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Take your parents and kids to see "Up"
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Two thumbs up for "Up"
I took my two kids to see Disney and Pixar Animation's “Up” this weekend, and I give it a thumbs way up.
I’d sprung for the 3-D version, which was about $10 bucks more for the three of us, but two minutes into the 3-D preview and my daughter had tears in her eyes, sending us back to customer service for a refund and exchange for tickets to the non-3-D version.
My daughter is eight but still can’t handle cartoons jumping out at her unexpectedly. What’s nice about that is with the $10 bucks we saved we could almost afford a small root beer to split between the three of us.
I love this movie. It starts out almost like an animated film for adults. The prelude begins with a love story that captures the many-years-long romance of the film's 78-year-old protagonist, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) and his wife, Ellie.
We fall in love with young Carl and Ellie quickly and admire the spirit of adventure they never quite lost throughout their years together...but often had to put aside to pay bills.
There’s even a scene that shows Ellie devastated by news that she can’t have children--not an issue you’d find in any animated film for children I can recall.
That scene particularly tore at my heart, since I struggled with infertility, as well.
I also recognized my own parents in the film. Like Carl and Ellie, my parents, now 76 and 81, still hold hands. Their lifelong romance was their true adventure, as well.
What’s beautiful is that in the first fifteen minutes of the film, we witness enough of the couple’s seminal events that we quickly come to care about these characters despite very little dialogue. This opening relies heavily on music in a very Chaplinesque fashion.
By the end of the prelude, Ellie dies and that’s where the adventure begins...and a truly fun and breathtaking adventure it is.
The sweet, silly boy Carl has grown up to become a curmudgeonly old man, not unlike the Lou Grant character many of us know Ed Asner for most memorably. He has a outwardly bitter shell, but we know there is a heart of gold inside.
So when a sweet, overweight boy scout shows up miserable, lonely Carl’s door, wanting to help him so he can earn a badge, we know we are about to witness yet another love story. This time between a lovesick old man and a goofy, well-meaning young boy.
If you haven’t seen this gem of a movie yet, consider taking your parents and your kids soon as you can. Your parents, if you are lucky to still have them around, will love it—and if you’re even luckier, they might even help pay.
Taking kids to a movie these days is not cheap, but this one is worth every penny.
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