Synopsis

Up doesn’t start out like any animated movie we’ve ever seen. It’s the story of a couple who grows old together and whose life gets in the way of their pie-in-the-sky dream of living in a house perched on a cliff in South America. When balloon salesman Carl (Ed Asner) becomes a widower, he decides to take matters into his own hands by attaching enough balloons to his house to lift it up and take it all the way to South America. Things are complicated though by an eager boy scout named Russell who accidentally ends up going along for the ride.

Let’s start out by saying that Up is one of the most beautifully-written films we’ve ever seen. It is at times utterly hilarious and at times utterly heart-wrenching. How many movies have you ready to burst into tears 8 minutes in and then roaring with laughter at the 18-minute mark? It’s rare that a film is able to do both so excellently, but this one does.

Secondly, the film is made by Pixar, so you know it’s absolutely gorgeous. Seeing it in 3-D only adds an extra layer of enjoyment to what is already a beautiful sight to behold. And the voice actors are pitch-perfect (pun intended).

This is Pixar’s 10th film and their track record is, and remains, basically flawless. It’s a testament to a company that obviously truly cares about telling great stories. We know the year’s not over, but we would be extremely surprised if we were to see a better film in 2009. This stunning film aspires to be the best a movie-going experience could be. And it succeeds.

Upsides:
- Hilarious, heart-wrenching and, basically, perfect
- We feel we’re going to be hard-pressed to find a better film this year

Downsides:
- We really can’t think of any, except to say that don’t be fooled into thinking this is a kids’ movie. This one really and truly is for everyone.