Up

Up is the latest venture from animation house Pixar, destined to delight children and adults alike with its old-fashioned tale of a 78 year old who decides to tie hundreds of balloons to his home and drift away to South America. To his surprise he finds he has a stowaway: 8 year old Russell, a ‘wilderness explorer’ who is ready for adventure. The image of a floating house held aloft by a multitude of brightly coloured balloons is a seductive one that conjures up the fantastical dreams of childhood. Combined with some effective use of 3D (especially the action sequences near the end) this is a solid effort from the now Disney-owned company. If there’s a degree of hesitancy in this review it comes from the feeling that Up verges on the pedestrian; there are no surprises here in terms of story, form or aesthetics. Wouldn’t it be nice if a mainstream children’s film felt it could occasionally step off the well-trodden path?