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Do you remember what it was like when you watched "E.T." for the first time? Remember that feeling of joy, ...
Do you remember what it was like when you watched "E.T." for the first time? Remember that feeling of joy, hope, sadness and awe that welled up inside of everyone from eight to 80? Well, with "Up", Disny/Pixar have created arguably the greatest contender for the crown of 'best family film of all time' since an alien told us to "phone home".The story of Carl Fredericksen is the oldest one ever told: a love story. A shy young boy with aspirations of following in the footsteps of his idol, the explorer Charles Muntz, Carl has a chance encounter one day with the energetic Ellie that changes his life forever. The two fall in love, marry and live a blissful life together, only for their life-long wish of visiting South America going unfulfilled when Ellie passes away. Determined to live out his wife's dream, Carl ties thousands of helium-filled balloons to his house that lift it off the ground and begins his journey, soaring over the clouds to reach South America. However, unknown to Carl, Russell, an over-optimistic eight-year-old, has accidentally joined him on his trip. The adventures and characters Carl and Russell come across in this magnificently crafted and gloriously told story combine perfectly to create an enduring film that both tickles the funny bone and pulls the heartstrings.It seems that Disney/Pixar can't put a foot wrong; after the Oscar-winning triumph of "Wall-E", it was difficult to see how they could top the lovelorn waste collector. This time round they've gone from a distant future inhabited by robots to a 78-year-old man with a walking stick - and the results are extraordinary. "Up" is a visual masterpiece; yet, for all the studio wizardry, it is the human aspects that will most captivate audiences. Carl and Russell are an unlikely, yet incredibly entertaining partnership, and the story is the most subtle and beautiful that the studio has written.Take your friends, kids, partner, parents, grandparents - take everyone you know - just be prepared for them to want to go see "Up" again and again.
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Press Association
The latest computer-animated masterpiece from the wizards at Pixar (WALL-E, Ratatouille) is an airborne adventure in the company of a ...
The latest computer-animated masterpiece from the wizards at Pixar (WALL-E, Ratatouille) is an airborne adventure in the company of a cranky 78-year-old and an excitable eight-year-old boy. Parents would be well advised to pack a family-sized box of handkerchiefs. By turns hysterical and heartbreaking, this rumbustious romp is guaranteed to have even the most cynical soul choking back tears lon, g after the lights go up. Even more exciting, Up is the first film from the studio to screen in Digital 3D at selected cinemas, promising eye-popping thrills and spills to keep younger viewers whooping with glee. As with other Pixar releases, there is a hilarious short before the main feature to whet the appetite. Here we are treated to Partly Cloudy about a lonely, grey cloud called Gus who has problems sculpting baby animals for the storks to deliver. His creations - porcupine, ram, crocodile, electric eel - leave one delivery bird almost stripped bare of feathers. The opening 10 minutes of Up are among the finest Pixar has ever crafted, introducing widower Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) via a montage of his childhood years and his subsequent marriage to soul mate Ellie (Elie Docter). Alone in the world following Ellie's death, retired balloon salesman Carl refuses to be parted from the ramshackle house he built and shared with his late wife. Fate has other ideas and Carl is ordered to vacate the property and seek alternative accommodation at a nearby retirement village, which he knows will be the death of him. So in a final act of defiance, Carl ties thousands of brightly coloured helium balloons to the roof, causing the property to break free of terra firma and take flight, bound for Paradise Falls in South America, where he and Ellie had always planned to visit. Unexpectedly, a Junior Wilderness Explorer called Russell (Jordan Nagai) is standing on the porch at the very moment the house gained altitude and the plucky tyke nervously joins Carl on his big adventure. With a bit of luck, Russell might even earn the Assisting The Elderly badge he needs to complete his set and secure promotion to Senior Wilderness Explorer! The mismatched duo crash-lands close to the Falls and encounters a talking dog called Dug (Bob Peterson), a 13-feet-tall, flightless bird called Kevin and long lost explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), who was once Carl's childhood hero. However, Muntz poses a serious threat to the old man and the boy and when he learns of their secret, he dispatches a black Doberman Pinscher called Alpha (Peterson again) and hench-dogs Beta (Delroy Lindo) and Gamma (Jerome Ranft) to hunt down the pesky intruders. Up is another modern classic from Pixar and arguably their most sophisticated and adult film to date although there is plenty to engage children like Dug, who is continually distracted from his duties by squirrels. The script takes its time building up the relationship between Carl and Russell, which mellows from mutual tolerance into the most extraordinary yet utterly believable friendship. The characters' banter is delightful, like when the old man snaps, "Hurry up or the tigers will eat you!" and his portly, young travelling companion retorts, "There are no tigers in South America," pointing to the hard earned Zoology badge on his Explorer sash. Vocal performances by Asner and youngster Nakai compel us to fall head over heels in love with this peculiar double-act. The visual are astounding in their vibrancy and minuscule detail and you soon forget that you are watching something that has been created meticulously on computer hard drives. The 3D is used to stunning effect, including an exhilarating chase over tumbling pillars of rock involving all of the characters. Directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson shoot for the moon here, and they sail to breathtaking heights.
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