Ha! So true. Pixar has never made a bad movie (and probably never will), but CARS was dangerously close to being just any other studio's animated film. The humor was no where near as funny as you expect from Pixar, and the pathos rang hollow. I still think it was miles above most animated films, but is the weak link in the Pixar line-up. Glad to hear UP is as amazing as it looks.Precious Doll wrote:Depending on what you think of "Cars," Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with "Up"
Pixar's "Up"
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"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
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Here's the review from Variety by Todd McCarthy
A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production. Produced by Jonas Rivera. Executive producers, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton. Directed by Pete Docter. Co-director, Bob Peterson. Screenplay, Peterson, Docter; story, Docter, Peterson, Tom McCarthy.
Voices:
Carl Fredericksen - Ed Asner
Charles Muntz - Christopher Plummer
Russell - Jordan Nagai
Dug - Bob Peterson
Beta - Delroy Lindo
Gamma - Jerome Ranft
Alpha - Bob Peterson
Construction Foreman Tom - John Ratzenberger
Depending on what you think of "Cars," Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with "Up," a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along. Tale of an unlikely journey to uncharted geographic and emotional territory by an old codger and a young explorer could easily have been cloying, but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled. Lack of overtly fantastical elements might endow "Up" with a somewhat lower initial must-see factor than some summer releases. But like all of Pixar's features, this one will enjoy a rewardingly long ride in all venues and formats. Pete Docter's picture has the privilege of being the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival, on May 13.
The two leading men are 78 and 8 years old, and the age range of those who will appreciate the picture is even a bit wider than that. Like previous classic films about escape from the mundane, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Wall-E" and many in between, "Up" is universal in its appeal. At the same time, it may be the most subtle Pixar production to date in its use of color schemes, shapes, proportions, scale, contrast and balance, factors highlighted by the application of 3-D, which will be available at many initial engagements.
The ghost of Chaplin hovered over "Wall-E," and although "Up" is a more talkative film, it also delves back into earlier eras for inspiration. The first thing on view is a mock '30s-style black-and-white Movietone newsreel documenting the exploits of maverick explorer Charles Muntz, who heads back to South America to redeem himself after a giant bird skeleton he presents in the U.S. is denounced as a fraud.
Not long after comes an exquisite interlude that, in less than five minutes, encapsulates the life-long love affair between Carl Fredericksen and his wife Ellie in a manner worthy of even the most poetic of silent-film directors. The two were brought together by their mutual enthusiasm for Muntz, and it remained Ellie's lifelong dream to emulate the adventurer and travel to Paradise Falls in South America.
But life has other plans, and Ellie must settle for a happy life with balloon-seller Carl (voiced by Ed Asner). When she dies, she leaves behind a scrapbook as well as a very grumpy widower, who retreats into self-enforced exile. With heavy-rimmed black glasses, thick white hair and eyebrows, bulbous nose, square jaw and a scrunched body that looks like it's been through a compactor, old Carl resembles a cross between Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau at the ends of their careers. He wants no company, content to live out his days in the house he shared with Ellie, which becomes surrounded by giant construction projects.
Finally faced with eviction, Carl concocts a plan. In a surprising and brilliantly visual sequence, thousands of colored balloons hatch from behind the house, prying it from its foundation and carrying it skyward; Carl intends to fly it to South America, fulfilling Ellie's dream.
However, he's got an unplanned passenger in the form of Russell (Jordan Nagai), a roly-poly, eager-beaver Junior Wilderness Explorer who's previously tried to enlist the old goat's help to win him a badge. The trip goes uneventfully — no time wasted on navigational challenges — the better to quickly achieve the destination. The arrival is stunningly portrayed, with thick fog clearing to reveal bizarre rock formations atop a mesa adjacent to the falls (designs were inspired by Angel Falls, the world's highest, and the actual tepui mountains around the juncture of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana — the location of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World"). Carl and Russell quickly come upon the very sort of rare bird Muntz went back to find decades before, a brilliantly plumed, gawky 13-footer they name Kevin.
Kevin's antics throughout are so humorous and beautifully animated they would be at home in a "Looney Tunes" highlights reel, as would a breed of attack dogs commanded by Muntz himself (Christopher Plummer), who sends the canines in search of the elusive bird.
At just 89 minutes, "Up" is unusually short for a Pixar film, and the action climax comes on rapidly. One setpiece features the two old-timers, Carl and the swashbuckling Muntz, going mano a mano aboard the latter's spectacular, zeppelin-like flying ship, and numerous vertigo-producing shots show characters clinging for dear life.
Although the cliffhanger effects are augmented by 3-D projection, never do Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co-director Bob Peterson shove anything in the viewer's face just because of its 3-D potential. In fact, the film's overall loveliness presents a conceivable argument in favor of seeing it in 2-D: Even with the strongest possible projector bulbs, the 3-D glasses reduce the image's brightness by 20%. At the very least, the incentive for seeing "Up" in 3-D would seem less powerful than it is for other films.
Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, "Up" is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution.
Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino's full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.
More than one option
(Person) Bob Peterson
Lighting
(Person) Bob Peterson
Actor, Animator, Art Director
(Person) Bob Peterson
Sound Mixer
(Person) Bob Peterson
(Person) Bob Peterson
(Person) Bob Peterson
Dolly Grip
More than one option
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Director, Actor, Screenplay
(Person) Thomas J McCarthy
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Carpenter
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Sound, Sound Editor, Sound Effects
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Lighting Technician, Rigging Electrician
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Modelmaker
More than one option
(Person) Christopher Plummer
(Person) Chris Plummer
More than one option
(Film) Up
Robert McLane, Russ Meyer
(Film) Up
More than one option
(Person) Spencer Tracy
Actor, Narrator
(Person) Spencer Tracy
More than one option
(Film) The Lost World
1960 - Michael Rennie, Irwin Allen
(Film) The Lost World
(Film) The Return to the Lost World
(Film) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World
Camera (Technicolor and Deluxe prints, 3-D), Patrick Lin; lighting, Jean-Claude Kalache; editor, Kevin Nolting; music, Michael Giacchino; production designer, Ricky Nierva; story supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen; supervising technical director, Steve May; supervising animator, Scott Clark; sound designer (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Tom Myers; supervising sound editors, Michael Silvers, Myers; re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick, Myers; associate producer, Denise Ream; casting, Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon. Reviewed at Disney Studios, Burbank, May 6, 2009. (In Cannes Film Festival — opener.) MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 89 MIN.
A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Pixar Animation Studios production. Produced by Jonas Rivera. Executive producers, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton. Directed by Pete Docter. Co-director, Bob Peterson. Screenplay, Peterson, Docter; story, Docter, Peterson, Tom McCarthy.
Voices:
Carl Fredericksen - Ed Asner
Charles Muntz - Christopher Plummer
Russell - Jordan Nagai
Dug - Bob Peterson
Beta - Delroy Lindo
Gamma - Jerome Ranft
Alpha - Bob Peterson
Construction Foreman Tom - John Ratzenberger
Depending on what you think of "Cars," Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with "Up," a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along. Tale of an unlikely journey to uncharted geographic and emotional territory by an old codger and a young explorer could easily have been cloying, but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled. Lack of overtly fantastical elements might endow "Up" with a somewhat lower initial must-see factor than some summer releases. But like all of Pixar's features, this one will enjoy a rewardingly long ride in all venues and formats. Pete Docter's picture has the privilege of being the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival, on May 13.
The two leading men are 78 and 8 years old, and the age range of those who will appreciate the picture is even a bit wider than that. Like previous classic films about escape from the mundane, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Wall-E" and many in between, "Up" is universal in its appeal. At the same time, it may be the most subtle Pixar production to date in its use of color schemes, shapes, proportions, scale, contrast and balance, factors highlighted by the application of 3-D, which will be available at many initial engagements.
The ghost of Chaplin hovered over "Wall-E," and although "Up" is a more talkative film, it also delves back into earlier eras for inspiration. The first thing on view is a mock '30s-style black-and-white Movietone newsreel documenting the exploits of maverick explorer Charles Muntz, who heads back to South America to redeem himself after a giant bird skeleton he presents in the U.S. is denounced as a fraud.
Not long after comes an exquisite interlude that, in less than five minutes, encapsulates the life-long love affair between Carl Fredericksen and his wife Ellie in a manner worthy of even the most poetic of silent-film directors. The two were brought together by their mutual enthusiasm for Muntz, and it remained Ellie's lifelong dream to emulate the adventurer and travel to Paradise Falls in South America.
But life has other plans, and Ellie must settle for a happy life with balloon-seller Carl (voiced by Ed Asner). When she dies, she leaves behind a scrapbook as well as a very grumpy widower, who retreats into self-enforced exile. With heavy-rimmed black glasses, thick white hair and eyebrows, bulbous nose, square jaw and a scrunched body that looks like it's been through a compactor, old Carl resembles a cross between Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau at the ends of their careers. He wants no company, content to live out his days in the house he shared with Ellie, which becomes surrounded by giant construction projects.
Finally faced with eviction, Carl concocts a plan. In a surprising and brilliantly visual sequence, thousands of colored balloons hatch from behind the house, prying it from its foundation and carrying it skyward; Carl intends to fly it to South America, fulfilling Ellie's dream.
However, he's got an unplanned passenger in the form of Russell (Jordan Nagai), a roly-poly, eager-beaver Junior Wilderness Explorer who's previously tried to enlist the old goat's help to win him a badge. The trip goes uneventfully — no time wasted on navigational challenges — the better to quickly achieve the destination. The arrival is stunningly portrayed, with thick fog clearing to reveal bizarre rock formations atop a mesa adjacent to the falls (designs were inspired by Angel Falls, the world's highest, and the actual tepui mountains around the juncture of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana — the location of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World"). Carl and Russell quickly come upon the very sort of rare bird Muntz went back to find decades before, a brilliantly plumed, gawky 13-footer they name Kevin.
