Up

This movie encompasses a plethora of emotions, both good and sorrowful, and creates an epic movie that will truly be a classic for years to come.  Up is one of the most creative and masterful pieces I have ever seen on screen and is a movie that both adults and children alike will enjoy.

Audiences meet Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Edward Asner) as a young and shy child, who encounters a spunky red-headed girl named Ellie.  Together, the two dream of great adventures and idolize the great Paradise Falls in South America!  The couple eventually marry and buy a house.  Audiences witness a timeline of love and sadness, as Carl and Ellie experience life together.  Eventually Ellie passes away and Carl is faced with a new world without his wife.  Carl is asked to leave his home so it can be bulldozed down and added on to what is most likely a mini-mall.  Considering he has no where else to go, a retirement center has arranged for his arrival.  However, Carl has different plans and turns his home into a flying house, powered only by helium-filled balloons!  Little does he know, Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), a young Wilderness Explorer, is on his door step going door to door trying to obtain his Helping the Elderly Badge.  Reluctantly, Mr. Fredricksen and Russell go on an adventure together, with the mission of finding Paradise Falls.  The pair meet a rare bird named Kevin, a dog who talks through his collar (Dug), the mad Charles Muntz and his crew of evil talking dogs, and much more!  More importantly, Mr. Fredricksen learns how to continue his wife’s joy and happiness through his own life and actions.

Up is truly a movie I could watch over and over again.  There are so many emotions that tap into this movie.  The directors, Pete Doctor and Bob Peterson, capture such strength of feeling and create impeccable detail in what the characters are going through.  I teared up two times through this movie (which is a rarity) and felt that these moments were perfectly fabricated.  Up also contains ingenious and witty comedy that adults and children can get a laugh from.  It was such a joy to let my mind wander into a movie loaded with fun fantasy and exploration.  Up is truly a gem and deserves 5 stars.  The movie came out on DVD and Blu Ray on November 17, 2009.  We immediately bought this film on Blu Ray and the quality is stunning!  I completely recommend purchasing this movie and for those who are doing some early holiday shopping, this movie is a perfect gift!  Up is such a joy to watch, don’t miss this one!