Up

On November 28, 2009, I rented the Disney Pixar film Up. The film depicts an old man named Carl Frederickson and an over-eager young boy named Russell traveling to “Paradise Falls” in a floating house suspended by helium balloons. The story opens by introducing Carl as a shy young boy who falls in love with an energetic tomboy named Ellie who shares his passion for adventure and obsession with the famed explorer Charles Muntz. Carl is now old and lonely, living in a small house where he grew up, married, and shared his life with Ellie, before she passed away. Large construction companies threaten to demolish his house, and he is forced to move to a retirement community. Refusing to go, Carl devises a plan to go to “Paradise Falls” in South America to fulfill his dream of one day going with Ellie. While leaving, a boyscout named Russell turns out to have been on the front porch and Carl gets stuck with the eager, dorky kid for the whole adventure.
The first half of the movie depicts a dramatic, heart-wrenching story of a lonely old man getting close to his last days of solitude. However, when Russell enters the picture and they arrive in South America, a goofy talking dog named Doug and a hilariously strange, large bird that Russell named Kevin also adds comic relief to the sad story. Action ensues when Charles Muntz turns out to be hunting Kevin to regain his high regard in the public eye. Carl eventually realizes that his happiness is not dependent on reaching “Paradise Falls” or fulfilling his dream of adventure with Ellie, but by finding adventure in the fun and little things in life. Carl decides that Russell and Kevin’s safety is more important than his dream. After he reaches his destination, Carl finds that the adventure is just a dead end and he decides to save Kevin from Charles Muntz and to make sure Russell is safe.
The film excelled at evoking sorrow and pity for Carl and his story was very touching. The background story between Carl and Ellie effectively lays the ground for all the fun stuff to follow. It was arguably one of the funniest animated films I have ever seen. The film balanced the sentimental side of the storyline with a steady pace of ticklish laughs. I would definitely recommend seeing this to anyone who enjoys comedic, animated, or sentimental movies.