I can't stop watching.... UP!

Usually, I'll leave movies to my buddy Chris over at bip-bip, since his DVD collection puts some weak Blockbusters to shame, but for some reason this movie struck a chord with me. With the exception of Cars, I've loved every Pixar movie. I can't exactly put my finger on what it is that makes animated movies resonate so much with me, aside from my child-like fixation on bright colors. Part of it I guess is my continual amazement at the way in which Pixar movies mix humor with more serious adult undertones. I think another reason is that animated movies aren't limited by the quality of their actors in conveying characters' emotions to the audience and are able to do a lot with voice-overs. Maybe most importantly, I find talking animals to be almost universally hilarious.

Whatever the reason, UP was amazing. For the people that write off this movie and cartoons in general as being too childish to enjoy as high-art, two things: first, get serious, and second, this is far from a children's movie.
In fact, when I saw UP in theaters, I saw two moms separately remark after it was over about how angry they were that their children were exposed to such adult themes (note to those moms, also get serious and start hoping that when your kid discovers the weird wild world of internet porn at age 14, he doesn't change his career aspirations from doctor to Ron Jeremy). The movie touches on loss, loneliness, fatherhood, the propriety trading abortion rights for universal healthcare, friendship, love, and why the balloon boy's dad went about it all wrong. Pixar manages to weave all of that into just 90 minutes, and they manage to do so in a vehicle designed to be accessible to a 6 year old. The result is a story that is more human than many documentaries, and a movie that ranks up with Toy Story for me that I can't stop watching. I steadfastly deny that my choice in Halloween costume says anything about my general celebration of Pixar's entire catalogue or this movie in particular and vice-versa.

(Note: after I posted this, I realized that Chris also posted about the same movie. Chris: I may or may not have been one of the several people in the theater that got misty-eyed during the montage at the beginning. To the haters, look it's fucking sad, trust me. Show me a man who is not moved by that sequence, I'll show you someone with a heart the size of the Grinch, prior to Cindy Loo Hoo dropping some knowledge on him, or Meredith, for those that know her.)