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JT (287 KP) rated Up (2009) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020

Up (2009)

2009 | Action, Animation, Comedy

8.5

(82 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Up is a beautifully crafted film that is full of child’s play and adult in jokes. The magicians at Pixar have again triumphed and added another winning film to a growing list of previous hits.

Carl Fredrickson (Edward Asner) is a 70s something old man who has spent his life in love with Ellie, an aspiring day dreaming adventurer he met when he was a small boy. The pair marry and seem to live happily ever after. When Ellie dies (shown in a tear jerking montage) Carl loses the biggest piece of his life yet but must battle on and keep a promise he made to her years before – to reach a set of falls deep in the South-American jungle.

The opening is extremely moving. It shows Ellie and Carl growing up together and facing life’s troubled times and happiest moments. Even for the most hardened film critic Pixar knows how to tap into our emotions. As with any Pixar film it’s the characters that make it. Up is no different. Russell (Jordan Nagai) is an over enthusiastic wilderness scout who teams up with Carl on his adventure. Russell also harbours a secret in his life which is not that dissimilar to Carl’s. Dug (Bob Peterson) is a loveable but slightly dimwitted talking dog, and as for Kevin, his (or should I say her) inclusion is the icing on the cake.

The moment Carl unleashes the balloons from his house in a explosion of colour you know that you’re in for the ride of your life. What follows is a true adventure story. The humour flows right from the beginning and the quirky simplicity of the jokes are brilliant. There are more tear jerking moments and of course a happy ending. Up may surely be Pixar’s finest work yet!