Kevin's antics throughout are so humorous and beautifully animated they would be at home in a "Looney Tunes" highlights reel, as would a breed of attack dogs commanded by Muntz himself (Christopher Plummer), who sends the canines in search of the elusive bird.
At just 89 minutes, "Up" is unusually short for a Pixar film, and the action climax comes on rapidly. One setpiece features the two old-timers, Carl and the swashbuckling Muntz, going mano a mano aboard the latter's spectacular, zeppelin-like flying ship, and numerous vertigo-producing shots show characters clinging for dear life.
Although the cliffhanger effects are augmented by 3-D projection, never do Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co-director Bob Peterson shove anything in the viewer's face just because of its 3-D potential. In fact, the film's overall loveliness presents a conceivable argument in favor of seeing it in 2-D: Even with the strongest possible projector bulbs, the 3-D glasses reduce the image's brightness by 20%. At the very least, the incentive for seeing "Up" in 3-D would seem less powerful than it is for other films.
Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, "Up" is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution.
Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino's full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.
More than one option
(Person) Bob Peterson
Lighting
(Person) Bob Peterson
Actor, Animator, Art Director
(Person) Bob Peterson
Sound Mixer
(Person) Bob Peterson
(Person) Bob Peterson
(Person) Bob Peterson
Dolly Grip
More than one option
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Director, Actor, Screenplay
(Person) Thomas J McCarthy
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Carpenter
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Actor
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Sound, Sound Editor, Sound Effects
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Lighting Technician, Rigging Electrician
(Person) Tom McCarthy
Modelmaker
More than one option
(Person) Christopher Plummer
(Person) Chris Plummer
More than one option
(Film) Up
Robert McLane, Russ Meyer
(Film) Up
More than one option
(Person) Spencer Tracy
Actor, Narrator
(Person) Spencer Tracy
More than one option
(Film) The Lost World
1960 - Michael Rennie, Irwin Allen
(Film) The Lost World
(Film) The Return to the Lost World
(Film) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World
Camera (Technicolor and Deluxe prints, 3-D), Patrick Lin; lighting, Jean-Claude Kalache; editor, Kevin Nolting; music, Michael Giacchino; production designer, Ricky Nierva; story supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen; supervising technical director, Steve May; supervising animator, Scott Clark; sound designer (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Tom Myers; supervising sound editors, Michael Silvers, Myers; re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick, Myers; associate producer, Denise Ream; casting, Kevin Reher, Natalie Lyon. Reviewed at Disney Studios, Burbank, May 6, 2009. (In Cannes Film Festival — opener.) MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 89 MIN.
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Sonic Youth
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Peter Bradshaw at the Cannes film festival guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13 May 2009 13.31 BST
The Cannes film festival gets off to the most sublime flying start tonight with Up, an enchanting animation by Pete Docter from the Disney/Pixar studio, presented in ultra hi-tech digital 3D. It's the first time an animation has been chosen to open the festival, and it's certainly the first time for that extra dimension.
It really is a lovely film: smart, funny, high-spirited and sweet-natured, reviving memories of classic adventures from the pens of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne, and movies like Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life and Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon, though I sometimes felt that my heart was being warmed by tiny invisible laser-missiles fired from the screen and digitally guided directly into my thorax.
Ed Asner voices the role of Carl Fredricksen, a lonely, grumpy old widower and retired balloon salesman, with a square, irascible face surely inspired by Spencer Tracy. He lives all alone in his rickety old house which horrid tycoons want to raze to the ground to complete the expansion of some soulless mall/condo development: the voice of a well-meaning construction worker is provided by John Ratzenberger, once mailman Cliff on TV's Cheers, and now a talismanic presence in all Pixar animations.
It looks like the realtors and their lawyers have Carl beat, but he's not about to let them get their corporate mitts on his homestead, and he has a sensational plan. Carl ties thousands of multicoloured helium balloons to his roof and soon he and his little house are up, up and away, into the wild blue yonder. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to smile at this wonderfully surreal sight, gorgeously rendered on screen.
A prelude provides the bittersweet background to Carl's story. He and his childhood sweetheart Ellie were would-be explorers, inspired by the exploits of a flawed Lindberghian adventurer called Charles Muntz (richly voiced by Christopher Plummer). All through their married life they cherished dreams of some day leaving their home town and journeying to the lost world of Paradise Falls, deep in the mysterious South American jungles. But problems kept cropping up, including the heartache of childlessness, and they never made it. Now Carl figures he will honour his late wife's memory by sailing his airborne house right out to the South American Shangri-la they always hankered for. But to his astonishment, Carl finds he has a stowaway on board: an eight-year-old Scout called Russell, voiced by Jordan Nagai.
It's a terrific family adventure: the 3D presentation gives it a real boost, but this film is airborne because of the traditional strengths: story, characterisation and inventive animation with the old-fashioned values of clarity and simplicity. There's something else to ponder, too. Disney/Pixar's great rival DreamWorks put a few little anti-Disney digs in their great animation Shrek. Could the image of all those multicoloured balloons in this Pixar film be a cheeky appropriation of DreamWorks' balloon logo?
