Up (movie)

The most impressive thing about Pixar is that they do not shy away from material which is difficult, unhappy, or adult (not like that!) but at the same time aren't offensive or crass or unsuitable for children. In this asect, Up does not disappoint. It has an impressive amount of depth to it, a simple enemy that is good for the younger audience and a more intangible enemy for the more thoughtful audience. It has dark and unhappy events, which are realistic, and happy events (which are less realistic, come to think of it...) and is consistently funny.

So I found the movie to be pretty "Good". However, it's not what I would consider the best movie, not even among the Pixar collection. Though perhaps the best in the last few years and proof that Pixar can create a quality product even if it has been acquired by Disney--after Wall-E created the fear that it may have been Disney-fied: good up until it had to have an acceptably cute and crappy ending. Up does get a little cheesy, the ending is predictable, but it is more acceptable in this piece than it was in Wall-E. The style of the story allowed for it.

It also allows for copious amounts of unrealism. One remembers that this is, in essence, a cartoon where everything is possible. Don't think about physics or time while watching this movie because it wont be considering them either. It is a cute film, meant to be entertaining and Aesopian, not real.

My biggest problem with the movie was trying to understand that crotchety old man. I do understand him much more now, but I had to think about it for a while. I was annoyed at the standard "bad guy", until I was convinced that it was necessary to make the film accessible to a wider audience, which has its merits. The style is getting... usual, so visually, I thought they could have done more with it, but I like the square-ness exhibited by the characters.

So Up is a good film: better than Wall-E, Ratatouille, and Cars, better than Finding Nemo. But is it "Liar Liar" good? ...No, not really.