Up!

Pixar has done it again: released a film with incredible rainbow saturated graphics, a storyline with the unexpected twists and turns of an airplane in turbulence, and some very endearing characters. Up is a spirited tale of two unlikely travelers, a grumpy old man living in the past and a well meaning, but inept, chocolate hoarding young boy searching for a father figure. Together, they float to South America in a house pulled by thousands of balloons, where they take on the jungle, a pack of talking dogs, and a murderous, ferociously competitive explorer. Along the way, they teach each other a great deal about love, life, and loyalty. Humor “a-bounds” especially within the dog pack; from the curiously high pitched tones ascribed to vicious Doberman Alpha, to the lovable furball Dug’s attempts to kidnap “the snipe”, to the continuous squirrel induced lapses in the dog pack’s concentration. But the film isn’t all easy laughs, as sadness and regret are the engines to the house, dirigible and the story. However, there is just enough sweetness, redemption and friendship mixed in so that, like the plethora of helium balloons that pull up the house, the film is truly…. Uplifting.