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Up (2009)

Seventy-eight year old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his home equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.

Directors: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Writers: Pete Docter (story by), Bob Peterson (story by)

Stars: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger

Storyline

Carl Fredrickson is a little boy and a dreamer who idolizes the adventurer Charles Munts. When he meets Ellie, who also worships Munts, they become close friends. However Charles Munts falls into disgrace, accused of forging the skeleton of the monster of Paradise Falls. He travels in his blimp to South America to bring the monster back alive but is never seen again. Eventually Carl grows up and marries Ellie. They promise each other that they would travel together to Paradise Falls and build a house there. Many years later, Ellie dies and Carl, who's lonely, refuses to move from their house despite the offers of the owner of a construction company. When Carl accidentally hits a worker that damaged his mailbox, he is sentenced to move to a retirement home. However, he uses many balloons to float his house in order to travel to Paradise Falls. Adventure ensues.

User Reviews

Pixar hits it out of the park, again

12 May 2009 | by choco_taco (United States)

I was lucky enough to get a ticket to a special pre-release screening of Up at Pixar studios in Emeryville, organized by the San Francisco Film Society. After a hour-long reception in the atrium of their beautiful main building we went through some rigorous security (metal detectors!) and were treated to an hilarious short (Partly Cloudy) and Pixar's new high water mark, Up.

My favorites to date have definitely been Wall-E and the Incredibles, and Up is another slightly-left-of-center masterpiece. The emotional impact of the beautiful, wordless summation of Carl's life that opens the movie is the bass note that resonates through the whole film and is at least as affecting as the scene in Wall-E when he holds his own hands while watching Hello Dolly. The rest of the movie, of course, is breathtaking on just about every level, especially the tactile quality of all the characters and textures and the completely realized weather effects and action scenes. With no "new" technical milestones (fur in Monsters, Inc., water in Finding Nemo, realistic camera effects in Wall- E), the design is the main focus, from the hilariously stylized characters to the amazing setting of the tepui.

As the associate producer who participated in the Q&A following the movie pointed out, the past three Pixar movies have not been easy sells to their parent company Disney (they'll be back in familiar territory with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2), but Pixar's commitment to inventive, story-driven films continues to pay off here. All of the good press is true, and I can't wait to see it again. Thanks for staying true to yourselves Pixar!

Finding Nemo (2003)

After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

Writers: Andrew Stanton (original story by), Andrew Stanton (screenplay) 

Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould.

Storyline

A clown fish named Marlin lives in the Great Barrier Reef loses his son, Nemo. After he ventures into the open sea, despite his father's constant warnings about many of the ocean's dangers. Nemo is abducted by a boat and netted up and sent to a dentist's office in Sydney. So, while Marlin ventures off to try to retrieve Nemo, Marlin meets a fish named Dory, a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss. The companions travel a great distance, encountering various dangerous sea creatures such as sharks, anglerfish and jellyfish, in order to rescue Nemo from the dentist's office, which is situated by Sydney Harbor. While the two are doing this, Nemo and the other sea animals in the dentist's fish tank plot a way to return to Sydney Harbor to live their lives free again.

User Reviews

Pixar's best feature to date

15 October 2005 | by kylopod (kylopod@aol.com) (Baltimore, MD) – See all my reviews

I have enjoyed most of the computer-animated films made so far, ranging from Pixar films like "Toy Story" and "The Incredibles" to DreamWorks films like "Shrek." But "Finding Nemo" is the one that remains unparalleled, not because of its comedy or creativity, both of which are equaled in the "Toy Story" movies and in "Monsters Inc.," but because it truly, more than any of the previous computer-animated features, reinvents the genre of the children's animated film.

