Up

Since when did animated films become so emotionally engaging?! I got bored one afternoon and decided that because the weather was rubbish I might as well find something to watch. I had heard an awful lot about Up but never seen it, and most of the reports I had said that it was very good. I decided to give it a go and found myself in the middle of an emotional rollercoaster for the first ten minutes.

The film tells of Carl Fredriksen, an old man who flies his house to South America to fulfil a dream he and his late wife had of exploring when they were children. He does this by using thousands of helium balloons. However he inadvertently picks up a small child, Russell, on the way. Russell is an eager-to-help boy scout who wants to help Mr Fredriksen in whatever way he possibly can. When they arrive in South America they come across a weird bird and a talking dog. They also find Charles Muntz who was an explorer famous in Carl’s youth and uncover a plot against the bird, named Kevin.

I usually find it quite difficult to review animated films because there is relatively little to say beyond that the story and animation was good. Up is really no exception, and so I think this review will be much shorter than usual. Indeed the animation is very impressive and definitely makes this one of the better animated films I have seen. However, if I had to muster one criticism it would be that the human characters seem a bit too geometric. Carl’s face appears to be modelled entirely on a square, and Russell seems to be a couple of circles that has been squashed and put on top of each other. This isn’t a major criticism though and it doesn’t spoil my enjoyment of the film at all.

The best thing about Up is how engaging it is. The first scene involving Carl and his wife is tragically sad and is the perfect scene to captivate the audience. Personally I couldn’t stop watching after the first scene. Carl is a typical old man in an animated film – grumpy and set in his ways. However through his time with Russell and the animals he changes and becomes more understanding. My personal highlight of the film was the fight between the two old men. This had me in stitches, and I imagine it would be exactly the same if a younger child was watching. Russell is also very entertaining and provides an ideal figure for a younger audience to identify with.

I particularly enjoyed the idea of using dogs as other characters. The talking dogs were very amusing, particularly Alpha and Doug. I liked the idea of having them communicate through a machine rather than having them actually talk, and this seems to add a sense of realism to the film. Obviously when I say realism I do not actually mean that it is realistic, but the communication relay made it much less obscure.

Up is the sort of film that can appeal to both adults and children. I really enjoyed and I think children will enjoy it too. As a child you can enjoy the storyline and the laugh at the jokes and what-not. As an adult you cannot help but become engaged with the characters and the story. Without a doubt this is one of the best family films made in recent years and I think all the family can enjoy it, from grandparent to grandchild.