Video review: "Up"

Only Pixar, the animation studio behind "Finding Nemo" and "Wall·E," could produce a movie about a cranky, lonely old man and make it both an artistic and commercial hit.

Carl Fredricksen (voice by Ed Asner), the protagonist of "Up," has the world's sourest attitude. His beloved wife Ellie passed away some years ago, and all he really cares about in the world is the ramshackle home they shared for decades -- which is about to bulldozed for some high-rise construction.

So Carl hooks a million balloons to his house and floats it away. His goal is to navigate to Paradise Falls, the mysterious land where Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) -- the famous explorer who was his and Ellie's childhood hero -- disappeared long ago.

But it turns out that Carl has a stowaway: Russell (Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Explorer (think Cub Scout) obsessed with getting his last merit badge. Soon after landing in Paradise Falls, Carl and Russell are joined by Dug, a hyper dog with a gizmo collar that allows him to talk.

Director and co-writer Pete Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") layers the goofy antics in with some genuinely touching melodramatic moments. Like many Pixar films, "Up" is best appreciated by grown-ups.

Extra features are pretty good for the DVD version, but really take off in the Blu-ray edition (a combo DVD/Blu-ray pack is available).

The DVD comes with a commentary track by Docter and co-director Bob Peterson, alternate scenarios for the death of Muntz, a documentary on the filmmakers' journey to South America's Tepuis mountains for inspiration, and "Partly Cloudy," the short film that preceded "Up" in its theatrical release.

The Blu-ray has a host of features, including conceptual drawings of the major characters and canine companions, how the animators made Carl's house fly, and even how they carefully designed the interior and exterior of his house. Plus, a digital copy of the film for uploading to a portable device.

Movie: 3.5 stars
Extras: 3.5 stars

Review: "Up"

"Up" doesn't soar to the same heights as "Finding Nemo" or "Wall·E," but it's another triumph from Pixar Animation -- and another cartoon that will likely be appreciated more by adults than their offspring.

When I first saw previews for "Up," it looked like a short film about a crotchety old man who takes his house to the skies via a cloud of helium balloons, with a tubby Boy Scout as stowaway.

A delightful concept, to be sure, but how could they sustain such a fanciful notion over more than 90 minutes?

The simple answer is, they don't. Or rather, they don't try to.

The oldster reaches his destination fairly early in the movie. It's the adventures he has after he's gotten where he thought he was going that constitute the story's real heart.

Carl Fredricksen's life has been something of a disappointment. In the enchanting opening sequence, he meets Ellie as boy and girl. They're both fans of Charles Muntz, the famous explorer who disappeared into the South American veldt. They vow to follow in his footsteps, and build their house at the foot of Paradise Falls, a primordial enclave.

But life has its curveballs to throw, and after they are grown and married, Ellie and Carl keep getting distracted, and quotidian disasters like blown tires and fallen trees deplete their adventure fund. Carl, old and tired, finally lays Ellie to rest, crossing his heart to keep his promise and travel to Paradise Falls, alone.

Or at least so he thought. It turns out that Russell (Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Explorer looking for his final merit badge, has tagged along, and gets caught up in the adventure. Russell has faced his own setbacks, such as a mostly absent father, but he's too full of boyish exuberance to be weighed down by it. They're kindred souls, 70 years apart.

Now, you can't really tie a million balloons to the base of a fireplace and float a house away, much less navigate it with clotheslines rigged with ropes. But it's easy to swallow this bit of illogic, since the house acts as a metaphor for lost dreams.

"Up" was directed by Pete Docter, who also helmed the wonderful "Monsters, Inc.," and was co-directed by Bob Peterson, who also shared script duties with Docter. Peterson also provides the engaging vocals of Dug, a dog who's been outfitted with a high-tech collar that translates his hyper thoughts into spoken words.

Ed Asner gives a terrific vocal performance as Carl. It's not easy to make a sour-pussed elderly man with a walker into a likable character, but Asner and the filmmakers do it. Perhaps it's because we get to see the hopeful, somewhat meek Carl before he became a widower, and understand how that loss subtracts from his soul.

Children will enjoy the high-flying action and host of goofy animals, but I suspect that like "Wall·E," "Up" is a film that will reverberate more deeply with those whose faces have some lines in them. Pixar has gone beyond making entertainment, and is using animation to create serious cinematic art. High hopes, indeed.

3.5 stars out of four