Humor in traditional animation is usually based on broad slapstick and physical exaggeration. There are occasional nods to this brand of humor in "Finding Nemo," as when a flock of seagulls ram into a boat and we see their beaks crowing on the other side of the sail. But such sequences only call attention to how far this movie generally departs from old cartoon conventions. Instead, the movie invests its world of sentient animals with a surprisingly scientific texture. All of the animals are based on real species. The fish tank is constructed out of real devices. There is a strong sense of locale, as Marlin (Albert Brooks) travels across the Pacific to Australia, where even the animals speak with an Australian accent. In a scene that I'm sure Gary Larson of "Far Side" fame loved, a pelican discusses with a group of fish the intricate details of dentistry. The fact that the animals talk and understand what's going on is treated as though it were a natural feature of the world. The realism is so striking that by the end of the film, you'll almost believe it possible for fish to plot an escape from a tank.

Far from making the film pedantic, this approach results in an intelligent but still entertaining picture. Most of the humor is based on parodies of human behavior: repentant sharks start a club that's like Alcoholics Anonymous, a school of fish act like obnoxious DJs while forming themselves into spectacular patterns, and a four-year-old girl behaves like most kids that age, oblivious and destructive. The manner in which Marlin finds his way to his son is so inventive that we can forgive the film for the number of coincidences involved.

The story employs the same basic formula used in "Toy Story," in which two characters, one uptight and the other clueless, are thrown together as they're forced to journey through a world populated by creatures that are a lot more knowing than the humans realize. This movie, however, creates a unique character in Dory (Ellen DeGeneres), a fish with short-term memory loss. To give a cartoon character a real human disorder is risky, to say the least, and I'm glad the filmmakers didn't lose the nerve to include this ingenious device, which not only generates some of the film's biggest laughs, but reinforces the character interaction that is so central to the story. This is in fact the only Pixar film to feature true character development. In the course of his voyage, Marlin learns to be more adventurous, getting parenting tips from a surfer-dude turtle voiced by the film's director Andrew Stanton, while his son Nemo learns to be self-reliant.

Of course, none of the sharks, jellyfish, whales, gulls, pelicans, lobsters, and humans that Marlin encounters along the way really mean any harm. They're just doing what they do. As Nigel the Pelican tells Nemo at one point, "Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat." That's perhaps the film's most interesting insight, that there are no true villains, just creatures that act according to their nature, and a few that transcend it.

Minions (2015)

Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world.

Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

Writer: Brian Lynch

Stars: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton.

Storyline

Ever since the dawn of time, the Minions have lived to serve the most despicable of masters. From T. rex to Napoleon, the easily distracted tribe has helped the biggest and the baddest of villains. Now, join protective leader Kevin, teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob on a global road trip where they'll earn a shot to work for a new boss-the world's first female super-villain-and try to save all of Minionkind...from annihilation.

User Reviews

Accurate Documentary

11 July 2015

You'd be hard-pressed to find a historical account that acknowledges the influence (much less the existence of) the Minions throughout time. No matter how many textbooks are produced and released each year, almost ZERO of them note the presence of this incredibly powerful minority group.

Well, where history has silenced the Minions, let this surprisingly accurate documentary speak volumes. I found no embellishments of history throughout this 91-minute feature. It would have been easy to swing the pendulum of power to overemphasize the history of the Minions as it relates to major world events, but the filmmakers didn't go for the easy shots. They simply told the truth, and what we are left with are the clear facts of what really happened to the dinosaurs, the cavemen, and--what I'm sure will be most controversially-- the true lineage of royalty in England. Very bold.

If this doesn't win the Oscar for Documentary Feature, we will truly know which side of history the Academy stands on.

Frozen (2013)

When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition.

Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Writers: Jennifer Lee (screenplay), Hans 

Christian Andersen (story inspired by "The Snow Queen" by) |

Stars: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff.

Storyline

Anna, a fearless optimist, sets off on an epic journey - teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven - to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom. From the outside Anna's sister, Elsa looks poised, regal and reserved, but in reality, she lives in fear as she wrestles with a mighty secret-she was born with the power to create ice and snow. It's a beautiful ability, but also extremely dangerous. Haunted by the moment her magic nearly killed her younger sister Anna, Elsa has isolated herself, spending every waking minute trying to suppress her growing powers. Her mounting emotions trigger the magic, accidentally setting off an eternal winter that she can't stop. She fears she's becoming a monster and that no one, not even her sister, can help her.