Either way, it is a tremendous film and a happy start to the festival: entertaining and visually dazzling.
• Peter Bradshaw is the Guardian's film critic
The Cannes film festival gets off to the most sublime flying start tonight with Up, an enchanting animation by Pete Docter from the Disney/Pixar studio, presented in ultra hi-tech digital 3D. It's the first time an animation has been chosen to open the festival, and it's certainly the first time for that extra dimension.
It really is a lovely film: smart, funny, high-spirited and sweet-natured, reviving memories of classic adventures from the pens of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jules Verne, and movies like Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life and Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon, though I sometimes felt that my heart was being warmed by tiny invisible laser-missiles fired from the screen and digitally guided directly into my thorax.
Ed Asner voices the role of Carl Fredricksen, a lonely, grumpy old widower and retired balloon salesman, with a square, irascible face surely inspired by Spencer Tracy. He lives all alone in his rickety old house which horrid tycoons want to raze to the ground to complete the expansion of some soulless mall/condo development: the voice of a well-meaning construction worker is provided by John Ratzenberger, once mailman Cliff on TV's Cheers, and now a talismanic presence in all Pixar animations.
It looks like the realtors and their lawyers have Carl beat, but he's not about to let them get their corporate mitts on his homestead, and he has a sensational plan. Carl ties thousands of multicoloured helium balloons to his roof and soon he and his little house are up, up and away, into the wild blue yonder. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to smile at this wonderfully surreal sight, gorgeously rendered on screen.
A prelude provides the bittersweet background to Carl's story. He and his childhood sweetheart Ellie were would-be explorers, inspired by the exploits of a flawed Lindberghian adventurer called Charles Muntz (richly voiced by Christopher Plummer). All through their married life they cherished dreams of some day leaving their home town and journeying to the lost world of Paradise Falls, deep in the mysterious South American jungles. But problems kept cropping up, including the heartache of childlessness, and they never made it. Now Carl figures he will honour his late wife's memory by sailing his airborne house right out to the South American Shangri-la they always hankered for. But to his astonishment, Carl finds he has a stowaway on board: an eight-year-old Scout called Russell, voiced by Jordan Nagai.
It's a terrific family adventure: the 3D presentation gives it a real boost, but this film is airborne because of the traditional strengths: story, characterisation and inventive animation with the old-fashioned values of clarity and simplicity. There's something else to ponder, too. Disney/Pixar's great rival DreamWorks put a few little anti-Disney digs in their great animation Shrek. Could the image of all those multicoloured balloons in this Pixar film be a cheeky appropriation of DreamWorks' balloon logo?
Either way, it is a tremendous film and a happy start to the festival: entertaining and visually dazzling.
• Peter Bradshaw is the Guardian's film critic
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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The Original BJ
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Cars is certainly the weakest of the Pixar movies, but I still found it enjoyable. In particular, the animation is GORGEOUS -- I thought the sequence with the two cars "going on a drive" was simply eye-popping. The story is thin stew compared to their other films, but it's still fun, and the ending is pretty hard to resist. (Now I miss Paul Newman all over again.)
A Bug's Life, on the other hand, is -- in my opinion -- one of the best Pixar films. I saw it again recently and enjoyed it just as fully as I had as a twelve-year old. The dialogue is full of terrific one-liners, the animation (even a decade later) still looks glorious, and the voice-over work is hilarious. Plus, it features a moment I think of often when I need career/life encouragement -- "pretend it's a seed."
Basically I think the folks at Pixar are tremendously talented and I will follow them wherever they go. Can't wait to see Up.
A Bug's Life, on the other hand, is -- in my opinion -- one of the best Pixar films. I saw it again recently and enjoyed it just as fully as I had as a twelve-year old. The dialogue is full of terrific one-liners, the animation (even a decade later) still looks glorious, and the voice-over work is hilarious. Plus, it features a moment I think of often when I need career/life encouragement -- "pretend it's a seed."
Basically I think the folks at Pixar are tremendously talented and I will follow them wherever they go. Can't wait to see Up.
I didn't care for Cars too much, but I agree that it is a visual treat just like any of the other PIXAR films. I haven't seen A Bug's Life in ages, but remember not caring for it too much. Antz was always my preferred choice between the two.
While Up looks to be as entertaining as Wall-E or Monster's Inc, I can't help but think that there's going to be an animated film this year that I will find more enjoyable. Perhaps it will be The Fantastic Mr. Fox or maybe The Princess and the Frog. Hell, maybe even Zemeckis will pull one out of his ass with A Christmas Carol.
While Up looks to be as entertaining as Wall-E or Monster's Inc, I can't help but think that there's going to be an animated film this year that I will find more enjoyable. Perhaps it will be The Fantastic Mr. Fox or maybe The Princess and the Frog. Hell, maybe even Zemeckis will pull one out of his ass with A Christmas Carol.
