Just got back from seeing Pixar’s “Up”.

Wow.

And that has nothing to do with the animation.

It has everything to do with the story.

That’s why I love Pixar movies, because story is king and everything else is done to support it. Pixar doesn’t go on about “starring the voices of” or “look at this cool animation thingy, just because we can”. In fact, much of their advertising gives only the basic idea of what the actual movie will be about. I had no idea that “Up” would actually be a love story, but then not even a typical love story. You knew it would be about a man, his house, balloons, and some adventure with a little “fat Scout” kid. Oh and a silly dog. But that’s about all. The actual depth of the story was never exposed.

The way Pixar unfolded the story, setting it up, weaving the storyline… this was very well done. The character development was there, and not too drastic, nothing in your face, just enough to make the story and for you to care and become involved. Even with Kevin. I must admit, being there with Wife and Kids, as Wife and I sat next to each other and much of Carl and Ellie’s story unfolded, we would squeeze each other’s hands and it even choked both of us up a bit. It was very touching. But of course, it’s not just a sappy love story, but a great adventure. After all, that is what the movie was all about — adventure. For the record, I did not feel there was anything cookie-cutter about the plot and story.

To that end, there were certainly some tense moments. I do like that Pixar isn’t afraid to go PG if it allows them to be a little more dramatic in their storytelling. When Charles Muntz pulled out the gun at the end of the movie, the lady next to us let out quite a gasp. I’m not sure if it was hoplophobia or just the ever-growning tension in the movie, but it (along with letting Muntz die) did demonstrate a gutsy move on Pixar’s part to allow a story to be a story (reminds me of Disney’s “The Jungle Book” in that respect), even if it might be a little strong. To me, there’s no where else the story could really go. The entire movie was one long crescendo. Yes it ebbed and flowed with ups and downs, but the dramatic tension was a slow constant build, and very well done. Little touches like Russell asking Carl “Cross your heart?” helped to weave it all together and build things quite nicely.

Character development was there too. Certainly in Carl, but even in the side characters like Russell, Dug, and even Kevin. Of course, Alpha’s broken voice… well, don’t need any development there, but the gag was great and I did like that they didn’t milk the gag; make the gag, get the laughs, then allow it to be used again later to convey a point (Alpha losing his alpha status). Worked very well.

And of course, there’s the animation.

Every movie features some new aspect or improvement in the animation process, and this time it was 3-D. When I saw “Monsters vs. Aliens” I felt the 3-D was fairly well done, but there’s no question they made an effort to throw things in your face to say “HEY, THIS IS 3-D… WHOA!!!!”. I never felt like Pixar did that. They allowed the 3-D to be “just an effect”. In real life, 3-D isn’t a big deal, it’s just how everything is. IMHO, that’s what they did with 3-D in this movie… just let it be how things are. I think it added to the movie because it helped to convey more depth (pun intended) to what was going on. It allowed them to make a dramatic moment (e.g. the chase scene out of Muntz’s hideout, with Russell dangling by the hose) even more dramatic than just a flat scene could do.   I thought it was very tastefully done.

Like all Pixar films, I’m impressed. They do such a great job, again, because they allow the story to be king and all else to support it. It was a terrific story, engaging. Great characters. Animation that was subtle and supporting. Very enjoyable.

Point!

Updated: Robb Allen just saw it and felt the same way, especially about the 3-D. I hope that’s going to be the trend with the rash of 3-D movies coming out, but I know it won’t be. Most other production houses don’t seem to get it like Pixar gets it.