Up

I would like to do something a little less conventional and start this correspondence with my overall opinion:  the movie is good.

Pixar seems to have been dabbling in the arts of subconscious manipulation. The past three Pixar movies I have watched (Up, Wall-E, and Ratatouille) have played intense games with my reflexive emotions. With the first two, I was able to say it was merely coincidence, but with the third my conspiratorial mind starts to kick in. I found myself having to wince, at least three times, during the movie to keep myself from crying.

The movie has a great level of maturity and purity within it. The story is based on a pretty obvious formula and there is no harm in that. It ensures that the attention can be spent elsewhere. Character depiction was beyond amazing. Especially the talking dogs.

Animation is crisp. The vibrancy of the balloons on the house was my favorite. I wasn't able to see this movie in 3D, party because I hate having to wear 3D glasses on top of my regular glasses and Keegan was there. There is no way he would wear glasses and I wanted him to enjoy the movie--which he did.

Some of my friends have noted that I have had a heightened level of cynicism towards this film prior to me actually seeing it. This is typical of me. I get put off by hype for anything. Especially when the hype is comments like, "Up is the greatest movie I have seen in a long, long time." Everyone is entitled to their opinion--I was just curious if that is the best movie seen in the realm of 3D animated film, or film in general. Were they meaning it contends with films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and/or Shindler's List? Not that I am implying those movies are better than Up, that all depends on what you want out of film. Just looking for that common ground to be able to relate to those comments of praise.

So it was assumed, primarily by Lee, that I would come into this movie with a cynical perspective and rejecting demeanor from the start of the flick. Honestly, I know where some of my weaknesses are and I do my best to counteract them.

I watched this movie with an open mind, and I had a great experience watching it.

Not being an attempt to dismantle a progressively fun, creative movie--there is one thing to be said about this latest Pixar film that is against-the-grain. The movie has no replay value in comparison with its predecessors from the same production company. The characters are neat, but lack any sort of specific mannerisms that would be fun to observe again. Wall-E and Eve, Kitty, and even Nemo had that, "begging for more," effect. The characters in Up do not. The story is also a little too intense to want to pop in the Blu-ray every weekend for the kids to watch while Danie and I cook dinner. In fact, I don't think its a movie I would want to own unless I find poking myself in the eye with serious emotion to become a favorite past time.