UP
Beyond offering expertly rendered, stupefying and artful entertainment, the 3-D Up provided the added bonus of big black glasses to hide the embarrassing fact that I cried within the first few minutes of the film.
However, after experiencing Pixar’s latest addition to their already impressive and treasured collection of studio-animated pictures like Finding Nemo and Wall-E, I challenge you not to do the same. Not ten minutes, in I found myself blinking through the opening sequence, a series of flashback scenes wordlessly telling the story of childhood sweethearts with a penchant for exploring —Carl and Ellie.
The picture is initially filled with long stretches of silence, where the story is told visually. The montage demonstrates the long arc of Carl and Ellie’s marriage, poignantly illustrating how life’s everyday communal moments such as reading, cleaning and cooking for a picnic, end up meaning the most. The curmudgeonly Carl Frederickson (voiced by Ed Asner, whose grumpiness is delightfully fitting) planned for decades to go adventuring in South America with an ultimate goal of retirement in the semi-fictitious “Paradise Falls” with his beloved wife, Ellie. Now a widower and faced with moving to an old-age home, he instead opts for attaching a gargantuan bundle of helium balloons to his house to carry out their plan. It’s here that the real fun begins.
Despite Carl’s relishing in his highly anticipated solitude floating among the clouds with only himself and his memories of his late wife, he receives more than he bargained for. Unbeknownst to him, there’s a peanut-sized stowaway aboard. The adventurous and fearless wannabe Wilderness Explorer scout Russell (Jordan Nagai)—age eight—has his eye on earning his final badge for “assisting the elderly”, with or without Carl’s compliance.
Then again, you can’t just strap balloons to your house and expect it to float away without a snag or two. As the movie progresses the house transitions from a haven for exploration and escape to a burden the characters must tow along wherever they wander. This isn’t as painful a task for Carl though, the house functions as yet another metaphor and constant reminder of Ellie.
The familiar evolution of Carl and Russell’s relationship is not a surprising one—reminiscent of Dennis the Menace and his grouchy neighbour Mr. Wilson. Nevertheless, the unlikely duo end up providing each other with the one thing their lives seemed to be missing the most: sincere camaraderie and friendship.
Adopting the imagination and impressionability of a child will serve you well going into this movie, as it moves from romance to drama to fantasy to comedy to action-adventure without much complaint other than perhaps the overall predictability of the tale. The comic situations that will have you laughing the hardest are also the ones you will be forced to suspend your disbelief for.
A large but loveable exotic female bird, dubbed “Kevin” by Russell, marks just the beginning of the discoveries. A golden retriever named Dug and his “K-9” compadres answer the question of what animals are thinking with the ability to talk to humans using special collars that read and translate their thoughts in surprisingly cute robotic monotone. Hilarity ensues with the inevitable breaks in Dug’s conversations with his sudden and frequent exclamations of “squirrel!” and his immediate yet undying love and loyalty to his self-appointed master, Carl.
Although it’s more likely than not you will get swept up as I did in the movie’s exceptionally charming story and all the laughs that ensue, I urge you to keep a close eye on the beautiful bright and crisp animation. Tiny white whiskers on an old man’s chin, doggy drool, and shoelaces never seemed so astonishing. The eye-popping artwork is bursting with enthusiasm and life, so don’t fret —failing to watch the film in 3-D will surely yield the same result.
Up is proof that animated movies can tackle both serious and deep emotions like sorrow and grief, making them real as if live actors were involved. The subject matter is a challenging one, that overall rings true and pushes visual and narrative boundaries. Proving that dreams may grow older but they’ll never die, Carl, Russell and the gang’s story is definitely one to see…just don’t forget to bring some tissues.
—Ally Hall
GOD HELP THE GIRL
Video Pick: “Come Monday Night”
godhelpthegirl.com/video
Stuart Murdoch, the front man of Scottish indie-pop band Belle and Sebastian, has been pumping out LPs and singles in Glasgow for the last 13 years and he’s not about to stop. Murdoch’s latest musical project, God Help The Girl, is an adorable girl power band for the post-Spice Girls age.
While jogging down in dark and narrow path in the industrial town of Sheffield in Northern England, Murdoch’s internal radio was at work. He explained that a tune popped into his head—as always when he began to write a new song. This time it was different. He heard a rough version of a song with female voices and strings, but couldn’t envision singing it as part of Belle and Sebastian. Unable to get the tune out of his head, he scribbled lyrics down as soon as he got home.
The next step was to find singers. Murdoch found three women deemed worthy to sing his song by placing advertisements in local newspapers, and hopes to shoot a complete musical film based on the songs he has complied for the group.
If this video is any indication of what we can expect from the full film, there’s reason to be excited. This video is reminiscent of The Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night”, with its deadpan, slightly awkward acting, musical interludes and complete with thick accents. It may just be our generation’s great musical movie.
While waiting with baited breath for the full film to be released I have been watching this video on repeat. The black and white sequences are simply shot, but have an irresistible twee vibe that compensates for the shaky hand behind the camera. The song itself is a throwback to 1960’s all girl bands like The Ronettes and husband and wife duo Friend and Lover and is undeniably catchy. Murdoch’s ability to make the mundane beautiful is highlighted perfectly in this song.
Newcomer Catherine Ireton’s voice is so melancholic and sweet that when she sings “Come Monday night we turn the telly off/To listen to the silence/Light that comes in from outside/If you could catch it all/And pin it to your wall/Then you would sleep much better,” you know your Mondays will never be the same again.
—Emily Whalen
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