Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here. Ho-hum. Another year, another fantastic Pixar film. What else is new? What? 3-D? Please continue. Excluding the first 45 unfinished minutes that I saw of UP at Butt Numb-a-Thon last December, I've actually seen this movie twice --once in 2-D and once in 3-D--and despite some people's claims that there's some degradation in the image when you strap on the 3-D glasses, unless you're looking at both version side by side, you aren't going to notice the difference. That said, I think anyone would be lucky to see the film in either 2-D or 3-D; this is one of the few 3-D-available movies that I think suffers nothing by not being seen in 3-D. I liked the film equally in both formats, so if you're desperate to catch UP and you don't have ready access to a 3-D-ready theater, don't sweat it. From one of Pixar's founding fathers, Peter Docter (MONSTERS INC.), comes what is essentially the final Indiana Jones movie... or at least it should. Actually I think UP has better and more believable action sequences than the last Indiana Jones chapter, and is a far better tale of a recipient of social security who straightens up his hunched-over back and arthritis-riddled hands for one final adventure in an exotic location. The man in question here is 78-year-old Carl Fredrickson, a man who married his elementary school sweetheart Ellie, and had always planned on taking her on a trip to South America (or possibly even moving there). In one of the greatest opening sequences in recent memory (and certainly the most emotionally satisfying), we see Carl and Ellie's life together. The bond as children over the exploits of world-famous adventurer Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer), who we see in newsreel footage as he is discredited after failing to produce evidence of his greatest scientific find. From their first meeting on, Carl and Ellie were practically inseparable. We're treated to a series of moments in their modest lives, done largely in unspoken scenes that convey just how devoted they are to each other, and how Carl's income as a balloon salesman at the zoo never quite afforded them that trip they were always planning. When Ellie dies, Carl (played by Ed Asner as a elderly gentleman) basically folds in on himself. Jumping ahead a few years, Carl's home is being encroached upon by urban development all around him, but he refuses to sell him home and move into a retirement community, until a mishap in front of his home forces the issue and he is given no choice in the matter. It is right around this time that he meets Russell (Jordan Nagai), a Wilderness Explorer looking to get his final merit badge, one for helping the elderly. Carl doesn't need any help and slams the door in the kid's face. On the day that Carl is supposed to move out, he devises a plan using his skills from the previous job and ties thousands of balloons to his house in an effort to rip it from its foundation and fly it to South America and a spot he and Ellie had seen where they wanted to move. The launching of Carl's house sequence will make you forget to breathe, it's so beautiful. And the film just gets better from there. The rest of UP is a little tougher to explain, so I won't really try. In my mind, it felt like the most wonderfully random series of adventures that the filmmakers could come up with. You probably already know that Russell somehow manages to stow away and become Carl's co-captain on the journey. But what happens to them once they reach their destination is so unpredictable and fun that I don't want to ruin too much of it. I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that the pair do stumble about Muntz, who has carved out a life for himself filled with talking dogs (or more specifically, dog collars that allow his dogs' barking and other noises to be translated into speech), and decades of bitterness stemming from that one newsreel-captured moment of disgrace. The imagination fireworks are on full display with UP, and I honestly can't remember a previous Pixar film that had this much fun being weird while remaining totally accessible. Perhaps because the film's central character is an old man, the filmmakers felt like they needed to make Russell a bit more of a kid than I think he needed to be, but that didn't really bother me (the film is, in fact, only Pixar's second PG-rated film, along with The Incredibles). Quite the contrary, the comedy stylings of Carl and Russell make UP Pixar's funniest film to date, as well as the most purely adventurous offering from the animation house. Most of what I could say about my great affection for UP would probably only take the form of a long list of small touches that added up to an outstanding final product. For example, I love the Carl uses his walking stick as a tool for adventure, as he does his garden hose (still attached to the side of his flying house). I love that the meanest dog in the pack has a broken collar resulting in a Chipmunk-like that the other dogs laugh at. I love that people are debating whether Russell is Asian or not. It's silly--of course he is. I love the way the balloons look and move so incredibly real that it makes we want to hold a balloon and be its best friend. I love that the Pixar folks still managed to find room for John Ratzenberger's voice in a movie that doesn't have many characters. I loved the thunderstorm sequence. I'm a one-man lovefest for this film and I don't care who knows it. And while UP doesn't strive to apply a deeper meaning to its story the way WALL-E did, the message about never giving up on your childhood dreams is front and center here, and that's inspiring as hell. We could all use that reminder on a regular basis. The best thing about casting Ed Asner as Carl is that if this film were somehow made as a live-action feature, Ed would still be playing Carl. In a rare instance for me, I never forgot that it was Asner in this role. My mind transplanted Asner's face right on top of Carl's body, and that was OK by me. He is Carl, and Carl is he. There's no line. He inhabits this character because he is this character. OK, Asner might not be as curmudgeonly as Carl in real life, but beyond that they inhabit the same space. Asner/Carl is the third grandfather I'd always wished I'd had but never knew it until I saw this film. Enough gushing. You know whether or not you want to see UP. It's Pixar, and even their least interesting work is better than 95 percent of what you see in a given year. Stop reading and go. If you can find it in 3-D, great. If you can't, doesn't matter. Have the adventure of a lifetime, even if it isn't your lifetime. I should also add here that the opening Pixar short, PARTLY CLOUDY, is yet another example of brilliant, dialogue-free storytelling and perhaps the single most creative short Pixar has ever made. Bravo to director Peter Sohn and Co. for giving us Pixar's version of creationism; it's certainly one I can get behind. -- Capone capone@aintitcoolmail.com
