3.5/4 Starring Ed Asner ‘amp; Jordon Nagai Directed by Pete Docter ‘amp; Bob Peterson Rated PG
When thousands of multicolored balloons blossom from the roof of Carl Fredricksen’s cottage, launching both the house and its lone inhabitant into an expanse of marshmallow clouds, 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer Russell takes the opportunity to grab shotgun.
‘Up’ ‘mdash; Pixar’s 10th computer-generated animation, and the first rendered in 3D imaging ‘mdash; delivers an imaginative take on childhood spirit, by trailing an old man’s lifelong quest to reach the exotic lost world of South America’s Paradise Falls.
‘With my Wilderness Explorer GPS, we’ll never get lost!’ chirps Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai) after the curmudgeony Carl (Ed Asner) reluctantly allows him into the floating cottage. The two proceed to watch their fail-safe device fall out of an open window into the abyss of space. Such comedic vignettes make Pixar veteran Pete Docter’s new creation (following box-office success ‘Monsters, Inc.’) like licking a vanilla ice cream cone on a summer afternoon.
Docter said when he began to visualize the script, he wanted ‘Up’ to take an aesthetic departure from Pixar’s award-winning formula: studying real-life objects for CG-graphic reference. Instead, production designer Ricky Nierva and his team created ‘simplexity,’ or the art of trimming detail down to an essential line or two ‘mdash; without, of course, damaging Pixar’s religiously flawless aesthetic.
The new approach draws inspiration from comic-book artist Hank Ketcham (of ‘Dennis the Menace’ genius) and is most apparent in the development of protagonist Carl, whose squarish face, Woody Allen glasses and three-foot stature are a reflection of his rigid and defeated personality ‘mdash; just as young Russell’s plump, rounded features come to define his pliable naivete.
Predictably, ‘Up’ can’t escape the kiddie-cartoon genre’s animal affinity. Dug (the whimsical tail-wagging dog) and Kevin (the flightless rainbow waterbird) offer a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner relationship ‘mdash; requisite comic relief to the human duo’s grand adventure.
‘We weren’t trying to make a realistic movie, but something that is tangible,’ Docter said.
To this effect, ‘Up’ capitalizes on iconic Disney themes like finding lost love and achieving lofty dreams to create a film of boundless fantasy. Set to a swelling musical score by Michael Giacchino (‘Ratatouille,’ ‘One Man Band’), the film’s dense movement ‘mdash; a string of clever dialogue within seamless animation ‘mdash; makes for a jaw-drop a minute.