I’ll make this short and sweet. I think, perhaps, I’m just a grump but I didn’t love the new venture from Disney/Pixar, Up. To boil it down to basics, it’s a great film, a great family film and an incredible accomplishment for Disney/Pixar and animated films in general. It’s definitely the best family film I’ve seen in a long time but it’s still a family film, not too complex or complicated, nothing incredibly deep, but clean, simple and thoughtful fun. If that’s what you’re interested in, then this film’s for you.

Up does follow the same formula that I think all Disney/Pixar films do, the family friendly model of comedy, uncomplicated action, and a satisfying solution. The action sequences are pretty much what you’d expect from a film like this, there’s a lot of slipping and sliding and falling from very high places, but it is fun. Keep in mind the attention span of children, too. The action is a necessity, I’d say. The comedy is also typical Disney/Pixar: you’ll laugh, a lot, and it’s very cute. And the ending is kid-friendly while remaining thought-provoking and sensitive. But it isn’t just a film for kids.

What sets Up apart from other Disney/Pixar films is the topics it explores, which are interesting and cudos to the writers and producers for tackling these kinds of topics. Up deals with aging, death and loss as well as renewal, imagination and exploration. It’s a beautiful, poetic journey that appeals to kids with its light-heartedness and simple plot structure, while still remaining interesting to adults. Like everyone says, you’ll laugh and you’ll cry, over and over again. And it’s true.

Returning to the first thing I said: I didn’t love this film, but that’s because I don’t love family films. But that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with Up. It’s simple, clean, and beautiful and, as Maria reminded me, Best Picture only means that this is the “best picture” in its category. While it probably has the widest audience out of all the Oscar nominations this year—it appeals to kids and adults—I would be surprised if it won. Still, it is good. If you want something easy on the eyes, but still interesting and exciting, something fit for the whole family, Up is it.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at 7:00 am and is filed under Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.