User Reviews

Disney's Best in 20 years.

24 November 2013 | by fyeroledezma (United States) – See all my reviews

A lot of people criticize Frozen for what it isn't. Their preferred setting, cast, etc. Not for what it is. It is an incredibly touching story with fantastic music, score, script and performances by Menzel and Bell we haven't heard in a long time. I took 117 nieces and nephews ages 18 months to 14 and not once did any of them get up to ' go to the bathroom' or get more snacks. Boys, girls were both drawn to the film the whole time. The younger kids responded more to Olaf than the thematics of it all.

The story centers more on the sisters relationship than a romantic one and has a great message. I would recommend this to any family or Disney fan.

You will be singing the songs over and over.

Chappie (2015)

In the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell

Stars: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman.

Storyline

In Johannesburg, the police department reduced the high rating of criminality using robots from the Tetravaal Company, designed by the engineer Deon Wilson. The former military Vincent Moore is envious of Deon, since he has developed another project called Moose, but neither Tetravaal nor the police department is interested. Deon has just developed an Artificial Intelligence but the Tetravaal's CEO Michelle Bradley asks him to abort the project. Deon decides to bring the damaged Robot 22 that was sent to be crushed to test his A.I. However he is kidnapped by the criminals Ninja, Yo-Landi and Amerika that want him to stop the robot cops. When they see the damaged robot in the van, they force Deon to program it to heist banks with them and they call it Chappie. However, Chappie acts like a child and need to be trained to learn and grow. Meanwhile Vincent follows Deon and plots an evil scheme to activate his robot.

User Reviews

 7 March 2015

Don't let the critics who can't seem to get past comparing Chappie with other sci-fi titles put you off of going to see this film.

This story is about a lot more than just robot police officers it is a thought provoking social commentary on many modern day issues and what it is like to bring life into the modern world.

I very much enjoyed District 9 but I would even go as far to say I enjoyed Chappie much, much more.

There were so many aspects to this film that could have went wrong but have been nailed on the head by the director. The effect once again visually striking and a very well paced and intricate development of characters as well as interesting set design helps keep chappie fresh and not just another reboot of any other sci fi film as critics will have you believe.

I would also say I enjoyed this film much, much more than the likes of robo-cop.

The Croods (2013)

After their cave is destroyed, a caveman family must trek through an unfamiliar fantastical world with the help of an inventive boy.

Directors: Kirk De Micco (as Kirk 

DeMicco), Chris Sanders

Writers: Chris Sanders (screenplay), Kirk De Micco (screenplay) (as Kirk DeMicco) |

Stars: Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone

Storyline

The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures -- and their outlook is changed forever.

User Reviews

VERY funny -- a very pleasant surprise!

23 March 2013 |

I was talked into seeing this, and I have to shout it out, because it is a RIOT! I don't write many reviews, but when I love a film, I have to. If I have any complaint on this one, it's the title. I expected gross-out humor ("crude"). There isn't any, really. It's actually extremely unpredictable, subtle and extremely smart humor.

It has a story arc that you begin to somewhat anticipate, but you don't feel you're being patronized. Instead, you're left feeling that very intelligent people put this thing together in hopes that everyone would find something to love about it.

The cast is great, the animation is fun, and it's non-dizzying 3-D.

When I saw it, the entire audience clapped at the end, because we were entertained throughout, and found the ending really satisfying.

What else? Sweet emotions crop up because we can all relate to the family dynamics. Every family has the screw-up, the salt of the earth, the rebel, and the stubborn one. And it has one of the funniest babies ever put on film. A baby unlike any baby you'll ever see anywhere.

Very, very funny. Definitely recommend.