Old age is scary. We stand to lose so much in the process of getting old – hair, teeth, hearing, agility, sense of humour and, maybe most importantly, our spirit of adventure. Up, the latest film from that unrivalled animation studio Pixar – responsible for Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Wall-E and so many others - poignantly highlights and irreverently revels in the terrors of this much feared stage of life. In fact, so much of the story revolves around the hopes and hang-ups of adults that I wondered if it would also enthrall a younger audience. It does! Once again, Pixar has delivered a film that really can be enjoyed by the whole family.
At 8 years old Carl Fredricksen was cautious, clumsy and quiet, but that didn’t stop him from having the heart of an explorer. A crack in the pavement was the Grand Canyon, an old tree stump was Mount Everest and the future was filled with the promise that “adventure is out there”. Now 78 years old, he is a lonely widower, deemed a public menace and destined for a retirement home.
He is lost without his wife, Ellie, and full of regret that they never fulfilled their lifelong dream to follow the intrepid explorer – Charles Muntz - to the top of Paradise Falls in South America. Carl refuses to vacate his home, stuffed full of memories of his life with Ellie, and so he ties thousands of helium balloons to the hearth and takes himself and the house up and away to Paradise Falls. But he is not alone.
Russell is an irrepressible Wilderness Explorer with a sash full of achievement badges and the space for just one more – the assisting-the-elderly badge. He is not deterred by Mr Fredricksen’s reticence to be assisted in any way and is caught under the front porch when the house lifts off. Russell is book smart, teeming with erroneous explorer-related knowledge and labouring under an impressive array of survival equipment.
He is also well-intentioned and absolutely guileless. When Mr Fredricksen suggests that they play a game “called See Who Can Go the Longest Without Saying Anything.” Russell enthusiastically responds “Cool! My mom loves that game!”
Together they navigate the floating house to South America, but the loss of several hundred balloons and diminished buoyancy forces them to “walk the house” the final stretch to Paradise Falls. On the way Russell befriends an impossibly colourful and large bird he calls Kevin. Kevin is being tracked by a band of dogs, who all wear collars that vocalize their thoughts. The resulting stream of canine consciousness is extremely amusing and regularly punctuated with thoughts of squirrels and over-the-top proclamations of love and loyalty.
These dogs belong to Carl Fredricksen’s boyhood hero, Charles Muntz, who is trying to reclaim his celebrity by capturing Kevin. Carl hangs onto his house at all costs, but when he successfully plants it on top of the Falls, he realizes that he has jettisoned the wrong things and that his adventure is not over.
Up reminds us that adventure is an attitude, rather than a destination; that – no matter what your age - life is not about possessions or even achievements, but about sharing this grand adventure with people you love. [rc]
Copyright © 2005 - 2009 The Namibia Economist.
September 18, 2009
NAMIBIA: Adventure is an attitude, that – no matter what your age
.
WINDHOEK, Namibia / The Namibia Economist / Leisure / September 18, 2009
Film Review
UP
Written by Natasha Cooper
Director: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Screenplay: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Cast: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordon Nagai
Genre: Animation
Rating: 4 stars
Screenshot From Pixar’s New UP Trailer.
Old age is scary. We stand to lose so much in the process of getting old – hair, teeth, hearing, agility, sense of humour and, maybe most importantly, our spirit of adventure. Up, the latest film from that unrivalled animation studio Pixar – responsible for Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Wall-E and so many others - poignantly highlights and irreverently revels in the terrors of this much feared stage of life. In fact, so much of the story revolves around the hopes and hang-ups of adults that I wondered if it would also enthrall a younger audience. It does! Once again, Pixar has delivered a film that really can be enjoyed by the whole family.
At 8 years old Carl Fredricksen was cautious, clumsy and quiet, but that didn’t stop him from having the heart of an explorer. A crack in the pavement was the Grand Canyon, an old tree stump was Mount Everest and the future was filled with the promise that “adventure is out there”. Now 78 years old, he is a lonely widower, deemed a public menace and destined for a retirement home.
He is lost without his wife, Ellie, and full of regret that they never fulfilled their lifelong dream to follow the intrepid explorer – Charles Muntz - to the top of Paradise Falls in South America. Carl refuses to vacate his home, stuffed full of memories of his life with Ellie, and so he ties thousands of helium balloons to the hearth and takes himself and the house up and away to Paradise Falls. But he is not alone.
