'Up' review

"Up" (Credit: Disney/Pixar)

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All their lives, Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) and Ellie planned to travel to Paradise Falls in South America. Then life (and all its expenses) happened, and Ellie died before the lifelong couple made it there. When Carl (possibly the world’s most resilient old man) uses balloons to elevate his house, head to the dream destination and do right by his late wife, he’s thrilled—until he discovers young, plucky Junior Wilderness Explorer Russell, who accidentally tagged along.

The buzz: It’s awfully bold to revolve a supposed kids’ movie around an elderly man paying tribute to the deceased love of his life. But Pixar (“Wall-E,” “Ratatouille”) can do anything, and the studio’s first 3D installment (from the co-writer of “Finding Nemo” and co-director of “Monsters, Inc.”) still offers plenty of kid-friendly stuff, from the simple, spectacular sight of a balloon-suspended house floating across a city to Carl and Russell's encounters with dogs equipped with collars that voice what each pooch is thinking. (A brilliant reinvention of the necessity for family flicks to have talking animals.)

The verdict: First: “Up” is really, really good-looking, with vibrant colors popping, imaginative scenery flowing and none of the usual 3D gimmicks (watch out, plant in your face!). It’s also impeccably scored, quite funny and features moments between Carl and Ellie that are as playful, moving and heartbreaking as anything in a top-notch, live-action romance. (The dialogue-free montage of the couple's life together is one of the studio's all-time best sequences.) “Up” transitions partway from a love story to an action movie, maintaining its visual appeal but losing much of its storytelling zip (Russell’s generically unsupportive home life is also below Pixar’s standards, as is the somewhat abrupt ending). Still, "Up" is always very good, frequently glorious, and a tale of love and adventure worth celebrating, not deflating.

Did you know? When they’re kids, Ellie pitches South America as a travel destination by telling Carl, “It’s like America, but south.” What youngster could resist something that sounds so exotic?

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