Up continues Pixar’s strange movie tales. After Cars and the chastisement they got for writing a most conventional, kid-friendly animated film, the boys (emphasis on the male) at the studio decided to create strange stories. First came Ratatouille then Wall E, stories that on the surface seem to be childish, but are pretty sophisticated. It’s this sophistication that makes them a darling of critics everywhere. Yet, I can’t but help wonder if they’re too cool for their own good. That’s what becomes of a contrarian.
The movie opens with a news reel describing the adventures of Charles Lindburgh, er some explorer dude. It’s 2D, not the 3D I saw it in. Weird. Then they introduce the main character as a young boy. Fascinated with the explorer, he grows into wanting to follow him to the ends of the earth.
He meets a girl who’s equally fascinated.
They fall in love.
And that was the movie I wanted to see. I think reading too much shoujo manga and watching shonen anime romantic comedies I wanted to watch another love story. One that blooms rather than one that is memories. I loved the growing old together vignette. It moved me and I thought that was a more fascinating subject for an animated tale. More daring. In fact, it would’ve been more because the woman he falls in love with is really interesting. I almost thought she was tsundere, but she’s more dere-dere and almost no tsun-tsun. I would’ve like to have gotten to know her and of their story.
But the movie followed the adventures of the old man as he explored the world outside his house for the first time. Needless to say, he does find adventure, and his hero who’s now a villain, and he becomes a stand in father for his sidekick. Adventure that is pretty standard for all animated summer films in the US. For all the sophistication, Pixar can’t help but follow rote US standards in story telling.
The movie is fine. I just am wishing for more. John Lasseter loves Miyazaki. Can he get his studio to do something as awesome and daring as Miyazaki?
3 of 5 stars.
