This morning I read the Rotten Tomatoes breakdown of this summer's movie line-up and found Up at the coveted "number one" spot on the Top Ten list for the summer, beating out other acclaimed films such as Star Trek or District 9. Though I know that Pixar creates excellent films, I was nevertheless surprised to see their newest title surpass other top movies for the summer that might be a more sophisticated. Could this be because Pixar created a family film, appropriate for all ages? Perhaps, but we were introduced to other family films as well, such as Ice Age 3 and G-Force that didn't even make the list. Besides, when it comes to judging the fine craft of filmmaking, "acceptable for young children" isn't usually high on the list of qualifications.
No, there must be something else in Pixar's Up that excels all the sex and violence commonly found in modern movies. Pixar has disregarded all these sensual components designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator and engaged in superior storytelling. They've created characters that are not only charming, but also incredibly deep. They've used their talents in animation to create magnificent worlds for these characters and stories to inhabit. Most of all, they've blended all of these together in such a way that make you cry in the first four minutes of the film. In other words, their talents only continue to uncover something more powerful (and, as Rotten Tomatoes has shown, more marketable) than the sex and violence permeating Hollywood today. I don't know how they do it, but they've done it so well that their work has not only found a competent place in the filmmaking industry today but has even soared on a regular basis, sometimes all the way to the top.
Well done, Pixar! We'll see you at the Academy Awards!
T.H. Excellence
