MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Up Rated PG

Directed by Pete Docter. Animated Feature


Photo © Walt Disney Pictures
Movie Review by Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

One of the best things that the church can offer the world in our increasingly niche-marketed society is the opportunity to be a member in a multi-generational community.  People from healthy families of origin can be a positive part of something greater, and those from unhealthy families of origin (as well as unmarried singles and childless couples) can interact with, learn from, and become friends with folks of all ages. 

The two main characters in Up, Pixar Studio’s new family adventure comedy, are Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), a 78 year-old retired widower, and Russell (Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Explorer Scout who needs one more merit badge in order to make his next rank. 

While Carl has become a bit of a hermit (living in a house that’s the last holdout to urban development), Russell is a loner, as well.  The two really do need each other in order to be complete, and their adventure in a flying house headed to Venezuela may just be the ticket. 

The first ten minutes of Up is a work of art in itself, as it tells the love story of a marriage (from childhood friendship to the loss of a spouse) in a montage that is funny, poignant and wise. 

Right from the start we are given the opportunity to sympathize with Carl, who is not a cranky old coot but a big-hearted soul who is dealing with the grief of a solitary existence.  Carl still talks to this late wife, Ellie, and their love is the genesis for this high-flying flight of fancy. 

Once the journey begins, Up morphs into a colorful (and very funny) buddy comedy that is not afraid to push the limits of reality in order to entertain.  After all, if you can believe in a flying house, why not go further?  In the theater where I saw Up, the moviedelighted all generations. 

The preschool kids fidgeted a bit at times, but they were swept away by the visual comedy and action.  This is really a lovely film. 

Consumer alert: Up is being shown in Digital 3D at many theaters, and the 3D glasses are often a $2.50 add-on.  This makes a family matinee fairly costly.  I would recommend seeing it on a 2D traditional screen since: 1. The film’s color palette is richer without the obfuscation of a layer of polarized plastic; and 2.  Pixar’s use of 3D is subtle, anyway, and their animation will lift you off the ground without an additional gimmick.

Pitchfork Rating:
Five Halos A delightful flight of imagination that also manages to say something significant about intergenerational friendship.) One pitchfork (Some violence.]

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