Up

I remember back when Pixar’s Up was first released - everyone was talking about how great of a movie it was. My mom and my younger sister went to watch it and of course, they came back from the movies raving about how it was the best animation movie they'd seen. 

I surprisingly knew very little about the storyline. Of course I knew about the iconic house with thousands of balloons coming out of its roof, the grumpy looking grandpa, and the cute Asian American kid. This was my first time watching Up and I had high hopes. Well, it did not disappoint because from the get-go, Up had me hooked.

I fell in love with how Carl and Ellie fell in love. Watching them grow from adventurous kids to adults that From The silent montage of Carl and Ellie’s relationship did not even last 10 minutes, yet it put me through an emotional roller coaster of happiness, sorrow, and even managed to get me teary-eyed. From the moment they first meet to her death, Carl and Ellie’s love story is realistic and touching, something that I’ve found most Disney princess films lacking. This 5 minute scene manages to do a better job than most of the Hollywood romantic movies out there. In fact, this snippet alone probably deserves an Oscar.

One aspect of the film that I was impressed with was the complex character development. The metamorphosis of Carl was one of the outstanding aspects of Up. I could see how Ellie’s death affected him and it was heartwarming to see him slowly open up to Russell and Kevin, eventually risking his own life to save others. I was able to connect with Carl and understand that he's misunderstood and that he's not just a cantankerous old man. I witnessed him suffer a great loss and I felt like I was embarking on his journey to healing.

On the surface, Up appears to be a fun adventure tale about two unlikely heroes, but upon reflection it is a very touching and intimate story. It is a rare kind of movie that speaks to all audiences - young, and old. I'm definitely adding Up to my list of favorite movies :)