I once mentioned in a previous review what it meant to be a perfect movie. Pixar’s latest animated adventure ‘Up’ is one of those films. It is a film that, while it can’t be physically or logically proved, seems to hit every right note. Everything is enjoyable; the characters, the story, the settings, everything. Not only does it achieve its goal, but it lands itself as one of the great family films, along with ‘Willy Wonka’ and ‘Mary Poppins.’ Its creativity is grand, its writing sharp, and its visual imagery unforgettable. It ranges from funny to sad, to romantic, to suspenseful, to classy, to childish, to stylized, to silly, all within an hour and a half. So, what makes a film like this so special?

Well let’s look at the story. It starts off with a shy little boy named Carl in the 1940s, who’s fascinated with worldwide explorer Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer). One day Muntz vows to bring back a live specimen of a rare bird from the wilds of South America after being told his bone samples of the animal are false. Though Muntz never returns, Carl remains Muntz’s biggest fan, or so he thought until he meets Ellie, a hyper, fast talking girl who enjoys Carl’s shy personality. Through a heartwarming montage, we see Carl and Ellie grow up, live their lives together and eventually part as Ellie passes away from old age. Now an old man himself, Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) becomes stubborn and cranky, refusing to leave his home, a house that building contractors want to tear down in order to build a new high-rise. After Carl violently loses his temper at one of the construction workers, he is deemed unfit to live in public society and is ordered to live in a retirement home; but Carl is not beaten yet.

Shown through a wonderful series of visuals, Carl ties thousands of balloons to his house and literally lifts it off the ground. His mission, find the wild lands where Muntz explored and live out the rest of his days there, just as he and Ellie had talked about as children. Unfortunately Carl has company, a peppy boy named Russell (Jordan Nagai) who was on Carl’s porch when the house lifted off. Having joined a sort of strange Cub Scouts knock off, Russell wants to travel with Carl on his adventure and see if he can put his outdoor training to the test; Carl is not as enthusiastic. Without giving too much away, Carl and Russell do explore the South American jungles and come across several interesting characters, including a dog who can speak through a robotic collar, the rare bird Muntz had been searching for, and even Muntz himself.

The film does very well in balancing humor, fantasy, and drama while keeping a very even pace throughout. It has humor for kids as well as adults and has heartwarming moments that will that will be touching to both. The visuals of the film are astounding as well; the imagery of the house floating by thousands of balloons will no doubt be cemented as one of the great animated images. It knows how to be slow and quiet so the emotional elements can sink in; but it also knows when to pick things up so that it doesn’t get too heavy handed. Even though it is a comedy, it has many epic qualities to it, making the emotional elements of every scene just as important as the action packed moments.

But what really holds the film together is the characters. Every single one of these characters could be the center of their own movie; they’re all funny, enjoyable, interesting, and entertaining to watch. I suppose if I did have to find some sort of flaw with the movie it’s how Muntz, who must be at least 20 years older than Carl, still looks roughly about the same age that Carl is. I suppose we could assume that sense he is such a technical genius he devised some sort of way to keep healthy and young, but the film never explains it. The 3D element is also only satisfactory; it doesn’t quite pop like ‘Monsters Vs. Aliens.’ But to be fair it never tries to show off the fact that it’s 3D; it’s more like a little bonus than a gimmick. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise outstanding movie. You can tell a lot of time and effort was put into this story, and it’s all up there on the screen for people to enjoy.

So who’ll like it? Most kids and adults will enjoy this film. Fans of fantasy and family adventure will have a wonderful time as well as feel touched by the film’s sentimental moments.

Who won’t like it? I suppose people looking for more adult/inside humor will find films like ‘Shrek’ or ‘Monsters Vs. Aliens’ more enjoyable. People looking for extreme use of 3D might also be a little underwhelmed.

My thoughts? This is one of the year’s best films. It’s bright and funny as well as insightful and warm. It is a film that wants to please everyone and surprisingly does so in the process. It’s funny thinking back to the first ‘Toy Story’ film and what a breakthrough for computer animation it was; I remember wondering where the art form would go from here, especially with Pixar. With films like this, that try to be more adult and yet still family friendly, the focus of this art form is looking stronger than ever. As long as they continue to outdo themselves, they will continually evolve not only animation but the studio itself. Many will say ‘Up’ is one of Pixar’s best, but for me, there’s no contest; it simply IS Pixar’s best.