Yesterday i met up with an old boss for some busniness matters and he invited me to come along for lunch and a movie with his team, i learned the movie was
Up. I was not really interested in a kid movie, but was i really wrong for judging it as a kid movie. Here is where i really start giving out some SPOILERS, so turn away now if you have not seen the movie...
From Disney•Pixar comes "
Up," a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.
That summary is an accurate description of the movie but believe me that you will leave the theater a little happier and content than when you came in. The theater we watched in had small chairs and small make up mirrors for kids set up just outside the doors which is understandable since most who were watching brought their kids there. The movie intro was a Pixar Short titled "Partly Cloudy" which i am not gonna spoil for you, but ties in with the main movie theme of being in the clouds.
The movie starts with the love story of Carl and his wife Ellie, and the audience went from happy to sad in a span of 15 minutes or so,i don't know how they did it but they managed to fit carl's whole life in that time and it was nicely done. It tugged at your heart with just the right amount, this was my first inkling that this movie is for all ages and not purely for kids. Flash forward to Carl who is now old and alone in a changing world around him. He is confronted with a situation which pushes him to decide to go for the dream of Ellie sending him to an adventure of his life, accompanied by Russell, an innocent enthusiastic wilderness explorer, who for a really young guy holds his own emotional burdens.
The two embark on Carl's mission and form an unlikely friendship, meeting lots of interesting character's along the way. Talking dogs, an obsessed explorer, a big bird and some squirrels. The Whole house floating with with only balloons supporting it does not really occupy your mind, its the belief that something fantastic like that could happen.
Amidst its fun and wacky, really funny story ( the theater was roaring with laughter most of the time), some serious underlying themes are infused in the movie.
Up tells us that when our love dies, it does not mean we sit around a die ourselves. It is phrased simply that when an adventure has ended, it is only right to take on a new adventure, it teaches us the importance of letting go and accepting new things in our life. So if you have not guessed it by now, I loved the movie and recommend it to all of you. Not just for kids, But adults alike, it is a rare gem that enriches your veins and makes you believe again, scratching of some cynicism on that old ticker of yours.
9 out of 10 thumbs up, yeah i know i got ten thumbs.........
Trailer:
