Up (voices of Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer) — Yes, I saw an animated movie. And this is one of the cutest but most adult animated movies in years. The film starts with the life of a couple, the Fredericksens, who live and grow old together before turning sad as the wife dies, thus leaving the old man alone. He is devastated but stays in the house the couple built together even as urban renewal spoils the neighborhood. He sets out to fulfill his wife’s dream of living in their house on a mountain overlooking a majestic waterfall they saw on a TV show hosted by Charles Muntz, a Marlin Perkins-like host.
The old man attaches thousands of colorful helium balloons to the house and takes off in search of the waterfall. But he is not alone. Unbeknownst to him, a young Boy Scout Explorer seeking his last merit badge for helping the elderly tags along on the scary journey. An inevitable relationship grows between the two and, lovingly, a little doggie. The adventure is the film. For kids, it’s all fun, particularly in 3D. For adults, it’s both “cute,” the ultimate compliment from my wife, but also poignant. The TV host (Christopher Plummer) ends up not to be the warm soul the couple sees on the tube, providing the much-needed arch villain. And Mr. Fredericksen (Ed Asner) ends up not being the curmudgeon. It’s essentially a Pixar story of renewal and well worth the time.