Up

We took the kids to see Pixar's latest masterpiece Up on Saturday night, after being thwarted the last two weekends, due to weather and other obligations. Even three weeks into its run, the crowds seeing Up were undiminished at the Transit Drive-In, and for us it was well worth the wait.

My review of this movie is best summarized by what my son Connor said as we were driving home that night: "I was crying a little, because I was sad and happy at the same time."

That juxtaposition of joy and melancholy can be applied to all the great Pixar films, and it illustrates once again that story, not special effects, is what draws people to these movies in the first place, and keeps them watching on DVD long after they've left theaters.

Where Finding Nemo (and, to a lesser extent, The Incredibles), so effectively portrayed the fierce love a parent has for a child, at the heart of Up is the aching sadness and longing that Carl Frederickson feels for his wife Ellie, when she dies too soon.

For those who haven't seen it yet, that sounds like such a downer, doesn't it? But this film is also a rollicking hilarious adventure that will have you, and your children, laughing out loud so often, you won't be sad for long.

The funny: so many dogs, with so many clearly defined personalities, and all of them talk. Not to mention a bizarre undiscovered species of bird that communicates just fine without words.

The adventure: thousands of helium balloons turn a house into an airship, dogs piloting fighter planes, a dirigible, what more could you ask for?

Up is a movie to watch, then watch again, and then own. It's better than Wall-E, it's much better than Cars and Ratatouille, it's at least equal to Finding Nemo.

The Demays give it 4 thumbs up.

--Brian