Reviews by Matt

Think seriously about the Pixar movies you have seen. Has there really been a bad one? I was not a big fan of “Cars” but it was not a bad movie. That was as close as I have gotten to not liking a Pixar movie. They really can do no wrong. So really what do you think I thought of “Up?”

Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) has been living in his house for years and in that time a city has built up around him. They want him out, but he refuses to leave when he hits a construction worker with his cane, the city has the justification to kick him out. Instead, Carl straps thousands of balloons to his house and floats away to fulfill his lifelong dream of visiting the jungle of South America. He thinks he is finally alone but he soon finds Russell (Jordan Nagai) on his porch. He begrudgingly takes the boy on his trip.

The first thing that I was hit by when I saw this was how much Carl and his house reminded me of the house from “The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton. This is another one of those books from my childhood that sticks with me. The story is about a house that has a city built up around it. Just a random thought to start off the review.

How was Pixar going to find success with a movie about an old man? Well, last year the hit one out of the park with a robot who cannot talk so they can do anything in my book. They did it again. Carl is cranky and has been a loner since his wife died. The movie starts out with a quick look at his life including the death of his wife and it is some powerful and moving stuff. They always said they were going to go to South America and live down there. He shuts the world out after her death and lives alone, but that is how he wants it.

The core to the movie is the budding relationship between Carl and Russell. Carl sees him as a nescience at the beginning but the boy does start to grow on him and Carl’s heart softens. I do not want to spoil a lot of the plot, but it is their adventures in South America that brings this unlikely pair together.

Well up next for Pixar is “Toy Story 3.” Now I love the “Toy Story” movies but the one Pixar sequel I am waiting for is the one for my all time favorite Pixar movie “The Incredibles.”

9 out of 10
Rated PG for some peril and action.
96 min