Russell is an irrepressible Wilderness Explorer with a sash full of achievement badges and the space for just one more – the assisting-the-elderly badge. He is not deterred by Mr Fredricksen’s reticence to be assisted in any way and is caught under the front porch when the house lifts off. Russell is book smart, teeming with erroneous explorer-related knowledge and labouring under an impressive array of survival equipment.
He is also well-intentioned and absolutely guileless. When Mr Fredricksen suggests that they play a game “called See Who Can Go the Longest Without Saying Anything.” Russell enthusiastically responds “Cool! My mom loves that game!”
Together they navigate the floating house to South America, but the loss of several hundred balloons and diminished buoyancy forces them to “walk the house” the final stretch to Paradise Falls. On the way Russell befriends an impossibly colourful and large bird he calls Kevin. Kevin is being tracked by a band of dogs, who all wear collars that vocalize their thoughts. The resulting stream of canine consciousness is extremely amusing and regularly punctuated with thoughts of squirrels and over-the-top proclamations of love and loyalty.
These dogs belong to Carl Fredricksen’s boyhood hero, Charles Muntz, who is trying to reclaim his celebrity by capturing Kevin. Carl hangs onto his house at all costs, but when he successfully plants it on top of the Falls, he realizes that he has jettisoned the wrong things and that his adventure is not over.
Up reminds us that adventure is an attitude, rather than a destination; that – no matter what your age - life is not about possessions or even achievements, but about sharing this grand adventure with people you love. [rc]
Copyright © 2005 - 2009 The Namibia Economist.
Old age is scary. We stand to lose so much in the process of getting old – hair, teeth, hearing, agility, sense of humour and, maybe most importantly, our spirit of adventure. Up, the latest film from that unrivalled animation studio Pixar – responsible for Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, Wall-E and so many others - poignantly highlights and irreverently revels in the terrors of this much feared stage of life. In fact, so much of the story revolves around the hopes and hang-ups of adults that I wondered if it would also enthrall a younger audience. It does! Once again, Pixar has delivered a film that really can be enjoyed by the whole family.
At 8 years old Carl Fredricksen was cautious, clumsy and quiet, but that didn’t stop him from having the heart of an explorer. A crack in the pavement was the Grand Canyon, an old tree stump was Mount Everest and the future was filled with the promise that “adventure is out there”. Now 78 years old, he is a lonely widower, deemed a public menace and destined for a retirement home.
He is lost without his wife, Ellie, and full of regret that they never fulfilled their lifelong dream to follow the intrepid explorer – Charles Muntz - to the top of Paradise Falls in South America. Carl refuses to vacate his home, stuffed full of memories of his life with Ellie, and so he ties thousands of helium balloons to the hearth and takes himself and the house up and away to Paradise Falls. But he is not alone.
Russell is an irrepressible Wilderness Explorer with a sash full of achievement badges and the space for just one more – the assisting-the-elderly badge. He is not deterred by Mr Fredricksen’s reticence to be assisted in any way and is caught under the front porch when the house lifts off. Russell is book smart, teeming with erroneous explorer-related knowledge and labouring under an impressive array of survival equipment.
He is also well-intentioned and absolutely guileless. When Mr Fredricksen suggests that they play a game “called See Who Can Go the Longest Without Saying Anything.” Russell enthusiastically responds “Cool! My mom loves that game!”
Together they navigate the floating house to South America, but the loss of several hundred balloons and diminished buoyancy forces them to “walk the house” the final stretch to Paradise Falls. On the way Russell befriends an impossibly colourful and large bird he calls Kevin. Kevin is being tracked by a band of dogs, who all wear collars that vocalize their thoughts. The resulting stream of canine consciousness is extremely amusing and regularly punctuated with thoughts of squirrels and over-the-top proclamations of love and loyalty.
These dogs belong to Carl Fredricksen’s boyhood hero, Charles Muntz, who is trying to reclaim his celebrity by capturing Kevin. Carl hangs onto his house at all costs, but when he successfully plants it on top of the Falls, he realizes that he has jettisoned the wrong things and that his adventure is not over.
Up reminds us that adventure is an attitude, rather than a destination; that – no matter what your age - life is not about possessions or even achievements, but about sharing this grand adventure with people you love. [rc]
Copyright © 2005 - 2009 The Namibia Economist.
