"Up"...

Seth and I went to the theater tonight. It was the first time Seth has ever been to the movie theater. He is almost 9 years old. This is proof that children can survive without constant exposure to media...

At any rate, I had been wanting to find a movie to take him to, because I took Grace to see "Kit Kittridge" and Caleb to see "Horton Hears a Who", but nothing had come out in recent months that I thought Seth would enjoy (except Earth which never came to our theater and only stayed in neighboring theaters for one week... we missed it).

"Up" looked rather intriguing to me, and after reading the review at plugged in, I felt that it would be worthwhile. I only read the review for possible negative content as not to spoil the movie for myself. If you haven't seen "Up" yet, you might not want to read this review, as there will be spoilers. My final assessment, though, is that it was an awesome movie... but probably not for anybody under 5 (intensity). Caleb, who is 5, will not be seeing it for a couple of years, and it would have been way too much for Ian.

Well... anyway... we arrived early and bought our tickets and popcorn (gosh, popcorn is expensive stuff). We chose good seats that were far enough away from the teenage population that we greeted politely but did not want to sit with. Ah... the joys of small town life! I love those kids, but this was my time out with Seth!

We sat through what seemed like hours of previews (OK... it was probably 20 minutes) and then the movie began... well... almost. The Pixar short actually began. I thought it was funny, but some people might be offended, because the clouds were creating babies, and I guess that might make them a little bit like God.

I was not prepared for the emotional impact of this movie. For crying out loud (and I did) it was a cartoon. Any adult who has been close to a parent or grandparent whom they have watched lose a spouse and go through the grieving process will undoubtedly shed tears multiple times. However, this theme was so tactfully handled that I'm not sure that Seth really understood it even at his age. It was definitely geared for adult comprehension.

If there was anything corny about "Up", it was the talking dogs. I love Disney, but the talking dogs have been done to death. I'm not sure how the plot could have developed as it did without them, and in the end I was good with it, but in the first talking dog scene I thought to myself that the whole film was going to go South. (I realize that I should have been prepared for the talking dogs, but here's the thing... we don't get any television channels, so I never saw any of the previews). In fact, "Up" did not go South but developed plot lines that I never saw coming.

It is rare to find yourself cheering on an old man who is moving his house across the continent powered by helium balloons... But if you see "Up", you will. I have to admit that I was terribly disappointed when the house fell to, what we assume is, it's demise. But even this is "redeemed" at the end of the film when the camera pans to Paradise Falls and there sits the little house (which really represents all of Ellie's hopes and dreams from the beginning), unscathed, and seemingly unbeknown to Carl who steers the Spirit of Adventure home. But I think he must surely know that "she" is safe...

I have great hope that Disney is moving toward it's next great era. In my opinion, the last great era was 1989-1996 (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). I realize that most people feel as if Hunchback killed the momentum. However, it is here that I will admit that The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favorite Disney film of all time. And I also think it has to be noted that Disney has always gone in streaks of great movie eras and not so great spans. But with "Bolt", (which I also loved) "Up", the upcoming "The Princess and the Frog" (which I am just praying will be a squeaky clean entertainment option with a decent plot) and the rumored "Toy Story 3" and "Rapunzel", I hope we've hit the next great run!

From a kid's point of view, Seth loved "Up", as well. He probably didn't really understand why Mommy was sniffling through the smiles, but Russell the Wilderness Scout pretty much represents every little boy's dream to conquer the great outdoors (among other things), and Kevin the Mama bird... well, we all want Kevin to make it home!

Can't wait until it hits DVD. This one is a keeper...

Lisa