UP
Highly humorous, this captivating road journey of odd couple is a major triumph in animation
by Vishal Verma

A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production.

Producer : Jonas Rivera
Director : Pete Docter
Story : Docter, Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Screenplay : Peterson, Docter

Voices:
Carl Fredericksen - Ed Asner
Charles Muntz - Christopher Plummer
Russell - Jordan Nagai
Dug - Bob Peterson
Beta - Delroy Lindo
Gamma - Jerome Ranft
Alpha - Bob Peterson
Construction Foreman Tom - John Ratzenberger

Technical Analysis

Bingo. Pixar’s debut as 3D is absolutely bang on. Bollywood critics & analysts doesn’t watch a movie again & again before its release. (Reason: Bollywood don’t follow the Hollywood trend of having continues show for reviewers/critics/analyst before the release of the film, they do only one show on the week of the release).

‘UP’ had already had two shows & I attended both only to find any flaws & was surprised that in ‘UP’ nobody puts a wrong foot. This film about little things is a big priceless moments that Pixar along with Disney has given to the patrons of cinema.

UP scores high & high as those balloons which can only go ‘UP’. Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, "Up" is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it simply doesn’t go wrong.

The heart of the film is so poetically established when a little boy carrying a blue balloon meets an effervescent like-minded girl in the deserted house of a missing explorer. Their love story is simply and effectively told as they make a life together watching the clouds go by and dreaming of having a big adventure in South America's Paradise Falls.

There are talking dogs, a giant multi-colored bird who likes chocolate and a blimp that is canine heaven (dogs create gourmet dinners). Christopher Plummer commandingly voices Charles Muntz, the complex explorer tracking down the elusive bird, whose long turquoise neck clearly shows the shape of anything it swallows, including Mr. Fredricksen's cane on tennis balls. But the cane and those tennis balls are useful in other ways, too, as we later discover. The relationship of the odd couple pairing of Mr. Fredricksen and Russell is key to the film's success as dreams are lost and found in the clouds.

Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino's full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.

UP is an intoxicating odd –couple adventure which becomes more & more captivating as it progresses.
Now you why this picture had the privilege of being the first animated film to open at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

 

The Story

Up is comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

Business Analysis

UP is a major achievement in animation. This hilarious road journey by odd couple will surely laugh its way at the B.O. its timing of release is perfect as lD is the second bankable release period Bollywood looks upon. Its captivating rich content & technical brilliance will be perfect family outing at any screens.

Other Credits

Co-director, Bob Peterson.  Executive producers: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton.
Camera (Technicolor and Deluxe prints, 3-D): Patrick Lin; lighting: Jean-Claude Kalache; editor: Kevin Nolting; music: Michael Giacchino; production designer: Ricky Nierva; story supervisor: Ronnie Del Carmen; supervising technical director: Steve May; supervising animator: Scott Clark; sound designer: (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS): Tom Myers; supervising sound editors: Michael Silvers, Myers; re-recording mixers: Michael Semanick, Myers; associate producer: Denise Ream; casting: Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon. Reviewed at Cinemax, Versova, Mumbai on September 12, 2009. Running time: 89 MIN.

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