Most UP-lifting

One of my favorite things to do after watching a movie is to imagine the process that it had to go through in order to get made. Having caught the matinee of the newest Pixar film Up, I can imagine Pete Docter's pitch went something like this: "What if I were to give you a movie about a cranky old man who ties a few thousand balloons to the roof of his house and flies away in it (literally), seeking to recapture the spirit of adventure and fulfill the lifelong dream of his late wife - to explore a mysterious wilderness in Venezuela. Is that something you might be interested in?"

Most Hollywood types would laugh the guy out of the room. I'm sure there have been times when the Disney folks, particularly in the bean-counting heyday of the early 2000s, wanted to do the same. Luckily, they long ago learned that these guys are just crazy enough to make anything work.

And to me, that's the secret of great animation. It's a medium meant to create worlds that could not exist any other way. Pixar takes it to a different level because they venture into territory that most big-budget, star-packed live action films wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Sure, the loony hook about an old man in a flying house is what sticks out - but at its core, Up is tale about the greatest adventure of all: love.

Another pleasant surprise, especially considering the marketing muscle that went into trumpeting this as the first Disney/Pixar 3-D movie, was the seamless nature of its presentation. None of the story-killing "HEY LOOK, MA, WE'RE IN THREE-DEE!" gimmicks the format was suffering in earlier films like Beowulf. Seeing them produce another wonderful film, it's easy to shower Pixar with praise as if it were some enchanting land of the mystics, akin to the Wonka Factory - where nobody ever goes in, but magic comes out. Personally I think it's pretty basic: focus on a great story, and great artistry will follow. You start to wonder, as the studio hurdles into its second decade, if the pressure is finally building on them, particularly with John Lasseter's attention starting to stretch between Walt Disney Feature Animation and Imagineering. It's truly the only thing that could slow them down - a self-imposed restriction to stop think creatively, the point where the pitch meetings resort to nixing ideas because they might be seen as too "out there". How long before the pressure starts to be a burden, where the underlying message of the company is, "Whatever comes next, it better not be the one which stinks. The streak must remain intact" But who are we kidding - the latest movie was a blast and it's about an old man in a flying house! With a dog that talks via electronic collar (who, by the way, is the most hysterical and endearing character in the film)!

As unbelievable a run as it's been, it has to end at somepoint, right? Eventually, there came a day when even Joe DiMaggio didn't get a hit. I'm relieved to see something like Up, which is so out there on the surface, be pulled off with such charm, intrigue, and conviction. It makes me think these guys are bullet-proof; some would argue they already got the misfire out of their system with Cars, which I would agree has some underwhelming and overdone moments but hardly sinks to the level of some of the crap produced by rival animation studios in the last 10 years. Whatever your age or current status in life, do yourself a favor and go see Up. If you really can't find yourself enraptured by the heart and warmth of a film like this, then your inner-child is locked away forever with no possibility of parole.