BLU-RAY
REVIEW: UP
11/07/09
OVERVIEW: An exhilarating, hilarious and heartfelt animated
adventure comes home when Disney•Pixar’s Up arrives on Blu-ray™ Hi-Def and DVD on
November 10, 2009 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Blending inspired
whimsy with powerful emotion, the hugely successful feature film is an artistic and
entertaining tour de force for the entire family. Up is available in a four-disc Blu-ray
Combo Pack, and a two-disc DVD, which both include DisneyFile, a digital copy of the
movie that can be viewed on an array of electronic devices, as well as enough bonus
features that keep the fun coming.
SYNOPSIS: 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.
FILM REVIEW:
Dug: My name is Dug. I
have just met you and I love you.
Once you meet Dug, you’ll love him too. He is as adorable
and cute as this movie . . . and it’s a talking dog! I’m
a fan of all things Pixar and this one is no exception.
Although I will say that this is a little different from
what you might be accustomed to from Pixar. I would also say
it’s not the best from Pixar but it is still very good
nonetheless. It is just as colorful with beautiful graphics.
You find yourself attached to the colorful characters as
well. The story is chock full of positive lessons too. What
makes it different is that this one is more “human”. It
will tug at your heart strings more than any other. Remember
the beginning scenes of Finding Nemo and how sad it was and
how it at least almost made you cry? Well, I’ll admit that
I got teary eyed a few times while watching this film. I
think this one tops Finding Nemo. It is a very touching
story with characters that you will feel for. But it is a
lot more than that. The “Spirit of Adventure” is evident
through and through. You are along for the journey in this
balloon floating home with Carl and Russell. Russell, by the
way, really adds to the cuteness factor of the movie. One of
the many lessons that this film teaches is that it’s never
too late to go on an adventure. It’s even better when you
are well accompanied.
This film explores the significance of relationships at
various levels; from soul mates to adult and child to human
and animal. Even the animals have amusing personalities that
help make the movie that much more enjoyable. The actors
that provided the voices for these endearing characters were
well cast, none more than Ed Asner as Carl, the “balloon
man”. The story is all about Carl and his promise to
complete his ultimate adventure. The storyline is actually
quite simple but it’s the adventure and the characters
that give it substance. Directors Pete Docter and Bob
Peterson have both been involved with plenty of Pixar work
previously and it shows. Even though this is a different
kind of Pixar movie, they kept the Pixar magic very much
alive plus a stronger hint of drama . . . interesting. But
maybe because of that fact this latest issue might be a
little less fun for kids compared to the others.
Unfortunately the screening I saw was not in 3D so I can’t
really comment on that, only speculate and I believe that it
would look impressive based on what I saw in 2D. Regardless,
to quote from the film:
Charles Muntz: Adventure is out there!
This one is worth the watch.
Film
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY: UP is presented in a stunning 1080P
widescreen with a 1.78:1 preserving its television format.
The transfer looks very clean with flawless pictures, giving
animation the clarity and smoothness that only high
definition can provide. Walt Disney Studios did a phenomenal
job in this production. Not only the picture looks excellent
in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby DTS
HD in English and 5.1 French and Spanish audio that provides
a nice complement to the picture. It also subtitles in
Spanish, French and English.
In terms of special
features the Blu-ray is loaded.
The highlights are the shorts "Dug's Special
Mission" which plays along with the movie. Also
includes the short "Partly Cloudy" which is the
theatrical short, plus a tons of documentaries covering
every details on how the film was made.
VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) Enhance for 16x9 TVs
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English DTS-HD Spanish and French
5.1
Subtitles - English, Spanish,
French
BONUS FEATURES:
Commentary by director Pete Docter and co-director Bob Peterson.
Dug’s Special Mission – An all new original short film that follows the
misadventures of Dug as he attempts to complete his “special mission.” The
short is directed by Up Story Supervisor, Ronnie Del Carmen.
The Many Endings of Muntz – Many ideas were hatched about how to dispose
of the film’s arch villain, Muntz, and now viewers can see the many alternate
endings proposed during story development.
Partly Cloudy –The hilarious short film that preceded screenings of Up.
Everyone knows that the stork delivers babies, but where do the storks get the
babies? The answer lies up in the stratosphere where the cloud Gus is a master
at creating “dangerous” babies, which prove to be more than a handful for his
loval delivery stork Peck. Directed by Pixar story artist, animator and voice actor
Peter Sohn.
Adventure is Out There – This action-packed documentary tells the story of the
filmmakers’ own trek to the tepuis mountains of South America to research the
design and story of the film.
Cine-Explore – A visual montage of concept art, clips and documentary
coverage that illustrates the directors’ commentary.
Geriatric Hero – A character study of Carl, from research to realization including
art and design, rigging, animation and story. It focuses on the issues of aging,
“simplexity”, shape-language and compelling character arcs.
Canine Companions – For anyone who ever wondered where CG puppies
come from, an introduction to the design, behavior and language of dogs.
Russell: Wilderness Explorer
– A character study of Russell from inspiration and design to finding the character arc and authentic voice for this wilderness
ranger.
Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin – Find out how avian research and
development at Pixar helped bring a mythical, 13-foot tall iridescent bird to life.
Homemakers of Pixar – Carl and Ellie’s house is an important “character” in the
film. Fans follow the development of the house from story to art to its ultimate
realization in the computer.
Balloons and Flight – Carl’s house and Muntz's dirigible presented the
filmmakers with two different problems—how could they make a physical
impossibility possible? And, in the case of the dirigible, how would they unearth a
fallen giant and let it soar?
Composing for Characters – Composer Michael Giacchino returns to score his
third Disney•Pixar feature film. See how the Up filmmakers collaborated with
Giacchino to create the memorable score and compelling musical themes.
Married Life – The original story concept that became the powerful “Married Life”
scene, showing Carl and Ellie’s love story.
Global Guardian Badge Game – Players try to locate countries, states and
capitals around the globe in a multi-layered BD-Exclusive geography game
enhanced by BD-Live.
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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VIDEO |
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