A long way 'Up'

The movie "Up" has all the trappings of a childrens film: it's animated, rated PG, a kid is a main character, talking dogs. Yet after watching it, the themes and some of the messages may be a little much for younger audiences, but I think about teens and up would probably appreciate it a lot more. I thought the film was fantastic, and a nice, fun story.

The story revolves around Carl Fredericksen, who we see go from a young boy to an old man. After the love of his life, Ellie, a woman with adventurous tastes, dies, Carl is sad and grumpy, holding onto the house he shared with her as the world goes on without him. After an incident leads to Carl having to leave his home and enter a retirement home, he attaches thousands of helium-filled balloons to his house, hoping to travel to South America where he and Ellie had also yearned to go, but never had. Unwittingly, Carl finds another passenger on the home-made (pun intended) dirigible: Russell, a "Wilderness Explorer" (see: Boy Scout) that has been harassing Carl in the hopes of assisting him, a requirement for a certain badge. Russell is talkative and excitable, the opposite of the old Carl, who doesn't seem to like the bother of his unwanted passenger.

The two land in South America, but not quite where Carl had hoped, meaning they have to trek across land, holding the house by a hose while it floats along like a house balloon. That's the extent of the plot I'll give, but there's a lot more action from then on out. The obvious themes are there: the opening up of Carl, the friendship of Carl and Russell and Carl finishing his (and Ellie's) life-long adventure.

Undoubtedly my favorite part is the talking dogs, who can speak by way of a translation collar. This creates a lot of the laughs in the movie, and part of the reason is because the dogs' body language is so real and familiar for people who know dogs that it actually seems to be what the dogs want to say. One dog, Dug, says, "I hid under the porch because I love you," and that's what he meant. It's a great aspect of the movie, and if for no other reason, rent it for that; you'll really appreciate the talking dogs.

As I said, the plot doesn't seem to be a good movie necessarily for a younger crowd,but visually it is fine for any children. I thought it was great, and there is a pretty high demand for it over at Crazy Mike's. Apparently people have been calling and stopping to try and get it, so plan ahead if you want to watch.

8 out of 10 stars

My favorite part is the