DVD Review: "Up"

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Published: November 13, 2009

It’s a credit to the storytelling masterminds at Pixar Animation Studios that "Up,” a movie crammed with balloon-buoyed houses, talking dogs and goofy flightless birds, makes me cry every time I see it.

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Emotional resonance and unbridled imagination allow Disney/Pixar’s 10th and most fantastical animated feature film to truly soar.

Grieving the death of his wife, retired balloon salesman Carl Frederickson (voice of Ed Asner) decides to make good on an unfulfilled promise to his spouse. He attaches thousands of balloons to their house and sails away to Paradise Falls in South America, a trip they always planned but never got to make.

Carl has reached cruising altitude before he realizes he has unintentionally taken on a passenger, zealous Wilderness Explorer Russell (Jordan Nagai), who was lurking on the front porch hoping for a chance to earn his assisting-the-elderly badge when the house achieved lift-off.

When they land in South America after the perilous flight, they encounter even more wild wonders, including a strange flightless bird that takes a liking to Russell, and a pack of dogs equipped with collars that let them speak. The mysterious master who has outfitted the pooches with these high-tech gizmos turns out to have a connection to Carl’s past.

The movie’s madcap action sometimes gets a bit too wacky, but the central love story grounds the story in emotional truth.

"Up” is available in a four-disc pack with the Blu-Ray and DVD versions of the film, a digital copy of the movie and a Blu-Ray disc of bonus features. DVD features include the theatrical short "Partly Cloudy,” a new short film and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

— Brandy McDonnell