Up is a 3D animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. The film is directed by Pete Docter and stars Ed Ashner, Bob Peterson, Jordan Nagai, and Christopher Plummer as the main voice cast.
How to Stream or Download Up
Pixar’s movie Up can be streamed or it can be downloaded from iTunes. Simply click on the Download button at the end of the review. iTunes offers audio in several languages, subtitles, and SD or HD quality. You choose.
The Film Review
Released on 29th May 2009, this film features the story of 78-years-old balloon businessman named Carl Fredricksen who, along with his wife Ellie, dreams of traveling to Paradise Falls.
However, due to Ellie’s untimely death, Carl decides to travel alone to fulfill his promise to her. Carl ties countless helium balloons to his house in order to make it rise up in the air but as soon as he is about to leave, he is joined by an unexpected young guest named Russel.
Carl and Russel now fly together and land opposite Paradise Falls where they meet and become friends with a dog Dug and bird Kevin. As they walk together towards Paradise Falls, Carl and the gang are suddenly captured by man, who Carl and his wife once idolized, named Charles F. Muntz. The film revolves around Carl as he struggles to escape from the clutches of Charles who threatens to burn down his house along with killing Kevin.
Up is a movie which animates a variety of exotic views throughout Carl’s adventure to fulfill his late wife’s dream. In order to achieve such a feat, Docter himself, along with numerous animators traveled to Monte Roraima, a tepui plateau similar to the location opposite of Paradise Falls in the film.
The animators then drew sketches of all the creatures there which included the type of ants, bugs, and wildlife in general. According to the animators, the film’s creatures were quite challenging as they had to appear real as well as in a 3D animated form.
The team also visited Sacramento Zoo to observe the Himalayan monal and emulate its movements on to the character of Kevin.
Moving on to the human characters, according to Pixar’s official website, Carl was originally sketched on a piece of paper as the shape of a brick. Eventually, Pixar decided to stretch Carl’s character and add more elderly features to it such as wrinkles, blemishes on his nose, a hearing aid, and a walking cane. To further characterize the old characters, Pixar’s animation team went as far as observing their own grandparents.
The main theme song was composed by Michael Giacchino, his third film after The Incredibles and Ratatouille. The score became a hit as it won an Academy Award for Best Original Score as well as a Grammy Award for Best Score. The film itself has been a huge overall success, grossing over $735 million at the box office. The film also has a rating of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 250 views.
Up, in simple words, is funny, emotional, and adventuristic. Pixar and Walt Disney continue to maintain their high standards of film production in terms of both animation and story. The movie is touching and full of life as it transcends beyond age and demographics, making it perfect to watch with both friends and family.
