated 3-D movie from the fabulous folks at Pixar Studios…their track record is nothing short of amazing…WALL-E, Ratatouille, Cars, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and others including the 2 Toy Story films “Up” is right “up” there with the best of them and has more of a sweet emotional feel than others.

So it’s “up, up and way” on a magical ride…not on the ole carpet this time but instead in a house, of all things, being floated in the sky by thousands of colorful helium balloons poking out from the chimney. This miraculous airborne extravaganza is the handiwork of Carl, a retired balloon salesman (what else) who at 78 yrs is a gruffy, lonely old widower. Carl intended for it to be a solo flight to a long dreamed of visit to a remote spot in South America…but unexpectedly, along for the ride, is Russell, a 10 yr old gung-ho Wilderness Scout who had been pestering Carl to let him help him so he could earn his last merit badge. The two voyagers make it to South America where the real adventure begins .They encounter a giant bizarre bird (it’ll remind you of “Big Bird” from “Sesame Street” but with slicked down multi-colored feathers and a giant beak), and a dog named Dug with a collar that lets him speak but not very smartly….but it is very hilarious!! And there's more than that, a great deal more; but “Up” is one of those movies where the best thing about it is the journey, and to give away those fascinating details would spoil the magic for you. I will add that there is, of course, a villain who is mean and evil but not very scary.

The movie begins with a sweet and emotional prologue. You see Carl as a very young boy and his two loves…..his boyhood idol, Charles Muntz, a world famous explorer; and Ellie, a kindred spirit and the girl he falls in love with, marries and shares a wonderful life with until her death ….and South America was Ellie’s dream first. All this is done with a minimum of dialog, as a moving montage, and it is one of the sweetest, most tender movie moments I've seen in a while.…keep a Kleenex handy. It is hard to make a cranky selfish old 78 yr old man likable, but knowing his past helps to explain his “challenging” personality.

Pixar strikes gold again…”Up” has a brilliant and simple story, beautiful visuals, excellent voice work, funny dialogue, beautiful music and very, very enjoyable characters. The only negative I can say about this movie is that it ended. And it’s great for the entire family…even the small kids will “get it”.

Clark