For some lore on this review series
Up is another Pixar movie that I had actually seen prior. However I only watched once before a while ago and I don’t really recall liking it then. I think my initial thought was it was too much premise and not enough plot. I will say that was bad take to walk away with even at the time. However did my opinion of this movie changed on a second watch?
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To be honest yes but I can’t exactly say I had “fun” watching this movie. I find it more stressful in many ways.
Up with the Positives
First let’s get to the positives.
Yes, like everyone online, offline, in outer-space etc will tell you the first fifteen or so are brilliant and a gut-punch in the best of ways. It does set-up the narrative of Carl’s fascination with adventure, his bond with Ellie and their “married life” together. The set-up is great and feels very dramatic for a family movie but then again that is on brand for Pixar at this point.
Another positive are the characters. Russell, Dug, Kevin and the other dogs are fun.
Personally I do love Kevin. Russell and Dug are quite endearing as well. Carl is a great grumpy old man and he works in that capacity which works for his character arc. I also appreciate that main character of this adventure movie is an elderly man. Very refreshing change of pace.
Charles Muntz is good twist villain as he goes from 0 to 60 on the menace scale however he’s not my favorite villain ever. He’s little more forgettable and less fun/interesting than other villains in the Pixar filmography.
The Theme
So the themes of Up are also pretty great. Very simple in a nutshell it’s about letting go, living in past, obsession, grief/loss, and the importance of life in the ordinary and mundane or what Russell called “the boring moments.”
As that life is simply the adventure and not some grand goal. This ultimately what Carl has to learn and is physically manifested in him letting go of his house and by extension Ellie’s childhood dream of putting her clubhouse right on top of the falls.
Speaking of Ellie….
The “Lack” of Female Characters
Why is this in the positive section? Great Question!
I don’t mean this as the opinion that I dislike female characters, quite the opposite. I do think that movie including up should have more female characters. In fact Up only has one and that is Ellie as young girl and Kevin a bird who doesn’t speak and is given a male by Russell.
However if I can put my English student hat for some weird literary analysis on for a minute, I think there is some very interesting about the “lack” female characters and how the main male characters deal with this “lack” of the feminine.
So uou have the villain Charles Muntz who is obsessed with capturing Kevin, who is his prize and is path to validation and glory. Kevin is a trophy nothing more.
Carl is obsessed with fulfilling Ellie’s childhood dreams. Carl really values their childhood dreams of adventure and going to Paradise Falls. Maybe this narrow focus on childhood dreams is the reason why Ellie is not given any dialogue as adult. It’s only when Carl turns the page in Ellie’s book and reads what she wrote as adult that he can let go of that childhood dream and save Kevin.
Then there is Russell. Russell wants to bond with his father so much that he becomes Wilderness Scout in order to try and spend more time with his dad. Getting the last badge will also ensure that Russell will get a moment coveted moment with his father when he presented with his final badge. However in trying to save Kevin from Muntz and get Kevin back to her babies, Russell rejects his goal of getting his last badge by throwing off his sash. Helping Kevin becomes more important to Russell than a single moment with his father. In the end he does get the badge and is content with Carl and his mother being there at the ceremony.
Also I do think it’s interesting that Ellie is represented by the house and Kevin uses it as protection. As if Ellie is also protecting Kevin much like Russell says Ellie wants to do by taking Kevin along of the adventure.
Also Kevin liking chocolate feels very pointed but I’m not mad at it. I too love chocolate.
So while yes the presence of fully realized female character isn’t really in Up there is the omnipresence of the feminine enegry surrounding this movie that doesn’t really get discussed that much.
Down with the Negatives
So while Up isn’t in my top three favorite Pixar movies I will just preface by stating that I don’t hate this movie. I do however have some issue with it.
First off the pacing. I found this movie very slowly paced after Carl and Russell get to the falls or i.e the adventure. It doesn’t help the pacing that a lot of the second act is Carl and Russell walking slowly pulling an actually weight along with them that could crush them with little warning.
Also Up very much made me feel anxious from all the heights. I just don’t internalize the “on the edge of my seta thrills” as fun. I didn’t find it fun I found large section of this more stressfull. So while I did really enjoy aspects of Up I didn’t have a grand time watching it as much as some other Pixar offerings.
Up for a Conclusion?
Again I didn’t hate Up. I enjoyed Carl’s arc, Kevin, Russell and Dug are super endearing, and the first act is brilliant.
Also if I can put my English student hat again for another odd-literary take on again, the use of “Habanera” in Up is actually super brilliant. I think the idea for this music piece was the contrast of the jovial music with Carl’s mundane life but if you read lyrics it foreshadows the movie really well. Most of the aria likens love to a rebellious bird that can’t be tame. Seriously it works really well and I’m not sure if that was international on the film markers’ part but it work nonetheless. Or maybe they did and it was all plan. Kudos!
