A floating house. A crotchety old man. A young scout who hasn’t been camping. A giant bird that craves chocolate. Talking dogs! These are just a few of the delightful ingredients of Pixar and Disney’s great new comedy adventure, Up, one of the most entertaining, hilarious, and poignant animated features they’ve ever made (or anyone else for that matter).

The story starts in the 1930s. Little Carl Fredricksen meets precocious Ellie in a ramshackle, abandoned old house. They discover they are both big fans of the explorer Charles “Adventure is out there!” Muntz. Their hero, however, has been disgraced and has disappeared into the jungle mountaintop of Paradise Falls, Venezuela, in pursuit of finding proof of a giant bird he believes exists. Ellie and Carl plan to go there someday to explore.

The friends grow up, fall in love and get married, but in spite of many attempts, their dream adventure to Paradise Falls never materializes. After Ellie’s death, elderly Carl continues to live in their house. He is surrounded by the massive construction of a bunch of skyscrapers. He refuses to sell their beloved house to the developer. One day, Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer knocks on Carl’s door. All Russell needs is one more badge to become a Senior Wilderness Explorer – a badge showing he has assisted an elderly person. Carl doesn’t want to be bothered, so he sends Russell on a wild goose chase – to capture an annoying bird that doesn’t exist: a snipe.

As if that wasn’t enough for grouchy Carl to face, a construction worker almost breaks a mailbox Carl built for his wife. After Carl looses his nerve and hurts the worker, a judge sentences him to the local retirement home.
Instead of going, Carl attaches hundreds of helium-filled balloons to the chimney of his house in hopes of flying to Paradise Falls and fulfilling the dream that inspired him and his beloved Ellie. Once high in the air, he discovers Russell was under the porch looking for the snipe. Carl tries to drop Russell back on the ground and take off again, but Providence intervenes and they are whisked to Paradise Falls, where they find the adventure of a lifetime. They also just may lose their lives in the process!

Up is a terrific movie full of crazy hilarity, hairbreadth escapes, enchanting characters, thrilling suspense, brilliant wit, and incredibly poignant, touching moments reminding us of the most heartfelt moments in our favourite movies. In fact, Up has one of the most adorable, winsome, and extraordinarily tender openings ever seen in a movie. And, did we mention there are talking dogs?

Best of all, Up is another family-friendly classic from the magnificent team at Pixar and Disney. Ultimately, its message is that the best, most wonderful adventures we have are the ones we find with the people we love.

Reviewed by Dr. Ted Baehr

photos courtesy Disney/Pixar

Acceptability Rating +4 to -4          This refers to the moral quality of the production. +4 Exemplary: No questionable elements what so ever +3 Moral: Some minor questionable elements +2 Good: Moderately questionable elements +1 Wholesome: Recommended but decernment required for       younger children -1 Caution: Discussion advised for older children -2 Extreme Caution: Discretion advised for adults -3 Bad: Excessive sex, violence, and/or immorality -4 Evil: Intentional blasphemy, evil and/or gross immorality Recent wholesome films your whole family can enjoy: Quality Acceptability       Beverly Hills Chihuahua +4       Hotel for Dogs +1       Bolt +3       Hannah Montana: The Movie +4             Monsters vs Aliens +1          Night at the Museum 2 +2

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