Up tells the story of an old man, Carl Fredricksen, who decides to follow his life-long wish after the death of his wife and travel by balloon to Paradise Falls in South America. However, he ends up accidentally taking Russell, a naive "wilderness explorer", with him. On their way they meet Kevin, a ginormous bird, and Dug, an obsequiously chatty dog. Then they encounter Charles Muntz, a famous explorer who has lived near Paradise Falls for his whole career. Charles is seeking Kevin, so Carl is determined to keep Kevin safe. This is the film, and it is a gem.
There is one thing about this film that everyone always praises when they see it: the music. Michael Giacchino is the genius behind the score, creating one of the most recognisable film themes going. The majority of the score is just him using this leitmotif to represent different moods. Heavy brass indicates dramatic moments, light percussion and flutes indicate happier and lighter moments. Another excellent use of music is the use of Bizet's "Habanera" when we see Carl's daily routine. The irony of an old man's morning being accompanied by a song about gypsies in a Cabaret club is another symbol of Pixar's ingenuity. With that, I move onto the opening montage.
Everyone knows the scene. Find me someone who doesn't get emotional during the opening montage and I'll find you a liar. The use of clouds is excellent animation. The fact that there's no dialogue and this sequence still packs a huge punch is testament to the brilliance of the storytelling in this film. It really harks back to the silent-comedy era of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton when gags came a mile a minute and it was the image and only the image that told the story and sold the humour. Those films truly contain some of the funniest moments ever filmed, and Pixar here are both paying homage to them and putting their own spin on them. The brief moments where we see that Ellie has lost her child will always resonate particularly with me. This sequence is just magnificent. I don't know what other words can do it justice. I guess that could be why it's a silent sequence: no words can truly do it justice.
The film deals with many themes, from puerile innocence ("It's like America, but South") to trying to deal with grief. I've always seen Carl's travelling with the balloons to Paradise Falls as a metaphor for Carl travelling through the afterlife towards a peaceful death, where Russell is a sort-of Charon-type figure leading the soul on its final journey. That's just me anyway. It's a kids film so I'm reading WAY too much into what is mostly good storytelling. I don't know if anyone reading this is silly enough not to have seen this film, and I'd blame your parents for not rearing you correctly but again, that's just me. See this film again, now, whether you've seen it before or not. Seriously stop reading this jargon and go watch it. It's much better than any summation I could try to give it.
By Cathal McGuinness.
