Blu-ray Review: Up

Release Date: November 10th, 2009
Running Time: 96 minutes

The Film

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Pixar. On one hand the sheer quality of the animated films they put out is unprecedented, but on the other hand their work is a major factor in the decline of hand-drawn animated films. However, Ratatouille and WALL-E completely won me over, and the upcoming The Princess and the Frog has put my fears of hand-drawn animation being dead to rest. Slightly overshadowed by WALL-E’s success and marketing, Up is a unique little film with a massive heart. Presented on a flawless Blu-ray disc, Up is the latest mega-hit in Pixar’s seemingly endless supply of modern classics.

The film begins with a touching montage that tells the story of Carl Fredricksen and his wife Ellie who met as children, sharing the same sense of adventure and adoration for explorer Charles F. Muntz. The two grow old together in the same house and plan for a trip to Paradise Falls (where Muntz explored), but Ellie dies before they can live out their dream. Carl (Ed Asner) becomes a bitter, old miser, holding onto the past in his old house despite massive construction and expansion all around him.

The construction conflicts with Carl’s refusal to move, leading to a scuffle with a worker. The court orders Carl to move into a retirement home, but he has other plans. Carl literally lifts his house off the ground with thousands of helium-filled balloons and sets off for Paradise Falls. The only problem is that a young Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai) was on Carl’s porch at the time, and now Carl is stuck with him. The pair braves some horrible conditions before ultimately landing close to, but not at, Paradise Falls. Carl decides that they will pull the house across the ravine to Paradise Falls by hand before the helium balloons lose their steam.

Carl and Russell begin their trek towards Paradise Falls and stumble upon a large, vibrantly colored bird that Russell names Kevin. It sticks around and they also stumble across a golden retriever named Dug (Bob Petersen) that can talk due to a special collar. Dug is apparently after the bird and joins the growing troupe, labeling Carl his new master. As other, more vicious collar-wearing dogs come looking for the bird, it is revealed that Dug’s real owner is Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) himself who has returned to South America to find evidence of an exotic that he told the world about years earlier only to be discredited. The bird he is looking for is Kevin! Carl will have to go on one final adventure to save Kevin, going up against his childhood hero and finding a new sense of purpose and joy in the process.

For me the best part of Up was the notable emotional weight, seen right from the get-go through the opening heart-wrenching montage that gives Carl immediate depth. His character arc, and reluctance to deal with loss, contains very central themes that will resonate with audiences both young and old. Coupled with the innocent spirit of adventure and enduring passion of love, Up contains a giant-sized heart that most animated films can’t come close to recreating.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 1.78:1, 1080p High Definition transfer. Like most of Pixar’s efforts, this is a reference-quality transfer. The colors are, in a word, perfect. They are impossibly vibrant and distinct without any sign of banding. Practically the full spectrum is represented in the balloons alone! Black levels are also deep with top-notch shadow detail. Every detail in the image is sharp and clean, from the close up textures to the 3-D depth of the breathtaking landscapes. The animation itself is not as jaw-dropping as some of their other films, but the attention to detail is still better than every non-Pixar film out there. Digital problems such as compression artifacts or video noise are not an issue. Until the next Pixar film drops on Blu-ray, this is as good as a CGI film can look on the format.

The audio is offered in an English DTS HD 5.1 master lossless audio track as well as French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish subtitles. The disc also includes a DTS HD 2.0 stereo lossless track! The mix is a faithful, accurate sonic recreation of the visuals. The rear channels are rife with environmental ambience, from the city to Paradise Falls. Directional effects are well placed to ensure that you feel at the center of all the action, and the panning effects are silky smooth. Bass is no slouch either as heard during the thunderstorm. Dialogue is clean and balanced.

The Extras

The “Cine-Explore” feature is a Picture-in-Picture commentary with Pete Doctor and Bob Petersen providing audio comments alongside behind-the-scenes videos and stills. It is a candid, energetic, and passionate track that is a must listen/watch for any serious Up fan.

“Adventure is Out There” is a 22-minute featurette on a pre-production trip the crew took to Venezuela to do research on a region that featured geographical similarities for what they wanted Paradise Falls to look like. Not only is it an excellent look at what inspires the artists, the featurette is also packed with amazing nature cinematography.

A series of featurettes cover a number of topics in detail. “Geriatric Hero” is a 6-minute piece on creating Carl while “Canine Companions” (8 minutes) looks at Alpha and the other talking dogs. “Russell: Wilderness Explorer” (9 minutes) covers the creation of Russell and briefly touches upon the voice actor. “Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin” (5 minutes) focuses on the unique bird and its role in the film, while “Homemakers of Pixar” (4 minutes) looks at the evolution and creation of Carl’s house. “Balloons and Flight” (6 minutes) covers the idea of using helium balloons to lift Carl’s house. “Composing for Characters” (8 minutes) looks at the soundtrack and various musical themes for the characters.

“Dug’s Special Mission” is an all-new, 6-minute short featuring Dug and the other dogs. I wanted more Dug in the film, so this is a very welcome inclusion.

“Partly Cloudy” (6 minutes) is the short that played before Up in theaters about how clouds create baby animals for the stork to deliver.

“Alternate Take: The Many Endings of Charles Muntz” (5 minutes) explores the different endings the filmmakers had in mind for the film’s antagonist.

“Alternate Scene: Married Life” (9 minutes) is an alternate montage of Carl and Ellie presented through storyboards. An introduction explains why this version was scrapped.

“Up Promo Montage” (6 minutes) collects the TV spots that aired while “Worldwide Trailers” offers two Theatrical Trailers.

The “Global Guardian Badge Game” is a geography-based BD-Live game for kids.

Lastly, a standard definition DVD is included as well as a Digital Copy.

Final Thoughts

Though Up isn’t my favorite Pixar effort it is still an extraordinary film that hits all of the right emotional beats. With Disney delivering another reference-quality Blu-ray disc, purchasing this title is a no-brainer.