"It's the least most of us can do, but less of us will do more."
There's room for both AntZ and A Bug's Life in this world.
Cars isn't anything special but it's a lovely visual/audio experience, a little overlong and just simply unexceptional. I'll still take it over 90% of the dreck out there because the folks at PIXAR are so blessedly square. Their films seek to grant closure to our childhood memories we can't let go of. Your toys are alive and it's okay to leave them behind as you grow. There are monsters in your closet, but they're just as afraid of you as you are of them. Every fish in your bowl is somebody's mother or father or son or daughter. There are no pop culture riffs. Children aren't smart alecks, but either witnesses or straight-up monsters. I love what they do.
Cars isn't anything special but it's a lovely visual/audio experience, a little overlong and just simply unexceptional. I'll still take it over 90% of the dreck out there because the folks at PIXAR are so blessedly square. Their films seek to grant closure to our childhood memories we can't let go of. Your toys are alive and it's okay to leave them behind as you grow. There are monsters in your closet, but they're just as afraid of you as you are of them. Every fish in your bowl is somebody's mother or father or son or daughter. There are no pop culture riffs. Children aren't smart alecks, but either witnesses or straight-up monsters. I love what they do.
"How's the despair?"
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As someone wrote elsewhere, PIXAR is close to the place the Yankees were in the 50s, when it was said rooting for them was like rooting for U.S. Steel.
My one caveat about the Variety review is that the guy isn't sure if Cars deserves either half a point or a full point. For me, it gets pretty close to no points...and I didn't much care for A Bug's Life, either. (Much preferred Antz)
But I'll be seeing this, for sure.
My one caveat about the Variety review is that the guy isn't sure if Cars deserves either half a point or a full point. For me, it gets pretty close to no points...and I didn't much care for A Bug's Life, either. (Much preferred Antz)
But I'll be seeing this, for sure.
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Film Review: Up
By Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Given the inherent three-dimensional quality evident in Pixar's cutting-edge output, the fact that the studio's 10th animated film is the first to be presented in digital 3-D wouldn't seem to be particularly groundbreaking in and of itself.
But what gives "Up" such a joyously buoyant lift is the refreshingly nongimmicky way in which the process has been incorporated into the big picture -- and what a wonderful big picture it is.
Winsome, touching and arguably the funniest Pixar effort ever, the gorgeously rendered, high-flying adventure is a tidy 90-minute distillation of all the signature touches that came before it.
It's also the ideal choice to serve as the first animated feature ever to open the Festival de Cannes, considering the way it also pays fond homage to cinema's past, touching upon the works of Chaplin and Hitchcock, not to mention aspects of "It's a Wonderful Life" "The Wizard of Oz" and, more recently, "About Schmidt."
Boxoffice-wise, the sky's the limit for "Up."
Even with its PG rating (the first non-G-rated Pixar picture since "The Incredibles"), there really is no demographic that won't respond to its many charms.
The Chaplin-esque influence is certainly felt in the stirring prelude, tracing the formative years of the film's 78-year-old protagonist, recent widower Carl Fredericksen (terrifically voiced by Ed Asner).
Borrowing "WALL-E's" poetic, economy of dialogue and backed by composer Michael Giacchino's plaintive score, the nostalgic waltz between Carl and love of his life, Ellie, effectively lays all the groundwork for the fun stuff to follow.
Deciding it's better late than never, the retired balloon salesman depletes his entire inventory and takes to the skies (house included), determined to finally follow the path taken by his childhood hero, discredited world adventurer Charles F. Muntz (Christopher Plummer).
But he soon discovers there's a stowaway hiding in his South America-bound home in the form of Russell, a persistent eight-year-old boy scout (scene-stealing young newcomer Jordan Nagai), and the pair prove to be one irresistible odd couple.
Despite the innate sentimentality, director Peter Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co- director/writer Bob Peterson keep the laughs coming at an agreeably ticklish pace.
Between that Carl/Russell dynamic and Muntz's pack of hunting dogs equipped with multilingual thought translation collars, "Up" ups the Pixar comedy ante considerably.
Meanwhile, those attending theaters equipped with the Disney Digital 3-D technology will have the added bonus of experiencing a three-dimensional process that is less concerned with the usual "comin' at ya" razzle-dazzle than it is with creating exquisitely detailed textures and appropriately expansive depths of field.
By Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Given the inherent three-dimensional quality evident in Pixar's cutting-edge output, the fact that the studio's 10th animated film is the first to be presented in digital 3-D wouldn't seem to be particularly groundbreaking in and of itself.
But what gives "Up" such a joyously buoyant lift is the refreshingly nongimmicky way in which the process has been incorporated into the big picture -- and what a wonderful big picture it is.
Winsome, touching and arguably the funniest Pixar effort ever, the gorgeously rendered, high-flying adventure is a tidy 90-minute distillation of all the signature touches that came before it.
