Up, Pixar, dogs, bi-plane, Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Toy Story, spying, rescue, Dewey

Discussion (18) ¬

  1. JoeSpence

    This is the only Movie I have ever seen that made me cry…I wept like a little girl about 5 times during this thing…A++

  2. totalmoviefreak
    totalmoviefreak

    I did see Up this weekend and I do agree it was a good movie. It doesn’t beat Finding Nemo but I do say its better then Cars or Wall-E. The beginning montage was definately the best part and the animation was amazing. SO I was liking this movie then the next night I saw THe Brother’s Bloom which was AMAZING. I loved it so much with its hilarious yet complex characters and unique story, I find it way better then Up. Then again I’m more partcial to that type of genre.

  3. totalmoviefreak
    totalmoviefreak

    P.S. I also loved the incentive sketch.

  4. Mike

    Absolutely loved it – my wife and I were both a wreck during the silent section, but even more so at another point in towards the end that was especially poignant (which I won’t reveal for spoilers’ sake, but if you’ve seen the movie, you can probably guess which one I mean).

    The sentiment of Carl and Ellie was perfectly contrasted by Dug. They absolutely nailed the “every-dog” kind of mentality that anyone who has had the fortune of loving a dumb mutt can identify. I think I heard about 10 leaving the theater saying “Dug was just like my dog!” I think that’s why this movie seemed funnier than others – to me, it dug deeper into the audience’s emotions to set up the plot, and the light-hearted stupidy (or innocence, maybe?) of Dug was a great comic relief.

    The other thing that I loved about this movie was the use of subtlety. So often in animation, everything is BIGBIGBIG (see the Genie in Aladdin, Bruce in Finding Nemo, etc.). Pixar has a knack for turning that mentality on its head and focusing on the small things – the slight raise of an eyebrow, or the twitch at the corner of a grin. These things made Carl’s characters that much more round to me – the facial expressions and Ed Asner’s wonderful voice acting seemed spot on and never pushed his character too far towards curmedgeon or sentimental old coot. That subtlety also makes the non-speaking parts work so well. It’s something we saw with Wall-E, and improved upon in this film. Again, a big risk that Pixar has enough equity to take, and one that paid off in spades.

    Just a wonderful film – one of the few animated films that’s even better seen with a loved one.

  5. bryan
    bryan

    Speaking of dogs that fly areoplanes. Gromit from the Aarman studios has been known to fly on occasion.

  6. wren1313
    wren1313

    I’m not sure what I think about Up. It is a good film but I just didn’t love it. I had a similar experience with Wall-E last year. I haven’t truly loved a Pixar film since Ratatouille. I’m not sure what it is but the doom & gloom warnings of this could happen to humans or you as an elderly person is hard to take. I guess I’m looking for a bit more escapism in my animation than Disney is giving lately. I will give Up another viewing becasue I did not see it in the optimal setting: saw it at the drive-in without 3D (it came off as minamalistic) and late (I almost fell asleep in the scene that Tom pointed out).

    On a more positive note: I also got to see Star Trek again (love those double features at the drive-in) and liked it even better the second time. Star Trek is a sensory overload and the second time I saw a lot I missed the first time.

  7. Scotty Mo

    I think we’re all forgetting about the original flying dog himself. Snoopy has put on the old cap and goggles DECADES before any of us thought it would be cool.

    • Tom
      Tom

      Scotty,

      I was talking about Snoopy in the blog post when I said I stole the original gag from Schulz.

      Steve,

      Up is most certainly NOT a kids film. Did you know it’s the only other Pixar film except The Incredibles to have a PG rating?

      When Cami and I described the film and its emotional content to friends, they acted surprised. It wasn’t what they expected based on the advertising..

      But then, you can’t sell a kids movie on the premise of the dreams differed, the battle against loneliness, letting go of the past or seeking approval in father figures. It pitches a little too high.

  8. Steve
    Steve

    I also enjoyed Trek the second time. I saw it first on film, then digital projection to have a little personal comparison.

    Tom, loved the intensive sketch! For me, at least, that’s what they’re all about!! Continuing the story in the strip… I couldn’t pass on that. Good luck with June ratings.

