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Carl Fredericksen is a 78- year-old curmudgeon. He used to enjoy his modest life as a balloon seller when his adventure-loving wife Ellie was still alive. When she died, Carl was left with his memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats away. He discovers that Russell, a chubby Wilderness Explorer Scout has stowed away. In the tropical jungle, Carl and Russell find more than they bargained for. Charles Muntz is a crazed explorer whose newsreels once inspired Carl and Ellie; Kevin is an exotic bird with a weakness for chocolate; and Dug who is an endearingly golden retriever fitted with a voice box. More importantly, Carl and Russell discover they need each other.… (more)
User reviews
Not for nothing did this film win two Oscars this year. The touching montage at the beginning, showing Carl and Ellie meeting and growing old together, is both romantic and heartbreaking. Instead of hiding behind rosy "happily ever afters", Pixar actually dares to show an entire human lifespan, with all its detours and disappointments. The idea of casting an elderly man as the star of kids movie also takes creative chops, and they pull it off with style. Though unrelated, Carl and Russel develop a tight grandfather-grandson bond over the course of the film, which includes enough chase scenes and funny dog moments to keep younger kids happy while still containing the character development that draws in older viewers. In many ways, Carl's house, which he drags with him from place to place, quite literally represents his guilt over his delayed dreams and his inability to let his wife go. When he finally unloads all the things that have been weighing him down in order to save Russel, the audience gets a satisfying emotional payout. The last 30 minutes of the film, which can be filed under "madcap action" are just icing on the cake.
I liked Wall-E better, but then I’m a science fiction geek so I guess that’s to be expected. When I first saw this, I said I'd be surprised if it wasn't my favorite movie this year. With a lot of movies still left to
Concept: A
Story: B
Characters: A
Dialog: A
Pacing: A
Cinematography: A
Special effects/design: A
Acting: A
Music: A
Enjoyment: A plus
GPA: 4.0/4