Up

After seeing Up, I remain completely convinced that the nomination of ten films is a ratings ploy. Writer/directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson have created an original and charming animated film, but not a Best Picture nominee. Up begins in the 1940's with a shy boy named Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner). Carl worships a swashbuckling adventurer named Charles Muntz, who pilots a blimp to exotic locales. Soon Carl meets a plucky tomboy named Ellie (also a Muntz fan), who immediately befriends him. We see the next seventy years as a montage wherein Carl and Ellie grow up, fall in love, then marry. Present day arrives bringing Ellie's death and Carl's inevitable loneliness. Now residing in the home he and Ellie shared for years, Carl decides to embark on the one adventure that Ellie would have loved. He ties thousands of balloons to his home and takes off towards the remote Paradise Falls in South America. Giddy at the prospect of fulfilling Ellie's lifelong dream, Carl soon realizes that he is not traveling alone. A young boy scout named Russell (Jordan Nagai) has remained on the porch of Carl's house while attempting to get his "Helping the Elderly" badge. Carl and Russell land in South America and come upon a rare bird, talking dogs and eventually, Charles Muntz himself.
The really successful animated films always contain elements that both children and their parents find entertaining. Up has both, but lacks the brilliant plot of Brad Bird's The Incredibles, or the ingenious writing of Shrek. The movie has raked in over $700,000,000 worldwide, which I think points to a serious dearth of animated films as opposed to the actual quality of Up. Ed Asner voicing the character of Carl is perfect casting, as Asner does crotchety old man like nobody else (except Jack Cafferty). Jordan Nagai delivers a run-of-the-mill child's character while voicing Russell, with every whine and giggle landing predictably where you imagine it might. Christopher Plummer as the voice of Charles Muntz is a delight, as Plummer rarely gets a role where he can play. The best parts of Up are the scenes with dogs that are able to speak with the aide of electronic collars. The collars translate the dogs' barking into human words. For any dog lover, the recognition of canine behavior will be palpable. My Comment is on the main message of Up, which seems to be: Don't Forget to Enjoy Life While You're Making Plans. I feel like everyone I know is always thinking of the next house, the next car, the next life. Do we actually believe that we'll start living in the present just as soon as we get the next thing? I think we don't even know how to live in the moment. I know I don't. For me, the most "in the moment" I am is when I'm watching a movie. Not at home, with my phone and television and pet kinkajou (I don't really own a pet kinkajou, he's dead). But in a theater, lights down and technology turned off. I allow everything to fade away and allow myself to swim in someone else's story. If it's a good story, then it's the best two hours of my life. If it's not, then I still get analyze it, hypothesize about it and criticize it. It's really a win-win. I wish that when I left the theater, I didn't jump back into my plan-making instead of leisurely enjoying the ride.