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Up (2009)

Overview

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.
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INCLUVIE SCORE
4.5
MOVIE SCORE

Incluvie Movie Critiques

Incluvie Writer
June 9, 2021
4.5
INCLUVIE SCORE
4.5
MOVIE SCORE

Dug is the Real Hero of Disney/Pixar’s “Up”

Do you love a good heartbreaking cry within the first fifteen minutes of a movie? Then you will love Disney/Pixar’s Up! It’s a story of an unlikely friendship, and a reminder that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams, even when those dreams involve you accidentally kidnapping a neighborhood kid, crossing borders, and putting you both in very dangerous situations (just kidding, of course). If nothing else, Up is a catalyst for some important conversations about media representation and societal norms. Here are some of the topics that are worth discussing as you watch or rewatch this lovely movie. My favorite part of Up is the love story between Carl and Ellie because Ellie is one of the most interesting and exciting characters in any children’s movie. We meet Ellie when she is a little kid, and she is the opposite of characters like Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She is scrappy, adventure-seeking, smart, and fun; but she is still nurturing and open-minded to young Carl. She leads Carl out of his fears and loneliness. There is a quick montage through their life together, and it is lovely — even the lows. The first set of tears will grace the viewer’s face when Carl and Ellie go through an assumed miscarriage. After recovering from that horrible experience, they move on to their lives together as a couple until the devastating death of sweet Ellie. As Linda Holmes writes in an article for NPR, why can’t we have a movie about Ellie? In 2009, when Up was released, we hadn’t been fed any animated female leads who weren’t princesses. Ellie would have been a perfect choice to lead this revolution! Six years after Up was released, we were given Inside Out, which has female protagonists who are not princesses and are just as sweet as
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Incluvie Related Articles

"Abominable" is not Abominable at all

April 8, 2021

Abominable is the story of a yeti in Hong Kong who escapes imprisonment and makes its way to the roof of an apartment building to hide. The apartment building happens to be the home of a young girl, Yi, who has busied herself with odd jobs to avoid dealing with the recent death of her beloved father. When Yi discovers and befriends the yeti, she takes it on a journey home to Mount Everest. Yi and the yeti are joined by her neighbors, Jin and Peng, as they outrun and outsmart the British bad guys, Dr. Zara and Burnish who want the yeti, dead or alive, to display as proof of its existence.

There are a few twists and turns to the plot. For example, the yeti has magical powers and the bad guy changes over the course of the film. However, the story does not feel original. It is pretty predictable and familiar. Sidenote: why do children’s movies always involve a dead parent?

This film was produced by both DreamWorks and China’s Pearl Studios. This is evident in the visuals of this film. There are scenes that take your breath away with its beauty — like nothing we have seen in a DreamWorks film before. As the group moves along their journey, the landscapes are completely stunning. The co-production aided in an accurate representation of a beautiful and varied country.

[read more]

Cartoon Saloon: An Irish Animation Studio that Needs More Attention

April 4, 2021

I love Disney, and I’m sure you do too. Disney has given us such classics as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. But Disney has turned those movies and others into live action because, apparently, they care more about making money than anything else. With all these remakes, it makes one wish for the days of hand drawn animation. While Disney has kicked that form of animation to the curb, there are still studios utilizing it.

As it’s the month to celebrate St. Paddy, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about Cartoon Saloon. This is a small animation studio based in Kilkenny, Ireland, with only 80+ employees so far. They work on both film and TV, as well as provide illustration and design services.

Cartoon Saloon was founded in 1999 by Tomm Moore, Paul Young and Nora Twomey. The three studied together at Ballyfermot College of Further Education in Dublin. There, they begun working on their first animated film, The Secret of Kells.

The film is about a boy named Brendan who lives a sheltered life at an abbey. One day, an illuminator (someone who decorates manuscripts) arrives with an unfinished book, and beckons Brendan to help him finish it. The book turns out to be the Book of Kells, a real, illuminated manuscript that was written around 800 AD.

This is one of my favorite animated movies. The animation is beautiful and vibrant, taking inspiration from Celtic and medieval art. The film also takes inspiration from Celtic mythology with the inclusion of a pre-Christian deity and a forest fairy.

[read more]

Pictures and Videos

Movie Information

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Rating:PG
Genre:Animation, Comedy, Family, Adventure
Directed By:Pete Docter
Written By:Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
In Theaters:5/28/2009
Box Office:$735,099,082
Runtime:96 minutes
Studio:Pixar

Cast

Director

Pete Docter

Director

Substitute
cast

Ed Asner

Carl Fredricksen (voice)

cast

Christopher Plummer

Charles F. Muntz (voice)

cast

Jordan Nagai

Russell (voice)

cast

Bob Peterson

Dug / Alpha (voice)