It's also the ideal choice to serve as the first animated feature ever to open the Festival de Cannes, considering the way it also pays fond homage to cinema's past, touching upon the works of Chaplin and Hitchcock, not to mention aspects of "It's a Wonderful Life" "The Wizard of Oz" and, more recently, "About Schmidt."
Boxoffice-wise, the sky's the limit for "Up."
Even with its PG rating (the first non-G-rated Pixar picture since "The Incredibles"), there really is no demographic that won't respond to its many charms.
The Chaplin-esque influence is certainly felt in the stirring prelude, tracing the formative years of the film's 78-year-old protagonist, recent widower Carl Fredericksen (terrifically voiced by Ed Asner).
Borrowing "WALL-E's" poetic, economy of dialogue and backed by composer Michael Giacchino's plaintive score, the nostalgic waltz between Carl and love of his life, Ellie, effectively lays all the groundwork for the fun stuff to follow.
Deciding it's better late than never, the retired balloon salesman depletes his entire inventory and takes to the skies (house included), determined to finally follow the path taken by his childhood hero, discredited world adventurer Charles F. Muntz (Christopher Plummer).
But he soon discovers there's a stowaway hiding in his South America-bound home in the form of Russell, a persistent eight-year-old boy scout (scene-stealing young newcomer Jordan Nagai), and the pair prove to be one irresistible odd couple.
Despite the innate sentimentality, director Peter Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co- director/writer Bob Peterson keep the laughs coming at an agreeably ticklish pace.
Between that Carl/Russell dynamic and Muntz's pack of hunting dogs equipped with multilingual thought translation collars, "Up" ups the Pixar comedy ante considerably.
Meanwhile, those attending theaters equipped with the Disney Digital 3-D technology will have the added bonus of experiencing a three-dimensional process that is less concerned with the usual "comin' at ya" razzle-dazzle than it is with creating exquisitely detailed textures and appropriately expansive depths of field.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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anonymous1980
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Roger Ebert's rave review.
But it's not yet his "official" review.
But it's not yet his "official" review.
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Sonic Youth
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An unusually poorly written rave from Screendaily:
Up
12 May, 2009 | By Mike Goodridge
Dir: Pete Docter, US, 2009. 104mins
The tenth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios – and the first in which flesh-and-blood (non-superhero) humans are the key protagonists – Pete Docter’s Up is a marvel of a movie which will enchant cinemagoers around the world and remain a family favourite for decades to come. A highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling in the Pixar canon and indeed the animated form, this is a fitting opening to this year’s Cannes Film Festival; indeed it will be hard for any other film there to match the storytelling genius and gorgeous 3D imagery which Docter and his team have achieved.
Box office greatness is assured for all Pixar films these days, thanks to the strength of the brand combined with that of its partners at Disney. But, although all have been blockbusters, there’s a wide Pixar range: last year’s Wall-E, widely, for example, took $222.8m in the domestic market and $311m in international, but even that $535m total was $330m less than Finding Nemo in 2003. Quite where Up will fall in the range is anybody’s guess, although its strong emotional connection to audiences will likely drive it up into the higher end of the studio’s grossing scale.
Although there are plenty of animated films still to come this year — Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox and Walt Disney title The Princess And The Frog among them — Up should be the strongest contender for the animated feature Oscar next March, and could even pitch for consideration in the best picture category as well.
Up has humour and action aplenty to enthrall children, but it should engage adults in equal quantities who will respond to its rich emotional content....
....Superbly voiced by Edward Asner, Carl is a new kind of hero for any animated film: a grumpy old man with rigidly square features — even square ears and square liver spots — and a bad back. His relationship with the neglected but hardy Russell (endearingly voiced by newcomer Nagai) grows slowly and authentically as they encounter various rare birds, packs of talking dogs and an ageing Charles Muntz (voiced by Plummer).
The colours of the film are ravishing and some of the compositions are painterly, while the 3D enhances the images without playing any in-your-face tricks on the audience. Michael Giacchino’s memorable music themes will be rattling around your head for hours after the film is over.
The Pixar canon is so impressive because of its insistence on story. Avoiding distracting star names in the voice cast or contemporary pop culture references, the films are timeless and eminently valuable assets in the Disney library, and they represent a golden era for animation which will go down in film history alongside the early Disney greats such as Snow White and Fantasia. With Toy Story 3 set for release next year and two Pixar films for 2011, one can only expect the consistency of quality to be sustained.
Up
12 May, 2009 | By Mike Goodridge
Dir: Pete Docter, US, 2009. 104mins
The tenth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios – and the first in which flesh-and-blood (non-superhero) humans are the key protagonists – Pete Docter’s Up is a marvel of a movie which will enchant cinemagoers around the world and remain a family favourite for decades to come. A highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling in the Pixar canon and indeed the animated form, this is a fitting opening to this year’s Cannes Film Festival; indeed it will be hard for any other film there to match the storytelling genius and gorgeous 3D imagery which Docter and his team have achieved.