    Seeing the Trailers for UP really turned my wife and I off from it. It just seemed a little too odd, and more of a kid’s flick than Wall-E was. But, after reading your review it may have changed my mind. And that’s what I was really waiting for: a review that would give me a true idea of the movie, because the trailer really didn’t I think. It seemed like it wasn’t going to touch on the great emotions and adult themes like Pixar films have done lately… just seemed like a fun little escapade for the kids. Thanks for the info!

  9. LoneHowler
    LoneHowler

    I hadn’t realized there was more to the comic till I came over here to vote since the LJ code is broken. The first two panels are funny on their own but the last two are even better.

    • Tom
      Tom

      Howler,

      I’m trying some new things with the LJ feed. Sorry, it’s being wonky right now.

  10. Brig_xen

    I haven’t seen it yet but was thinking about going to see it tomorrow. Did you see it in 3D or not? I’m really curious as to which way will be better. 3D may not showcase the color & detail as well. Plus it costs more. I think I’d like to see it both ways but I’d love to know how people have been watching it.

    • Tom
      Tom

      Brig_xen,

      I went out of my way not to see it in 3D. Up was not a film that gave consideration to 3D during it’s creation. It was something that was slapped onto it by Disney as an emerging trend of the last few years. In other words, I think it’s a gimmick.

      That’s not saying I wouldn’t mind seeing Up in 3D at some point. I just didn’t want it to color my interpretation of the film the first time around.

  11. john
    john

    Hey Tom long time viewer first time poster…blah blah blah…anyway…i am in love with UP…whoever said it didn’t reach the standard of finding nemo is just crazy….finding nemo(along with CARS) are the most over rated of the pixar movies..anyway thank god i saw UP in 3D because i was able to pretend to adjust my glasses when in reality i was wiping my tears away..what an emotional ride that was….i recommend this film to everyone..i’m even considering a second viewing….the only thing that pissed me off about this movie was the trailer for Toy Story 3…now i’m glad the movie is coming out..but to advertise it SOOO far in advance?? everyone in the theater was cheering when they saw woody, buzz..etc…but then when the release date for the film popped up everyone completely turned on the trailer and BOOED…i’m not liking this trend of such early advertising…i mean over a year in advance..come on

    • Tom
      Tom

      Our theater didn’t have the trailer for Toy Story 3, which I thought was kind of odd. Usually Pixar takes the opportunity to promote it’s next movie during it’s current movie. Might have been a mix up in the projection room, splicing trailers together, though…

      People actually booed when they realized it was a trailer? That’s kind of harsh!

  12. Glen Newman
    Glen Newman

    Sounds like the Toy Story 3 trailer is only attached to the 3D prints of Up. As for the trailer being out a year early, I don’t have a problem with that. It is Pixar’s next movie after all and there’s probably not much finished footage so a teaser like that is understandable. Nothing wrong with wetting people’s appitites. Can’t believe people booed at the release date, I put it up on my Facebook page and a few of my friends went crazy for it. Some of them didn’t even realise that Toy Story 3 is in production.

  13. Angelo
    Angelo

    I was actually quite sad with this movie. I mean, I absolutely adore everything Pixar, but I walked out of that movie just with a feeling of… not caring? I fell for the characters, I laughed at the jokes, and felt completely emotional at points of the film, but the adventure, or the story itself I guess, left me totally uninterested. I felt most empty when the trio of dogs showed up, made to almost appear as if they were your common Saturday morning cartoon henchmen to the main villain. Once I saw them cooking food and flying airplanes, I felt as if I was watching a Dreamworks movie, and it felt daft and shallow.

    Either way, even with everything I just said, I still think the movie was fantastic. Scenes by themselves were so powerful they made the movie golden. But as an entire film, telling the story of the adventure they were on, I felt as if it was lacking. Needless to say, this is the first Pixar film that I felt that the magic didn’t stick with me, that is, aside from Cars… but even then, Cars has its own specific kind of Disney charm.

  14. Eisha
    Eisha

    Up made me cry and even recalling it’s scenes choke me up.
    The adventure bits towards the end were rather unnecessary, but overall, I loved it.

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