Moving on ‘Up’: Disney, Pixar Score Another Masterpiece in 3-D

CHICAGO – There is an art to music. There is an art to writing a story and an art to telling that story. There is art in a great drawing, a great painting and a great photograph. There is an art to communication. And it may only be a matter of time before museums expand to include a whole new category of modern art: the animated film from Disney and Pixar.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

For what the studio duo accomplished in 2008 with its “WALL-E,” which is known for its groundbreaking achievements in many of the above-listed categories, their newest film, “Up,” has also managed to ace much of the same. Though two very different films both strong for different reasons, the two establish the Disney and Pixar revolution of the animated genre.

A symphonic balance of captivating silence and clever dialogue, belly-laugh humor and tear-in-the-eye despair, fast-paced action scenes and scenes slowed for their precious detail, “Up” orchestrates the talents of the directors (Pete Docter, who wrote “WALL-E,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 2” and “Toy Story,” and Bob Peterson, who wrote “Up,” “Ratatouille” and “Finding Nemo”), the artists (Scott Clark, Dave Mullins, Shawn Krause, Mike Venturini, Thomas Jordan and a team of nearly 70 animators) and the composer (Michael Giacchino) into one truly unforgettable piece.

StarRead Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Up” in our reviews section.

The result: a simple smile as one strides from the theatre knowing this is life, there are versions of our dreams we can’t imagine and even the most unfortunate or insignificant interactions can lead to great things.

“Up” tells the story of Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner): a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman who – after the loss of his wife – is left agitated by the world around him and regretful of desires unfulfilled. An unfortunate altercation pushes Carl to escape society and finally chase after the couple’s lifelong dream.

Carl quickly realizes he’s not alone in this adventure as 8-year-old wilderness explorer Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai) has secretly stowed away for the ride.

“Up,” which comes from director Pete Docter and co-director and writer Bob Peterson, features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft, John Ratzenberger, David Kaye and Elie Docter. The film opened everywhere on May 29, 2009. “Up” is rated “PG” for some peril and action.

StarRead Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Up” in our reviews section.

Carl Fredricksen in Up is voiced by Edward Asner
Carl Fredricksen in “Up” is voiced by Edward Asner.
Image credit: Disney, Pixar

StarRead Elizabeth Oppriecht’s full review of “Up” in our reviews section.

DNS Tools's picture

3d movies

These 3d movies are really cool, I love them, just a shame I have prescription glasses as well. Cant wait to see this movie!

EfrainY's picture

Can't wait for Toy Story 3...

This Pixar movie will make another headline this year. The Toy Story 3 trailer is one of the previews attached to the Up movie. The third installment of the Toy Story movies from Disney/Pixar is already causing a stir, but it isn’t slated for release until June, 2010. Those who get cash today to see Up will likely do the same in a year for Toy Story 3. The Toy Story series is incredibly successful. The original was the highest grossing film of 1995, and ushered in a new era of animation. The Toy Story 3 trailer might just mean huge returns and debt relief for the studio.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Adds typographic refinements.
  • You may quote other posts using [quote] tags.
  • Use <!--pagebreak--> to create page breaks.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.

User Login



THEATER, TV, DVD & BLU-RAY REVIEWS

  • Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

    CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray Round Up is back with two HD music releases, a beloved holiday movie from a director with a new comedy on the horizon (Richard Curtis, “Pirate Radio”), and a release that’s a must-own for fans of one of the most popular shows of the ’00s. This informative column is designed to let you know synopsis, technical specs, and features for titles that may have slipped under your radar. Pick your favorite.

  • The Taking of Pelham 123

    CHICAGO – When a New York subway dispatcher finds himself locked in a tense battle of the wits with a deranged criminal onboard Pelham 123, he’s offered this bit of advice from a seasoned hostage negotiator: don’t enter his world. The same warning could be issued to viewers intent on entering the world of Tony Scott.

CALENDAR & ADVANCE FILM SCREENINGS

NEW HOLLYWOODCHICAGO.COM USERS

HollywoodChicago.com Top Ten Discussions
tracker