Box office greatness is assured for all Pixar films these days, thanks to the strength of the brand combined with that of its partners at Disney. But, although all have been blockbusters, there’s a wide Pixar range: last year’s Wall-E, widely, for example, took $222.8m in the domestic market and $311m in international, but even that $535m total was $330m less than Finding Nemo in 2003. Quite where Up will fall in the range is anybody’s guess, although its strong emotional connection to audiences will likely drive it up into the higher end of the studio’s grossing scale.
Although there are plenty of animated films still to come this year — Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox and Walt Disney title The Princess And The Frog among them — Up should be the strongest contender for the animated feature Oscar next March, and could even pitch for consideration in the best picture category as well.
Up has humour and action aplenty to enthrall children, but it should engage adults in equal quantities who will respond to its rich emotional content....
....Superbly voiced by Edward Asner, Carl is a new kind of hero for any animated film: a grumpy old man with rigidly square features — even square ears and square liver spots — and a bad back. His relationship with the neglected but hardy Russell (endearingly voiced by newcomer Nagai) grows slowly and authentically as they encounter various rare birds, packs of talking dogs and an ageing Charles Muntz (voiced by Plummer).
The colours of the film are ravishing and some of the compositions are painterly, while the 3D enhances the images without playing any in-your-face tricks on the audience. Michael Giacchino’s memorable music themes will be rattling around your head for hours after the film is over.
The Pixar canon is so impressive because of its insistence on story. Avoiding distracting star names in the voice cast or contemporary pop culture references, the films are timeless and eminently valuable assets in the Disney library, and they represent a golden era for animation which will go down in film history alongside the early Disney greats such as Snow White and Fantasia. With Toy Story 3 set for release next year and two Pixar films for 2011, one can only expect the consistency of quality to be sustained.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Sonic Youth
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Another rave review for another Pixar film, ho-hum.
Up
(Animated)
By TODD MCCARTHY
Variety
Depending on what you think of "Cars," Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with "Up," a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along. Tale of an unlikely journey to uncharted geographic and emotional territory by an old codger and a young explorer could easily have been cloying, but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled. Lack of overtly fantastical elements might endow "Up" with a somewhat lower initial must-see factor than some summer releases. But like all of Pixar's features, this one will enjoy a rewardingly long ride in all venues and formats. Pete Docter's picture has the privilege of being the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival, on May 13.
The two leading men are 78 and 8 years old, and the age range of those who will appreciate the picture is even a bit wider than that. Like previous classic films about escape from the mundane, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Wall-E" and many in between, "Up" is universal in its appeal. At the same time, it may be the most subtle Pixar production to date in its use of color schemes, shapes, proportions, scale, contrast and balance, factors highlighted by the application of 3-D, which will be available at many initial engagements.
The ghost of Chaplin hovered over "Wall-E," and although "Up" is a more talkative film, it also delves back into earlier eras for inspiration. The first thing on view is a mock '30s-style black-and-white Movietone newsreel documenting the exploits of maverick explorer Charles Muntz, who heads back to South America to redeem himself after a giant bird skeleton he presents in the U.S. is denounced as a fraud.
Not long after comes an exquisite interlude that, in less than five minutes, encapsulates the life-long love affair between Carl Fredericksen and his wife Ellie in a manner worthy of even the most poetic of silent-film directors. The two were brought together by their mutual enthusiasm for Muntz, and it remained Ellie's lifelong dream to emulate the adventurer and travel to Paradise Falls in South America.
But life has other plans, and Ellie must settle for a happy life with balloon-seller Carl (voiced by Ed Asner). When she dies, she leaves behind a scrapbook as well as a very grumpy widower, who retreats into self-enforced exile. With heavy-rimmed black glasses, thick white hair and eyebrows, bulbous nose, square jaw and a scrunched body that looks like it's been through a compactor, old Carl resembles a cross between Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau at the ends of their careers. He wants no company, content to live out his days in the house he shared with Ellie, which becomes surrounded by giant construction projects.
Finally faced with eviction, Carl concocts a plan. In a surprising and brilliantly visual sequence, thousands of colored balloons hatch from behind the house, prying it from its foundation and carrying it skyward; Carl intends to fly it to South America, fulfilling Ellie's dream.
However, he's got an unplanned passenger in the form of Russell (Jordan Nagai), a roly-poly, eager-beaver Junior Wilderness Explorer who's previously tried to enlist the old goat's help to win him a badge. The trip goes uneventfully — no time wasted on navigational challenges — the better to quickly achieve the destination. The arrival is stunningly portrayed, with thick fog clearing to reveal bizarre rock formations atop a mesa adjacent to the falls (designs were inspired by Angel Falls, the world's highest, and the actual tepui mountains around the juncture of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana — the location of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World"). Carl and Russell quickly come upon the very sort of rare bird Muntz went back to find decades before, a brilliantly plumed, gawky 13-footer they name Kevin.
Kevin's antics throughout are so humorous and beautifully animated they would be at home in a "Looney Tunes" highlights reel, as would a breed of attack dogs commanded by Muntz himself (Christopher Plummer), who sends the canines in search of the elusive bird.
