Movie Review : Up


MOVIE FACTS

Initial release: May 29,2009

Director: Pete Docter

Music composed by: Michael Giacchino

Notable Awards:  Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Academy Award for Best Original Music Score, Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature, Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film


Score given by Film Critics Circles -
8.3/10-IMDb
98%-Rotten Tomatoes



CAST 
(Credit : Wikipedia)

  • Edward Asner as Carl Fredricksen 
  • Christopher Plummer as Charles F. Muntz
  • Jordan Nagai as Russell
  • Bob Peterson as Dug
  • Pete Docter as Kevin
  • Delroy Lindo as Beta, a Rottweiler
  • Jerome Ranft as Gamma
  • John Ratzenberger as Tom, a construction worker who asks if Carl is ready to sell his house
  • David Kaye as the newsreel announcer
  • Danny Mann as Steve, a construction worker who Carl injures because he accidentally wrecked his mailbox



Up Movie Snapshot

If I have to be honest,I do not have much interest in couples.Rather,it appears half silly and half useless to me (most of the time).But not after I watched Up.Not until I watched Carl and Ellie could I realise two lives could be so well related.And despite being such an irrational topic,I could not pick out any flaws in the content.I think this is one of the best movies I have ever come across and I have no complaints here,regarding anything.


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ABOUT THE MOVIE  (Credit : Wikipedia)

As a young boy, Carl idolized explorer Charles F. Muntz. Muntz has been accused of fabricating the skeleton of a giant bird he says that he discovered in Paradise Falls, and vows to return there to capture one alive. One day, Carl befriends Ellie, who is also a Muntz fan. She confides to Carl her desire to move her "clubhouse" — an abandoned house in the neighborhood — to a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls. Carl and Ellie eventually get married and grow old together in the restored house. Though they planned to have children together, Ellie is diagnosed as infertile. Carl therefore wants to fulfill their promise of travel to South America, repeatedly pooling their savings for a trip to Paradise Falls. An elderly Carl finally arranges for the trip, but Ellie suddenly becomes ill and dies.


Some time later, Carl still lives in the house when he accidentally injures a construction worker over damage to his mailbox, and a court orders him to move to a retirement home. However, Carl comes up with a scheme to keep his promise to Ellie: he turns his house into a makeshift airship, using thousands of helium balloons. Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer becomes an accidental passenger in his effort to earn his final merit badge for assisting the elderly.

After surviving a thunderstorm, the house lands near a ravine facing Paradise Falls. Carl and Russell harness themselves to the still-buoyant house and begin to walk it around the ravine, hoping to reach the falls before the balloons deflate. They later befriend a tall, colorful flightless bird (whom Russell names "Kevin") trying to reach her chicks, and a dog named Dug, who wears a special collar that allows him to speak.

Carl and Russell encounter a pack of dogs led by Alpha, and are taken to Dug's master, who turns out to be an elderly Charles Muntz. Muntz invites Carl and Russell aboard his dirigible, the "Spirit of Adventure" where he explains that he has spent the years since his disgrace searching Paradise Falls for the giant bird. When Russell notes the bird's similarity to Kevin, Muntz then becomes hostile, prompting the pair to flee with Kevin and Dug. Muntz catches up with them and starts a fire beneath Carl's house, forcing Carl to choose between saving it or Kevin. Carl rushes to put out the fire, allowing Muntz to take the bird. Carl and Russell eventually reach the falls, though Russell is disappointed in Carl over his decision to abandon Kevin.

Settling into his home, Carl looks through Ellie's childhood scrapbook; finding photos of their happy marriage added into it, along with a note from Ellie thanking him for the "adventure" and encouraging him to go have a new one. Reinvigorated, he goes to find Russell, only to see him sailing off on some balloons to save Kevin. Carl empties the house of furniture and possessions, lightening it, and pursues him.

Russell is captured by Muntz, but Carl manages to board the dirigible in flight and free both Russell and Kevin. Dug defeats Alpha and become the dogs' new leader. Muntz pursues them around the airship, finally cornering Dug, Kevin, and Russell inside Carl's tethered house. Carl lures Kevin out through a window and back onto the airship with Dug and Russell clinging to her back, just as Muntz is about to close in; Muntz leaps after them, only to snag his foot on some balloon lines and fall to his death. The house then descends out of sight through the clouds.

Carl and Russell reunite Kevin with her chicks, then fly the dirigible back to the city. Carl presents Russell with his final badge: a grape soda cap that Ellie gave to Carl when they first met and made their promise. The two then enjoy some ice cream together. Meanwhile, Carl's house is shown to have landed on the cliff beside Paradise Falls, as promised to Ellie.


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MOVIE REVIEW

The movie will always be an all time favourite despite being based on a love story and being too irrational.The main reason that makes this movie so impressive is the 'Spirit of Adventure' (that is yet to be indentured within us).You can watch 'Married Life' by clicking on this link.Another thing I really like about the movie is on how ordinary the couple's life was,yet there was no compromise in their love life.Ellie's love for South America and her dream to go there,to Paradise Falls which is termed as 'A Land Lost in Time' was really nice.(In case you are a regular reader,you shall be knowing my feelings about South America.)Each time while cleaning window panes,while tying the tie,while selling balloons and while going to the hill top,through sorrow and through happiness - two things were always existent : their rediscovering of each other and the spirit of adventure.When Ellie realises her time has come,she hands over her 'My Adventure Book' to Carl after which Carl is seen to be sitting in the dark with the blue balloon that has been focused on right from when the movie began.The two tickets to he bought for a trip to Brazil were never utilised.After Ellie's death,Russell was the point of attention.Kevin,Dug were nice side touches.And Russell was an absolute pleasure.There seriously is nothing you cannot like about Ellie and Russell in the movie.The perfection is beyond words.While the commentary on Charles Muntz was going on,with 'The Grand Canyon',little Carl is shown to jump over the littlest creek possible in a roadway.With 'The Himalayas',he tries to get over a residual part of a tree stub,but fails.And it was too cute to watch these and little Carl and Ellie together.Towards the end of the movie,Carl hands over the Grape Soda batch he used to wear after Ellie's death to Russell and he exclaims a "Wow!" and it was seriously amazing. Even after the movie ends,the new 'My Adventure Book' is shown to have photographs of Russell (mainly) and other neighbourhood scout achievers,Dug,Dug's girl,Dug's puppies and soda bottle caps pinned like batches with some other batches with leaves,fruits,bugs,balloons,thread,dried flowers,coffee stains,dog bone. etc.Russell's drawings are shown with captions beside a Penguin saying "Is he wearing a tuxedo?" and a caption beside a beetle reading "actual size".Finally,it ends with the song 'The Spirit of Adventure' and I must say Michael Giacchino has done a great job with the music throughout the movie.The movie is a must watch for everyone,from every age,from every country and may be planet.Watch this and I have no doubts that you are going to find at least something that is motivational from here.If you are not too complaining about the scientific failures and can enjoy the emotions,then do watch this.



Up Movie Snapshot




Up Movie Snapshot


Up Movie Snapshot

SCREENPLAY AND PHOTOGRAPHY- 4.8/5
MUSIC - 4.8/5
SCIENTIFIC ACCURACY - 4.4/5 
STORYLINE - 5/5
ACTORS' PERFORMANCE - 5/5

AS A MOVIE - {(24/25) * 100 %} = 96%


Disclaimer - The photographs used above do not belong to me.Credits have been mentioned at places where information has been gathered from external sources.

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