Two thumbs “up”

Cute title, right? This weekend I paid a whopping $13.50 for a ticket to Disney/Pixar’s latest opus, Up, in 3D. Yeah, 3D! And, it was well worth it—this movie made me all sorts of happy. I was amazed not only by the [predictably] incredible visuals, but also the range of genuine emotion that the screenplay was able to wrench from the audience. I was so inspired that I decided to write a glowing review of it less than twenty-four hours after enjoying it.

The film tells the tale of a reclusive old widower (pictured above) whose house has caught the eye of some big-city developers. Rather than giving himself up to a retirement community, he affixes hundreds of helium balloons to his home and takes off for South America, on the adventure he’d been fantasizing about since his youth. Sounds goofy, but if you momentarily suspend your disbelief, it’s unbelievably amazing.

Like I said, despite the stunning animation and 3D effects, what really stood out about Up was its heartfelt story. While I’m hesitant to spoil anything for readers who’ve yet to see it, suffice it to say you’ll be attached to each and every character by film’s end, and personally invested in their character development. That’s something rare in mainstream live action movies, let alone a family animated film.

When I hear a film is in 3D, I usually anticipate some silly and pointless gimmicks to show off the technology, like objects shooting out towards the camera and whatnot. Surprisingly, the guys at Pixar utilized the 3D technology to add depth and realism to their landscapes, to offer breathtaking shots of the starry night sky, and pepper in a couple other gorgeous visuals.

I’d more than recommend this movie, mainly because the power of its writing nearly brought me to tears. Literally. Up earns a fantastic 9.7 out of 10.