Up (Single Disc Widescreen)

Up (Single Disc Widescreen)

Product Type: DVD

Product Price: $29.99

Manufacturer: Disney*Pixar

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Description

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.


At a time when too many animated films consist of anthropomorphized animals cracking sitcom one-liners and flatulence jokes, the warmth, originality, humor, and unflagging imagination of Up feel as welcome as rain in a desert. Carl Fredericksen (voice by Ed Asner) ranks among the most unlikely heroes in recent animation history. A 78- year-old curmudgeon, he enjoyed his modest life as a balloon seller because he shared it with his adventurous wife Ellie (Ellie Docter). But she died, leaving him with memories and the awareness that they never made their dream journey to Paradise Falls in South America. When well-meaning officials consign Carl to Shady Oaks Retirement Home, he rigs thousands of helium balloons to his house and floats to South America. The journey's scarcely begun when he discovers a stowaway: Russell (Jordan Nagai), a chubby, maladroit Wilderness Explorer Scout who's out to earn his Elderly Assistance Badge. In the tropical jungle, Carl and Russell find more than they bargained for: Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer), a crazed explorer whose newsreels once inspired Carl and Ellie; Kevin, an exotic bird with a weakness for chocolate; and Dug (Bob Peterson), an endearingly dim golden retriever fitted with a voice box. More importantly, the travelers discover they need each other: Russell needs a (grand)father figure; Carl needs someone to enliven his life without Ellie. Together, they learn that sharing ice-cream cones and counting the passing cars can be more meaningful than feats of daring-do and distant horizons. Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc. ) and Bob Peterson direct the film with consummate skill and taste, allowing the poignant moments to unfold without dialogue to Michael Giacchnio's vibrant score. Building on their work in The Incredibles and Ratatouille, the Pixar crew offers nuanced animation of the stylized characters. Even by Pixar's elevated standards, Up is an exceptional film that will appeal of audiences of all ages. Rated PG for some peril and action. --Charles Solomon

Stills from Up (Click for larger image)





Reviews

Rating: 1 / 5
Date: 2010-08-30
Summary: "Language & subtitles problem"

A complete disappointment!
The following has nothing to do with the movie nor the seller but with the information provided on the page.
Personally I have noticed as Amazon does not always fully informed about the languages and subtitles available for a film.
In fact and very often simply does not show any information, so I assume it is only in English, but in this case was very clear:

Language: Français (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Subtitles: French, Spanish.

But the movie is only in English and no subtitle at all.
I think the company should put more care into these details.
I even think that there should be an email option in case of doubt.


Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-27
Summary: "Magic"

I'm not sure if this is the best movie I've ever seen, but for the life of me I can't think of one better. I'm not usually a watcher of Pixar stuff for some reason, indeed the last one I'd seen was the first Toy Story. No good reason why that's so, I just never got around to them. But something about the premise of Up grabbed me, so when I saw it in a used DVD bin, I snagged it. Two watchings in two days later, and I ordered this particular Blu-Ray copy of it, after bragging about Up to anyone and everyone I came across.

What's great about it? Where do I start? First, there's the house made of balloons. It makes for amazing cover art, and arouses curiousity. Petty you think? Not really, the eye likes what the eye likes, and that's not to be discounted. The characters for another. Carl Frederickson isn't some to good to be true hero or precocious kid, he's a crotchety old man who actually behaves like an old man. Go figure eh? He doesn't look much like voice talent Ed Asner, but Asner's voice is letter perfect for the performance. His sidekick, Russell, voiced by Jordan Nagai, acts just like a little kid would act. He's very observant at times, but naive and obtuse a lot of the time as well, just like a real life version of Russell would be. The two of them make for a great team, even if Carl is a little slow to grasp that. And that's what's terrific about the roles, neither of them know everything, or instantly figure out what to do. They have to think, and the movie shows them thinking. Not a lot of movies have the patience, or the sense, to allow its characters to think. But Up does. The supporting characters, like Christopher Plummer's Charles Muntz, the dog Dug, and all the rest are excellently handled as well.

The highlight of the supporting characters, for me, was the young/old versions of Ellie Frederickson. The young version is voiced by the director's daughter, and she has the right bit of spunk and adventure for the shy and callow Carl (they look to be about 8-10 years old in those scenes). The adult version, who marries Carl, is done without a voice, and is part of the most touching montage I've ever seen on screen. We watch 50 years of their lives in a few minutes, with no dialogue, yet it spoke volumes. This is why the cliche "A picture is worth a thousand words" is so relevant even today. I think I've watched it five or six times and I still tear up during it.

The computer artistry is what one expects from Pixar, even someone like me who isn't a habitual watcher of their films. The balloon house, the airship, the dogs (don't laugh, they're a riot), all of it was done with amazing technical proficiency, and always adds to the story.

But it really comes back to Carl and Russell in the end. I cared about them, what happened to them, and more importantly what they took out of those adventures. I've not heard anything about an Up sequel, and there's nothing on its Wikipedia page, but I would love to see another adventure with the two of them in it. Either way, Pixar has made a fan out of me for a long time, I hope they can keep it up.

Five stars


Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-23
Summary: "Surprizingly Good"

This was a touching story. It made us laugh out loud and cry in some spots. Well done!
The disc stopped (hung up) in a few places - not sure why - hopefully just a smudge on the disc or something fixable.


Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-22
Summary: "excellent"

product came prompt and in condition stated ar a decent price. i like when people do what they say!!!

that's 3 for 3 right, good job


Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2010-08-19
Summary: "Up: A sad movie"

This movie was, well sad. especially if you have lost someone like a parent, friend or sibling. it was a little scary too in one part. so unless you can deal with some sadness and a scary part in this film, you might want to try a happier film.