Movie: "Up" from Pixar - 'Give me peace of mind to trust, and don't forget the rest of us.'

[timepiececlock]

If you move past the fact that the only female character with speaking lines disappears 15 minutes into a 97 minute movie (and that includes the short that opened it) and that it creates a world entirely devoid of women or girls except as backdrops or objects of loss (not even the frelling dogs)--and I'm sure we'll all move past that because it's a familiar hurdle with Pixar--then I can report that this is a beautiful, moving film.

It's a little darker than WALL-E, and a little sadder. I cried at two separate points; not a lot, but my eyes were significantly wet and I had to wipe them. It's still an uplifting film, still full of wonder and adventure and grace, but there's no denying that the emotion of loss permeates this story.

There's something reminiscent of Hayao Miyazaki's work when you watch it: gorgeous vistas, brilliant colors, and sky. So much sky! Balloons, dirigibles, airplanes! And old person and a young person on an adventure together, experiencing the wonder of flight. It's not quite as funny or cute as WALL-E, but I'm not sure it's supposed to be.

There's no doubt that the Pixar studio has some of the finest writers and storytellers in the film industry today. Now they only need to live up to that potential, and open their magical world to the rest of us. It looks, as always, like a beautiful place to play.


WARNING: COMMENTS NOW CONTAIN MOVIE SPOILERS!

Comments

[ryanitenebrae.livejournal.com]

See, despite Ellie not being on screen for the most part, her presence is felt throughout the film in a huge way, and she acts as not just a catalyst of the plot or a piece of motivation, but genuinely as a charater, in my opinion. I felt like I knew her as well as I did Carl and Russell.

[flutingfrenzy.livejournal.com]

Excellent, I was planning to see it this weekend anyway. Now that I have some idea of what to expect, I'll probably enjoy it even more.

[3circledsun.livejournal.com]

Hi. I stumbled across your journal and find you interesting. Mind if I add you?

[gojira007.livejournal.com]

I somehow doubt I'll like it more than "WALL-E", but that's mainly because "WALL-E" proved such a special thing to me, for reasons beyond craft or content, that it's embedded itself pretty firmly in my mind.

Still, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it despite your problems with it. I just wish you didn't have to have those problems with it...:(

[run-atreyu.livejournal.com]

Re. the female character thing, the only thing I've ever seen on Up was a post about it on OhNoTheyDidnt and the only comment I made was "oh, another animated movie with a male lead and absent female characters, how excellent." I don't see movies much anyway, but I sure as hell won't be going to any until they start giving young girls some characters on screen. It's so depressing that this is 2009, for god's sake.

[goldy-dollar.livejournal.com]

I really loved 'Up' but after the first ten minutes of "yay, Ellie, she's great, excellent!"... female characters entirely disappeared. I think Carl's love for her was beautiful, but I still feel like there easily could have been more female character for girls to identify with and there... weren't.