by Daniel Thrasher

Created on: June 15, 2009   Last Updated: June 17, 2009

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that grabs you and causes you to experience a gamut of emotions. Disney-Pixar's "Up" is a rollercoaster ride, as there are at least as many "downs" as there are "ups." That an animated movie meant for kids could affect grown-ups at all is a testament to the skill of an animation studio like Pixar.

The movie opens with a young Carl Frederickson, a shy boy with a desire for adventure, watching his hero on an old movie screen. He soon meets a tomboy named Ellie who shares his love of fictional adventurer Charles Muntz. In a touching montage, we see their life together, including their marriage, their home, her pregnancy, etc.

Fast-forward to the present and Carl is an old, box-shaped, Spencer Tracy look-alike with Edward Asner's voice. He is grumpy and gruff, but has a bit of a soft spot for his home. Therefore, when threatened to abandon his house for a retirement home, Carl decides instead to go "up" and away to South America, where his and his wife's hero Charles Muntz once went exploring.

Carl attaches hundreds of balloons to his house and lifts off. Shortly after he's underway, Carl finds a little stowaway named Russell, an Eagle Scout who needs a badge for "helping the elderly," on board his floating house. From there, he and Russell go on the adventure that he and his wife dreamed about all those many years, and he finds out a little about himself along the way.

"Up" can be misinterpreted as derivative and cliched from a review, but watching it is a different matter entirely. The visuals in "Up" are impressive, as per usual with Pixar, but what truly stands out are the little details, especially the contents of a childhood scrapbook that Ellie kept and eventually passed along to Carl.

Upon arriving at Paradise Falls in South America, the adventure aspect of the plot picks up, and it becomes a bit more kid-friendly because of a host of "talking" dogs and a colorful bird. The movie is definitely a bit more adult-oriented than prior Pixar offerings - not in explicit content, but in subject matter. While the premise is still slightly fantastic, "Up" is easily the most true-to-life Pixar film, as it is about an old man and a young boy instead of a robot, a toy, a bug, an Incredible, or a monster. Therefore, some younger viewers could be left confused or even a little frightened by the intensity of the action and some of the sadder scenes.

If you think all of Pixar's movies are just for kids, and you'll leave "Up" unaffected, I invite you to go see "Up" and not shed a tear. In fact, try not bawling at any point during "Up". I'm man enough to admit that more than a few instances left me teary-eyed.

While a few plot points don't seem to totally mesh and in some ways the story seems incomplete, for the most part "Up" delivers on the usual Pixar promise of being the best animated film you've seen in a long time. It is a joy to watch, even as an adult. Fill your pockets "up" with some tissues though, just in case.

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