Up Movie Poster

Now I know a few people will berate me for this, some already have, but to me 3D is a pointless addition to films. I see no point in paying that bit extra for some silly glasses, a headache, and a gimmick that adds nothing to my viewing pleasure. But this is a review of a film, not of 3D Vs. 2D, so let me continue.

Up tells the story of an old man who has a dream. He ties helium balloons to his house to try and fulfil this dream. He wants to take his house to South America, somewhere that, as a boy, his childhood hero explored, a place that really captured his imagination. After take off, however, he discovers an accidental stow-away, a young boy looking to earn a badge for helping the elderly.

Everything that Pixar touches turns to gold. We have seen it all the way from Toy Story to Wall-E, stopping off with the Incredibles and Monsters Inc. along the way. Pixar adds something special to their films, and Up is no different. From the montage at the start you can tell that whilst this is clearly a comedy there will be moments when you don’t laugh. Disney had the belief that for every laugh, there should be a tear, and this film holds onto that and does it well. In all great comedies there are moments of sadness, but they need to be balanced, and balancing films is something the guys at Pixar do so very well.

It’s not just the happy and sad moments that Pixar balance, it’s the way they treat adults and children. Up is a kid’s film, but there are things in there that the adults can take out. Not in the easy way that some films use of throwing in references to other films that only adults will get, but by throwing in jokes that work on different levels for different people. Being subtle with certain things so that the adults will take away the meaning and the kids won’t be traumatised.

Directed by the same man who brought us Monsters Inc., Pete Doctor, and co-directed by, for the first time, by Bob Peterson the film has, as all Pixar films tend to, a touch of the same and a splash of the new. That is something else about this film. At a time when we have so many young leading roles, albeit with Rambo, Indiana Jones and Rocky getting older, we have a film which has two of the leading characters as old men, and a youngster who isn’t smarter than them.

The voice cast give what you need in an animated film, and I don’t just mean noise, and the animation is, as always, well done and brings the whole film to life. The colours, as with Finding Nemo, Monster Inc. and so many other animated films, is of great importance to the film, and central to my final point.

You should go and watch this film, it is funny and touching, it is great for the whole family, but you should watch it in 2D. You don’t need things coming off the screen to bring you into the story, and you don’t need the glasses taking the edge of this wonderfully created colour and animation.

Another truly brilliant film from Pixar. Not quite my favourite, Wall-E holds that spot, but close. Not just for the Star wars bit in the credits either.

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This content is reposted from the Random Blog of Random Blogginess. The original post can be found here. It is used, with permission, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.

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