At just 89 minutes, "Up" is unusually short for a Pixar film, and the action climax comes on rapidly. One setpiece features the two old-timers, Carl and the swashbuckling Muntz, going mano a mano aboard the latter's spectacular, zeppelin-like flying ship, and numerous vertigo-producing shots show characters clinging for dear life.
Although the cliffhanger effects are augmented by 3-D projection, never do Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co-director Bob Peterson shove anything in the viewer's face just because of its 3-D potential. In fact, the film's overall loveliness presents a conceivable argument in favor of seeing it in 2-D: Even with the strongest possible projector bulbs, the 3-D glasses reduce the image's brightness by 20%. At the very least, the incentive for seeing "Up" in 3-D would seem less powerful than it is for other films.
Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, "Up" is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution.
Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino's full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.
Up
(Animated)
By TODD MCCARTHY
Variety
Depending on what you think of "Cars," Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with "Up," a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along. Tale of an unlikely journey to uncharted geographic and emotional territory by an old codger and a young explorer could easily have been cloying, but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled. Lack of overtly fantastical elements might endow "Up" with a somewhat lower initial must-see factor than some summer releases. But like all of Pixar's features, this one will enjoy a rewardingly long ride in all venues and formats. Pete Docter's picture has the privilege of being the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival, on May 13.
The two leading men are 78 and 8 years old, and the age range of those who will appreciate the picture is even a bit wider than that. Like previous classic films about escape from the mundane, from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Wall-E" and many in between, "Up" is universal in its appeal. At the same time, it may be the most subtle Pixar production to date in its use of color schemes, shapes, proportions, scale, contrast and balance, factors highlighted by the application of 3-D, which will be available at many initial engagements.
The ghost of Chaplin hovered over "Wall-E," and although "Up" is a more talkative film, it also delves back into earlier eras for inspiration. The first thing on view is a mock '30s-style black-and-white Movietone newsreel documenting the exploits of maverick explorer Charles Muntz, who heads back to South America to redeem himself after a giant bird skeleton he presents in the U.S. is denounced as a fraud.
Not long after comes an exquisite interlude that, in less than five minutes, encapsulates the life-long love affair between Carl Fredericksen and his wife Ellie in a manner worthy of even the most poetic of silent-film directors. The two were brought together by their mutual enthusiasm for Muntz, and it remained Ellie's lifelong dream to emulate the adventurer and travel to Paradise Falls in South America.
But life has other plans, and Ellie must settle for a happy life with balloon-seller Carl (voiced by Ed Asner). When she dies, she leaves behind a scrapbook as well as a very grumpy widower, who retreats into self-enforced exile. With heavy-rimmed black glasses, thick white hair and eyebrows, bulbous nose, square jaw and a scrunched body that looks like it's been through a compactor, old Carl resembles a cross between Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau at the ends of their careers. He wants no company, content to live out his days in the house he shared with Ellie, which becomes surrounded by giant construction projects.
Finally faced with eviction, Carl concocts a plan. In a surprising and brilliantly visual sequence, thousands of colored balloons hatch from behind the house, prying it from its foundation and carrying it skyward; Carl intends to fly it to South America, fulfilling Ellie's dream.
However, he's got an unplanned passenger in the form of Russell (Jordan Nagai), a roly-poly, eager-beaver Junior Wilderness Explorer who's previously tried to enlist the old goat's help to win him a badge. The trip goes uneventfully — no time wasted on navigational challenges — the better to quickly achieve the destination. The arrival is stunningly portrayed, with thick fog clearing to reveal bizarre rock formations atop a mesa adjacent to the falls (designs were inspired by Angel Falls, the world's highest, and the actual tepui mountains around the juncture of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana — the location of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World"). Carl and Russell quickly come upon the very sort of rare bird Muntz went back to find decades before, a brilliantly plumed, gawky 13-footer they name Kevin.
Kevin's antics throughout are so humorous and beautifully animated they would be at home in a "Looney Tunes" highlights reel, as would a breed of attack dogs commanded by Muntz himself (Christopher Plummer), who sends the canines in search of the elusive bird.
At just 89 minutes, "Up" is unusually short for a Pixar film, and the action climax comes on rapidly. One setpiece features the two old-timers, Carl and the swashbuckling Muntz, going mano a mano aboard the latter's spectacular, zeppelin-like flying ship, and numerous vertigo-producing shots show characters clinging for dear life.
Although the cliffhanger effects are augmented by 3-D projection, never do Docter ("Monsters, Inc.") and co-director Bob Peterson shove anything in the viewer's face just because of its 3-D potential. In fact, the film's overall loveliness presents a conceivable argument in favor of seeing it in 2-D: Even with the strongest possible projector bulbs, the 3-D glasses reduce the image's brightness by 20%. At the very least, the incentive for seeing "Up" in 3-D would seem less powerful than it is for other films.
Despite the sheer volume of incident and action required of any film that includes young kids as a major portion of its target audience, "Up" is an exceptionally refined picture; unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution.
Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino's full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler