Movie Review: UP (2009)

                                                                                                      reviewed by nikhimenon@gmail.com

                                                  The latest animation movie to come out of Pixaar animation studios (their first 3D venture too)is nothing short of a brilliant piece of work which manages not only to entertain viewers of all ages but also makes a few statements about life in a meaningful yet non-preachy manner..

Fredricksen, a quiet young boy, meets Ellie in her clubhouse, discovering together they share the same interest in exploration as their hero, famed explorer Charles Muntz. Ellie expresses her desire to move her clubhouse to Paradise Falls in South America,  Carl and Ellie fall in love, wed and grow old together in the old house where they first met. Ellie dies of old age before they can take their trip, leaving Carl living alone in their home. Meanwhile Karl is forced to move to a retirement home as per court's orders. Carl comes up with a scheme to keep his promise to Ellie, and creates a makeshift airship using thousands of helium balloons which lift his house off its foundation. Russell, a Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his "Assisting the Elderly" badge, also in advertently joins the old man in his trip to the paradise falls.  After a storm throws them around for a while, they find themselves across a large ravine facing Paradise Falls. The two begin to walk around the ravine. As they walk towards Paradise Falls, Russell finds a colorful tropical bird which he names Kevin, not realizing that the bird is actually female. Little did they realise that the deadly explorer  Charles Muntz, who is desperate to get  Kevin in order to restore his lost reputation back home. How they protect kevin from the deadly Muntz and his troup of wild dogs is what Up is all about.Mid way through the story, freddy also understands what his wife had really meant by 'adventure' in her life.

Ofcourse there is the mandatory villain in the form of Muntz that you would expect in every  movie of this genre,top- class animation with some witty one-liners deliverd in between,but what strikes you most is pixar studios' and it's makers' attention to detail.The makers have succesfully deliverd yet another brilliant movie which is definitely in the league of classics like 'The Incredibles' and Wall -E ,but what makes UP different is its simplicity and the great message which it conveys in a subtle, yet effective manner.Director peter docter has done a brilliant job.Pixaar has definitely set new standards for animation movies through UP which has a great heart and at the same time guarantees paisaa vassool entertainment.

ps: I still cant figure out why pixaar decided to make it in 3D,coz that doesnt make much difference to the movie.May be they wanted to make their first 3D movie ,or mite hav gt too much carried away by Ice Age 3 and other 3D movies...!

verdict: Go For This visual extravaganza! Must Watch.