The downside of Up

Pixar can do no wrong in the eyes of most critics and the animation studio’s latest effort, Up, is no exception. Glancing down Up’s page on Metacritic, one can find but three reviewers with any unkind words to say about the film.

Yet there are many moments in Up where one can’t help wondering whether Pixar has been given a free pass simply because the output from many of its rival animation studios has been so poor in recent years. Up is nothing short of brilliant if the benchmark is Monsters Vs Aliens, but it seems less so when compared to Pixar’s The Incredibles, or Finding Nemo.

Up is directed by Pete Docter, who was also responsible for the cloyingly sentimental Monsters Inc. Although Up avoids the slushy excesses of Monsters Inc for most of its running time, it’s nearly as slight in both concept and execution as the Docter’s earlier film.

Up is about a cranky old geezer called Carl Fredericksen who, for reasons best discovered while watching the film, embarks on a trip to Paradise Falls in Venezuela to fulfil a lifelong dream.

Naturally, he makes many friends along the way including a talking dog, a chubby eight-year old trying to earn a scout’s badge for helping the elderly, and an over-sized, exotic bird with colourful plumage. Equally inevitably, there is a showdown with a villain (played by Christopher Plummer, one of the few really famous actors to lend his voice to the film) who is out to capture the bird and separate it from its chicks.

Up doesn’t break with the conventions of children’s animation films as boldly as did Pixar’s previous film, Wall-E, with its serious science-fiction themes and long stretches without dialogue. Nonetheless, it does play around with some animated cinema staples in a more subtle way.

Not many other animated films would dare to choose two grumpy old men as its hero and antagonist. These two elderly men are neither kindly grandfathers nor are they ageing action men capable of feats men half their age couldn’t do. The dog talks only because he wears a special collar that translates his thoughts, which are the ones you’d expect from a real dog rather than an anthromorphised cartoon character. And for once, the eight year-old is no wiser or cleverer than the adults.

There are some striking scenes, in particular one heart-breaking development that is handled with great skill and restraint and a number of scenes that deliver some great verbal and visual jokes. There are also many dark moments, including a splash of blood and some implied deaths that no doubt helped the film to earn a PG rating in the US.

Up is technically flawless — as one would expect from any film from Pixar. The character designs are charming and the rich, naturalistic hues that form the film’s colour palette are nothing short of beautiful. Although it’s presented in 3D, this seems to be an unnecessary gimmick that may even detract from Up’s deftly composed scenes and carefully chosen colour palette.

Despite the technical wizardry and some clever plot and character ideas, Up seldom manages to soar. Because they aren’t given much space to develop, none of the characters are particularly memorable, with the exception of Carl and some of the villain’s dogs.

The film seems overly eager to rush through its story to get to the next chase scene, glossing over key plot points and failing to develop the deeper themes that it hints at: the pleasures of domesticity and the disappointment of dashed dreams. And in the end, it cops out with the same pat answers that animated films have offered kids since cartoons were hand-drawn and shown in black and white.

Up’s biggest failing, then, is that it doesn’t live up to the standard set by Pixar’s best films. It is not as bold or poetic as Wall-E, as moving as Finding Nemo, or as rich in subtext as Ratatouille or The Incredibles. It’s entertaining and enjoyable, but it’s also instantly forgettable. For most parents accompanying children to the movies,  however, that will probably be good enough.  — Lance Harris, TechCentral