DVD Review: Disney•Pixar's Up

This past year and even last year, Disney•Pixar promoted their animation, Up at Comic Con in both San Diego & New York and its release afterwords got as much of a positive response as it did at the cons. Luckily, I was able to receive the Up 4-disc Blu-ray & DVD Combo Pack to review and wow, there is so much to enjoy once it releases on November 10, 2009!



Release Date: November 10, 2009
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Rating: G

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios take moviegoers up, up and away on one of the funniest adventures of all time with their latest comedy-fantasy. Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.

Up is a beautiful story, a must see Pixar film and in fact one of my favorite Pixar films. There is a perfect balance of reality and creativity with real genuine characters and an incredibly imaginative plot. As far as the characters go, every character is layered and whether good or bad you find yourself invested in each one. Viewers might be taken aback by a talking dog a t first, but Dug will turn out to be one of your favorite characters. Viewers also might be wary of how strong of a friendship Carl and Russell can become but this odd pair shows you how in a very short amount of time. There is incredible storytelling, especially the visual storytelling in the first 5 minutes, and there is a steady pace of story development which makes everything all the more touching and captivating. There is also an impressive balance of action, comedy, and suspense, yes suspense. All of the above evoke real emotions and creates for an incredible ending. Most importantly, it is quite evident how much research was done for the setting of this film as there is exotic South American wildlife all throughout which creates beautiful imagery that you won’t forget. Up is a wonderful story that will definitely go down as a Pixar classic.



Special Features:

Partly Cloudy (5:46) –The short film preceded screenings of Up when it was in theaters. It is a very entertaining, comedic short showing where storks get babies and what happens when one cloud creates evil babies! This was a fabulous addition to the DVD, and I hope everyone who buys the DVD takes the time to watch this hilarious short that was directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor Peter Sohn.

Dug’s Special Mission (4:40) – This new original short film follows Dug as he tries to complete his “special missions” bestowed upon him from the other dogs. The missions were hilarious because while the dogs tried to prove how useless Dug was, Dug proved (with no effort) how well he can follow orders. This isolates Dug from the other dogs which leads th short film to end where Dug meets Carl and Russell in the Up film. This is a must see as it is incredible back story! This short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.

Adventure is Out There (22:17) – The director, Pete Docter, co-director, Bob Peterson, and numerous other crew members discuss their trip to South America, including Venezuela and many other places for research. Photos and video of their trek to the very remote tepuis mountains of South America are shared and it is just so magical to see such beautiful nature. This short documentary does a great job in going back and forth with showing video and photos of the trek to South America, the sketches of the animation inspired by the trip, and the finished result of the film. What I found to be very important components to share was the weather and the plant life because you may not realize it until you see here that everything in the film including these components literally reflect real life South America. The film’s character designer, Daniel Lopez says, “The team got to experience what it truly felt like to be in the mountains for several days. They got dirty and muddy – and it was a great experience to inspire them.” Viewers definitely see this in this documentary and will even be inspired to visit.

The Many Endings of Muntz (4:56) – Director, Pete Docter and many crew members talk about the character Muntz, and how this villain was created to be portrayed as. This prompts everyone to discuss the many alternate endings that were proposed during story development as viewers see storyboards and animation of these endings. If you were not satisfied with the ending of the film or are curious to see what else the writers had planned, feel free to catch this feature.

Commentary - The commentary is conducted by directors/writers, Pete Docter and Bob Peterson. The two immediately discuss the inspiration for the look, feel, and music for the introduction of the episode. There is talk of inspiration all throughout the commentary as well as fun facts that will help you see the film in an even more incredible light. The two talk about everything you would want a director/writer to talk about in a commentary, including research and so much more. These guys understand how to conduct an in depth commentary and it is definitely worth the watch and one of my favorite commentaries on DVD this year.

Only on Blu-ray Hi-Def:
There are many features only available on blu-ray and all of them are incredible! Every detail of the animation is crystal clear and every feature is fascinating to watch not only because of the picture but the quality of the work put into this simple yet incredibly complex film. The only negatives are that overall, the features could have been lengthier and a few of them could have been put on the DVD special features. Aside from that, this is no doubt one of the most fascinating Blu – Ray releases of the year. Read below for a description about each feature.

• Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.

• Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging, “simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.

• Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs.

• Russell: Wilderness Explorer – A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness ranger.

• Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.

• Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the
film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate realization in the computer.

• Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz's dirigible presented the filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a fallen giant and let it soar?

• Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.

• Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life” scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.

• Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game enhanced by BD-Live.

Disney•Pixar’s Up will become available on Blu-Ray & DVD November 10, 2009.