Watching Pixar Animation grow and develop as a studio has become almost more fascinating than experiencing one of the company’s many creative films unfold on screen. Beginning with an industry leap in 1995’s “Toy Story” and eventually moving into its daring own with 2008’s “WALL-E,” the studio has, at the very least, shown a desire for creative progression.
This naturally brings us to “Up,” the next evolution in Pixar’s insistence on growing up while maintaining the heart of a child. With its focus on relationships and the harsher realities of life, the film might well be the studio’s most human production to date. While claims that the film is a high mark for emotional resonance might be a touch over-stated, “Up” is nevertheless a sterling entry in the studio’s impressive streak of hits.
The film’s unlikely hero is 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, and a few moving early moments set the scene: Carl met his wife Ellie as a child, and being the shy sort, was immediately taken by her lust for life. They married, they endured loss (a single frame reveals an apparent miscarriage) and they vowed to one day travel to the exotic Paradise Falls made famous by their childhood hero, explorer Charles F. Muntz.
But, as the poet said, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. That brutal fact is creatively depicted in the consistent smashing of a giant savings jar for this or that fiscal emergency and eventually, life has passed the couple by, their dreams left unrealized, and when the narrative catches up to Carl following this brief montage, we see that loss weighing heavily in the form of a rather disagreeable disposition.