Up, Up, and Away

It's official. Pixar can do no wrong. Of course, we all knew it after the success of the first three movies, but now the studio wunderkind has ten movies under its belt. I'm sorry, ten successful movies. I don't care if you didn't enjoy every movie with a Pixar stamp on it; you have to admit that Pixar's worst movie is better than any other studio's worst movie...by a long shot.

Up is definitely not Pixar's worst movie.

Ed Anser voices Carl, a retired balloon salesman, who lives alone in the middle of a construction site. Carl has always dreamed of grand adventures--especially to Paradise Falls, the place his childhood hero went to explore. When he faces internment in a nursing home after bopping a worker on the head with his cane, he decides to take that adventure by tying hundreds of balloons to his home and flying off to Paradise Falls.

Along for the trip, by no choice of his own, is Russell (voiced by newcomer Jordan Nagai), a very determined Wilderness Explorer who's looking to get his last badge by helping the elderly. Never did Russell think helping would mean being tethered to a floating house walking across plateaus in South America.

On top of being an extremely endearing story (I cried twice), Up is very funny as well. I mean, who wouldn't laugh at two old men fighting? Or a gigantic bird who likes chocolate? Or a dog with a talking collar who's overly interested in squirrels and tennis balls? I'm usually iffy when it comes to talking animal sidekicks in Disney pictures, but sometimes you get a real gem. Dug (that would be the talking dog) is so funny, he's a friggin' diamond.

I want to go on and on about Carl & Russell's adventures, but I feel that I would just end up telling the whole story and giving it away. So just go see it. If it's available to you, see it in 3-D. It looks absolutely spectacular in 3-D. The deep caverns, the color balloons, the huge waterfall--all worth the 3-D experience.