Mom and tot review: 'Up' (on DVD & Blu-Ray on 11/10/09) Plus check out some of the bonus features

November 9, 1:42 AMEarly Childhood Parenting ExaminerAngele Sionna

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Up: We laughed. I cried. We enjoyed. And then we enjoyed the movie all over again on Blu-ray this week and all the bonus features too!

The Disney/Pixar - Up -is one of the best the two studios have ever made and a sure thing for the Oscar this year. My 3.5 year old and I saw this movie at the theater this summer and we LOVED it! So we were both excited when the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack arrived in the mail last week as a sneak peak from the folks with Disney/Pixar. I couldn't wait for my 2 year old to see it as well as my husband.

While made for kids, Up has so much to give to adults too. Just know - you're probably going to cry during the set up portion of the story. That's because it is a story with heart.

The movie chronicles the life of the old man who is the movie's star - Carl Fredrickson (voiced by Ed Asner). In the first 20 minutes we get the full set up and realize why his house is so important to him - and we learn a life lesson for ourselves - don't put off your dreams. I don't want to give away the specifics, so that's all I'll say about that. But it's a lesson all of us moms and dads could use a reminder of.

Carl's story is so lovingly told that you feel with him on his life journey just minutes into the movie. And suddenly the concept of flying your house away on a bunch of balloons doesn't sound silly at all. There's plenty of other tear-jerker moments later in the movie too. But there's of course lots of laughs to be had as well.

The moments shared with 8 year old Wilderness Troupe member Russell -who ends up along with Carl for the ride of his life- are funny and realistic. And more laughs come from Kevin the bird and Doug the dog. But even these characters are developed and not just there for laughs. They mean something to us by the end of the movie. I think that's why this movie 'has it all.' Nothing is in it just for the jokes. No one is just dispensable. Everything has a purpose and everything is enjoyable -for adults and kids.

What about my daughters? They sat captivated at the adventure unfolding before their eyes. They both laughed. They also cared about Kevin the bird and if her leg was going to be okay. Both my 3.5 year old who was seeing it again and my 2 year old who saw it for the first time asked to watch it again when it ended. So we watched the bonus features instead - and they were really interesting and worth watching. We particularly enjoyed "Adventure is Out There," which is a documentary about the real life places in South America the crew went to in order to make the scenery resemble real places. Very cool! (Check out the list below of all the bonus material plus a few videos of them too.)

I heard a review before I saw this movie that said Up was better than WALL-E. I thought there was almost no way that's true. But guess what - it is! (Though my husband argues that WALL-E is the better of the two in his mind. Yet he said he liked Up alot and would watch it again this week. Good thing because our daughters are already asking to see it again.) While WALL-E is lovable and the story is great, Up brings real emotions and real "people" into our lives... all for the better. This is a must-buy on DVD or if you have a Blu-ray player I'd opt for that version. It is incredible looking on the big screen.

Here's a look at some of the bonus features:

• Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.
• Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.”
• The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate endings proposed during story development.
• Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the design and story of the film.  

Blu-ray includes those features plus:  

• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.
• Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.
• Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs. 
• Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger. 
• Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.
• Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate realization in the computer.
• Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz's dirigible presented the filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?
• Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.
• Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
• Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game enhanced by BD-Live. This is a great and FUN way for kids to learn geography of where states and countries are in the world!
   

And here's a few video bonuses:

From the Home Entertainment Exclusive Short: Dug’s Special Mission Dug in the Hole

Talking Dogs

Voice of Russell

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• Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
• Top 20 holiday favorite DVD to watch with your kids
• Read all my DVD and movie reviews HERE