UP (part 1)

Here I am at the Premiere Party with Emily, Jeff and Nikki. Emily's hanging on my arm and looking stoic into the distance. Jeff is pointing at the tubby little kid after telling a joke about his trumpet. Nikki is filled with glee at the prospect of giving the giant bird a wet willy.

I am a Disney Dork, we all know that. There really isn't any question of my passion for all things Disney. Pixar is like a whole new incarnation of the Disney Spirit and now that it's an official part of the Disney Company, it carries the Disney Brand as it searches to re-establish itself in the animation industry. My friend Jeff works for ABC Family and enjoys Disney but isn't at the level of obsession that I am, which always has me jealous of his work stories. One day I got a call from Jeff in the middle of the afternoon and he was beaming with excitement over a screening he'd seen of UP. It wasn't completed and much of the film was temporary animation, but they screen it early to the marketing guys like Jeff to get their brains spinning on how to promote the film.

Jeff is a tough critic. He's not uber-negative, but he's no push over. When he said that he was blown away and was overwhelmed with how good this film was, it had me REALLY excited. This was a few months ago and it had me even more anxious to see the latest Pixar offering. When I got a call a few weeks back to go to the premier, I gave an emphatic yes. Not just because Premiers are cool, but I wanted to see this movie so bad.

Let me give as strong of a reccomendation as possible for this film. If you have 2 free hours this weekend, it needs to be spent watching this film. Is it perfect? No, it's got a little pacing problem in the middle, but I feel like I'm nit picking. (Hey, I'm a blogger, that's my job, right?) Is it amazing? YES! I am going to see it AGAIN this weekend, but I'm suspecting it may be my favorite Pixar film.

I really connected with the story and characters... It's about an old curmudgeon who goes on an adventure with a neighborhood kid. I kind of want to leave it at that, because that's all I knew going in and it was a great surprise. This movie is probably a marketing nightmare, but everyone I talk to who has kids says their little ones are dying to see it. It shows that while something may not make sense on the surface, Pixar knows how to tap into a sense of wonder that kids have.

Within the first 15 minutes of this movie I was in tears. If you remember Toy Story 2 and the song "When She Loved Me", then you know that Pixar can pack an emotional punch... well that was nothing compared to this movie. (I put that song below, because it's just that good.) Little kids are going to laugh at the cute moments and be wowed by the prospect of making their house float. After sharing the same laughs, the grown-ups are going to learn a lesson and have a lump in their throat.

I've been away from the blog lately because of "post-finals writing" burn out. But when a commercial reminded me that this was the big release this weekend, I felt an obligation to get the word out. I've seen most of the big releases that have come out so far and I will write about them soon, but I had to write about this one right now. After a few weekends, giving people time to experience it on their own, I will talk in some more detail. For now, heed my reccomendation... SEE UP! In fact while writing this blog I'm so inspired, I'm heading out to see it again! I just text messaged my friends and we're making it happen.

Maybe next time I'll tell you about Trent on the Red Carpet: Meeting John Lassetter, Jon Voight, and signing autographs while acting like a celebrity. (I'm not sure Jeff will invite me again, but I had fun none the less!)