Up, Up and Away!

Joshua Olive By Joshua Olive
on July 16, 2009 at 3:23 PM, updated July 16, 2009 at 4:13 PM

It's official - UP is a success. It is now the second highest grossing Pixar film behind 2004's Finding Nemo, a worldwide box-office smash. UP has earned $275.8M in domestic box office at this point, and it has yet to open around much of the world, where Pixar films usually do extremely well.

Since the trailer for Cars first came out, critics have been predicting the end of Pixar's reign at the top of the movie-making mountain.

Cars? Too much Nascar, there's not enough appeal in that for kids. There's no way this can live up to the likes of The Incredibles or Finding Nemo. This is going to be Pixar's first flop.

Ratatouille? We can't spell it or pronounce it, plus it's about a rat in a kitchen; people will hate that. THIS is going to be Pixar's first flop.

Wall-E? What the heck is this? A robot that doesn't even talk? How can that be good? Plus, it's all preachy about the environment and stuff. Yep, this is definitely going to be Pixar's first flop.

UP? Isn't that about a 78-year old man? Who wants to watch that? Not me. Not my kids. Nope, Pixar has finally lost their marbles.

But they didn't lose their marbles. And they still haven't lost their heart, or their ability to tell stories that hit you in yours.

UP is a beautiful movie about an old man who wasn't always old. In his youth, he followed the adventures of his favorite explorer, dreaming of being like him. He met a girl with similar dreams, and they ended up dreaming of adventures together. They saved up for their big adventure, but life got in the way and their savings went to pay for doctor bills, flat tires, and home repairs. Next thing they know, they're old, and opportunity has passed them by.

The bulk of the movie is centered on what happens next, and it's a touching, heart-warming adventure with a great sense of humor. This buddy movie pairs the 78-year old curmudgeon wiht an 8-year old boy scout on a really off-the-wall adventure, but it's a great ride.

The law of averages dictates that, sooner or later, Pixar's moment will come and they will indeed make a movie that just doesn't strike the right chord with audiences, and all the critics want to be sure they're the one who called it first. Yes, I'm sure that day will come - Walt Disney himself didn't bat 100% - but the day UP arrived certainly wasn't it. If you haven't seen it yet, find a theatre where this fantastic film is still showing and catch it on the big screen while you can!