by The Film Blogger

Created on: October 11, 2009   Last Updated: October 12, 2009

By now it is somewhat pass to mention Pixar's track record as a film studio; the effortless consistency of their output shames virtually all others in the film industry, whether animated or live action. Since their inception with the seminal Toy Story (which, I would argue, remains their best film), Pixar has seen meteoric success with virtually every consecutive release. After the daring and audacious WALL-E, Pixar had a lot to live up to with their next effort, and while Up is a little more routine, it is still another valuable entry into the animated canon with all of the heart and soul that you would expect.

Up revolves around Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner), an old widower who, after having a violent outburst against a construction worker who broke his prized mailbox (which he built with his late wife), is forced to move into a retirement home to live out his days. However, he's not about to go quietly; he attaches hundreds of helium-filled balloons to his home, causing it to take flight, with sail set for Paradise Falls in South America, a trip he had been planning with his wife Ellie, but she died of old age before they could go. Things become more complicated when Carl realises that Russell, (Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Explorer, has stowed away on the ship, becoming Carl's unlikely sidekick.

If judged solely on its first reel, then Up is the film in Pixar's canon that can legitimately challenge Toy Story's claim to supremacy. The film begins with the same daring promise that made WALL-E one of Pixar's best films; it features an uncharacteristic (and dark) opening that cleverly traces the several tragedies and injustices of Carl's life, while remaining vague enough not to upset children. In the prologue montage, Up observes the problems that many couples are faced with, such as the difficulty to conceive, and of course the universal inevitability of death and of being alone, and the fact that Pixar chose to even glance over this at all is a testament to their artistic integrity. This isn't an easy film to market as a result, and the fact that there aren't many Carl Fredricksen figures in toy shops is all the more power to their stature as tellers of powerful stories rather than manipulatively cute animations mechanically rendered for profit. As Pixar have proven with the Toy Story films in particular, they care about their predominantly young audience, and won't condescend them.

As beautifully realised as it is heartbreaking, Up provides one of

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