Took the family to go see "Up" last night. (side note, but we only have a mediocre theater in this area, image was fuzzy, had several annoying teenagers on a Friday night, paid $22 for 2 adults/1kid and another $19 in concessions--this is why I don't see movies outside my private theater anymore, and why I would really like to personally build a new, nice theater in my town)
Bottom line, Pixar has done it yet again with another solid movie, although this one didn't "move" me like the others.
Many of you know that I'm a fan of Pixar's products. It's not all about the technology, the animation, the sound effects, the jokes, etc. In the end, Pixar does a superb job of making a good product, but focuses on a GOOD STORY, which provides a rock-solid foundation on which to build the other elements of a movie. This one is definitely one of the most creative stories of all the Pixar movies, about an elderly retiree that escapes the world around him by sailing his house to South America with helium balloons. With a sidekick, they encounter a mythical bird in South America, and a legendary long-lost explorer with a pack of trained dogs that talk through special collars.
There are some good jokes, sound and picture quality are great. But for me, the story on this one just didn't gel and connect with me nearly like all the other Pixar movies. My wife and I both agreed in a comment that we usually walk out at the end of a Pixar movie feeling "good" and happy, really touched and **ENDEARED** to the film. This time, though, it was cute, it was funny, but not endearing to us.
Of course... I'll still end up buying it. (eventually, that is--I still haven't bought Wall-E)
IMHO, Pixar needs to watch their backs. It's always tough to stay on top! A couple years ago, I viewed ALL the Pixar movies as top-tier, 5-star movies. Dreamworks, their closest competitor, was a big step down for me, with some good and funny movies, but not up to the Pixar level. Then Pixar made "Cars", which I thought was really good, but not superb, and Dreamworks made "Over the Hedge", which to me finally smashed the ceiling for Dreamworks are rose to the superstar Pixar level. So now, I would rate "Over the Hedge" as exceeding both "Cars" and "Up", and possibly even "Wall-E".
I'm going to give "Up" a :35: out of :5:. Worth a trip to the theater if you're looking for a fun night, but not something I would deliberately schedule as a must-see. When it comes out on video, it's absolutely a rental, and for Pixar, animation, and kid/adult movie fans, a purchase, too. Pixar fans should be able to pick out John Ratzenberger's cameo, as he always has one in Pixar flicks. Caught an homage to Star Wars IV, too. I had to get some concessions for the family, so unfortunately I missed the opening animation short, which is usually my favorite part of the whole movie. My wife said it was good, not not great like previous Pixar shorts.
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