Disney / Buena Vista | 2009 | 96 mins. | Rated PG
Pixar just continues to put out amazing projects. The animation studios latest production, Up, written and directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, is one of the best Blu-ray releases of 2009. Up is one of those rare occasions when a film turns out to be everything you’d hoped it would—emotional, adventurous and uplifting all in the course of the same story. I found myself so engaged in the story; I didn’t look at the characters as animated, but as real human beings with feelings, thoughts and concerns. Not only should Up be a shoo-in for a Best Animated Picture win at this year’s Oscars, but it deserves a spot amongst the year’s Best Picture nominees.
Up begins with a young Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Jeremy Leary) sitting in a movie theater watching newsreels about his idol, adventurer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), whose final quest takes him to South America to capture an enormous bird scientists claim doesn’t exist. Carl’s infatuation with Muntz—and his thirst for adventure—leads him to fall for fellow daredevil Ellie (Elie Docter).
From there, we see a silent, beautiful montage of Carl and Ellie’s life together: they get married, they buy a fixer-upper, they dream of taking an adventure trip to South America, but other financial obligations intervene. Most surprisingly, Docter and Petersen are able to effectively convey that the couple really wanted children, but were unable to conceive. Having details like that really helps to understand Carl later in the story.
The bulk of the story begins when Carl (now voiced by Ed Asner), is a cranky widower who dearly misses his wife. When circumstances beyond his control may force him out of the house he keeps as a shrine to his wife, Carl hatches a plan to relocate his house to Paradise Falls, in South America, where he and Ellie always wanted to go. Predictably, things don’t go exactly as planned. Carl finds a young Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) stuck on his now-soaring front porch, inadvertently flies into a storm, lands short of his intended destination, and meets the elderly Charles Muntz, his childhood role model.
While I don’t want to give away any significant details of what happens when Carl and Russell reach Paradise Falls, suffice to say it is both magical and real. Walking the fine line between realism and believability, the characters are so genuine and fully developed; it’s easy to forget they’re animated.
Another reason for the tremendous success of Up is the first rate voice cast. Who better to voice Carl than Ed Asner? With his legendary portrayal of Lou Grant, Asner showed an uncanny ability to play a cranky curmudgeon with a heart of gold. Then there’s Jordan Nagai, who bring a plucky earnest to Russell that makes him hard not to like; Christopher Plummer’s voice work as Charles Muntz convinces viewers that the once fearless explorer is quite possibly, insane.
As far as I’m concerned, Up is a triumph for all involved. It makes other animated films look positively childish, yet will win the hearts of kids and adults. More than an animated adventure, more than a heartwarming story, it’s the best animated film of the year and one of my favorite animated films of all time.
Up comes to Blu-ray with a flawless 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer. Pixar’s palette simply spills off the screen. Color and contrast are impeccable, black levels are bottomless, and detail is extraordinary. Note the string on every balloon, the tiny grooves in Carl’s face etc. Definition is sharp, fine textures are crisp and refined. The Blu-ray edition of Up is one of the best high-definition transfers I’ve seen thus far.
Just as impressive is the Master Audio 5.1 DTS-HD audio track here. Atmosphere and ambience are always present, with the surround sound getting a solid workout, not just in the more action packed sequences, but in the way that the house breathes and groans once it’s lifted in the air, or the individualized balloons bumping into one another and letting out that brief squeak. Dialogue is perfect, and everything is well prioritized in the mix.
Other audio options included are a French Dolby Digital 5.1 track, a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 track, an English DTS-HD 2.0 track (a nice option, if I do say so myself), and English Descriptive Video Service 2.0. There are also subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
The 4-disc Blu-ray edition of Up boasts a strong supplemental package, 100% high definition video content, and several exclusive features. The bundle also includes a standard DVD disc and a Digital Copy disc for families and on-the-go film fans.
• Cine-Explore Commentary (HD, Disc 1, 96 minutes): Director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson deliver an informative and extensive, Picture-in-Picture video commentary that features a non-stop assortment of animated storyboards, concept art, early renderings of the characters and locales, and some of the video footage the animators used for reference.
• Adventure Is Out There (HD, Disc 1, 22 minutes): Docter, along with a variety of filmmakers, explorers, and crew members, discusses his pre-production efforts, the genesis and development of the second act of the story, Up’s production design, and the Venezuelan vistas that frequent the film.
• Partly Cloudy (HD, Disc 1, 6 minutes): A wonderful animated short.
• Dug’s Special Mission (HD, Disc 1, 5 minutes): This all new original animated short finds Dug the dog guarding a rock at the behest of his superiors.
• The Many Endings of Muntz (HD, Disc 1, 5 minutes): An alternate scene of sorts that takes a brief look at the filmmakers tireless efforts to handle the demise of the film’s antagonist.
• Documentaries (HD, Disc 2, 48 minutes): Several featurettes are included here. “Geriatric Hero” focuses on the film’s elderly everyman and the work that went into his design, animation, personality quirks, facial qualities, and character arc; “Canine Companions” investigates the purpose and implementation of Muntz’ dog pack; “Wilderness Explorer” gives Russell the same attention “Geriatric Hero” gives Carl; “Our Giant Flightless Friend” touches on Kevin’s movements, vocalizations, and colorful plumage; “Homemakers of Pixar” looks at the creation of Up’s main set piece (and unsung character), Carl’s house; “Balloons and Flight” isan overview of Carl’s flying house and Muntz’ dirigible; and “Composing for Characters” examines Michael Giacchino’s musical themes and original score. In all, it’s an engaging seven-part documentary that perfectly complements Docter and Peterson’s PiP commentary.
• Married Life (HD, Disc 2, 9 minutes): This compilation of alternate scenes follows the development of the heart-wrenching Carl and Ellie sequence that appears in the film.
• Global Guardian Badge Game (HD, Disc 2): It offers a hunt-and-find game, two difficulty levels, the option to save files, a high score board, and more.
• Up Promo Montage (HD, Disc 2, 6 minutes): A simple series of Up promotional spots.
• Worldwide Trailers (HD, Disc 2, 4 minutes): Two theatrical previews.
• Video and Audio Calibration Tools (HD, Disc 1)
• Standard DVD Version of the Film (SD, Disc 3)
• Digital Copy of the Film (SD, Disc 4)
• BD-Live Functionality
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