Up [Blu-Ray]

I seem to get more and more surprised with Pixar releases - the company continue to produce wonderfully imaginative films that are an alternative to the more standardised Disney-solo efforts these days. In my view, I feel that 'UP' represents the quality of film-making that Disney always used to aspire to back in the earlier hand-drawn days, though given a modern twist to appeal to a new audience which I think attracts both adults and children more equally. No doubt it is argued by many that both Pixar and Disney are responsible for some controversial decisions lately; more often than not, it was a minority of Americans that felt 'Wall-E' demonstrated environmental concerns, which was apparently a problem as were all supposed to sit on our backsides doing nothing, and that the protagonist in 'Princess and the Frog' has no right to be black, because Princess are supposed to be trim, pale figures with blonde hair (Courting a Prince with as much personality as a Prune. Sorry Walt!). The good news is that 'UP' has very little content for the P.C brigade to pick up on! After discussing the film with others, it was always the opening scenes of the film that came to conversation - a wonderful reel of sequences that fast-forwards the life of Karl Frederickson - a quiet young boy who aspires to venture out to the mystical Pleasure Island with his new friend, Ellie - both of them being avid explorers. But the Karl of the modern day is a grumpy old man who is in danger of being sent to an elderly folks home when the plots of land around his house are being developed for new buildings. Trust him to remember the joy he once had of having his own balloon stand in his younger days, eventually leading him to the quick conclusion that he could sail up, up and away with his beloved home and escape to the Island he always dreamed of... Despite my reluctance to give away more information, the film truly unfolds into an unexpected adventure. As to be expected from Pixar, the visuals are gorgeous and continue to exceed any films before it (possibly even Wall-E). The directing was noticeably very effective - key frames were well thought out, but the film never strays into a dizzying 3D environment, but rather having a more linear look in the layout terms which helps the travelling theme to the film. Whereas other CGI film companies tend to faff around with annoying camera angles and visual oddities, Pixar have always been careful to use the computer medium to its advantage - creating situations that would have been impossible with traditional animation techniques, yet never too far away to suggest we haven't learnt anything from the past 70 years. I also found the balance of 'Humour and Heart' perfect; granted, I read before writing this that many reviewers suggested their kids either cried too much or didn't laugh enough. Given that companies like Pixar will always be in the shadow of the Disney 'Golden Age', I can only laugh at such suggestions. Films like 'UP' are an incredible achievement when so many themes and standardisations have been run to ground in films over the years - to continue to produce such original content is what makes Pixar so special. The way they can balance Humour and Heart should be recognised as a fantastic quality, given how mushy and lifeless many "kids" TV/film content are these days (Hannah Montana? Yuck). If films like this are considered too distressing for 'darling children', I really don't recommend subjecting them to the wonderful morals demonstrated in films like Pinocchio (1940) - masterpieces of film-making. 'UP' possibly ranks as Pixars most adventurous outing, and no doubt one of their best along with the likes of Toy Story, Wall-E and Monsters Inc. In fact, the only issue I have with the product is that of Disney's incompetence regarding release schedules. I've found it quite frustrating that 'Fantasia' Diamond Edition has yet to be officially announced in the U.K, yet in the U.S, a trailer was released a month ago on their release of 'UP', available via BD Live, yet no trailer has even been put on this Blu-Ray/DVD. Whats even more puzzling is that the discs contain trailers from back in October! Come on Disney, all we want are dates... My only guess is that the trailer will be put on 'Dumbo', which is being released March 22nd if you're interested. That is currently available to Pre-Order, why not go check it out? To try and summarise though, I think 'UP' is just a genuinely heart-warming film that, granted, simple in plot, proves you can pack a lot of entertainment in to such a basic concept. The Blu-Ray is, as usual, of amazing quality and far more so than the DVD - bear in mind however that, as with any Blu-Ray, you are really only going to see the benefits to a good degree on a 30-inch and bigger Television. This is the point at which DVD's really become 'softer' and Blu-Rays only start to show how detailed they can be. To be fair however, our TV is only 26-inches and the difference is still wonderful. God help us when Green-Ray comes out! Then Purple... Regarding the other version of 'UP' that includes a "Digital Copy Disc", all that means is that it includes a disc that allows you to copy the film to your Computer so you can transfer it to an MP3 player with video play-back, or anything similar. Given that their are 'various' ways of easily ripping a DVD to ones computer anyway, the fact you could just 'place' the DVD in your computers drive to watch it (radical huh), and of course the fact that once you've used the Digital Disc its completely useless, I feel its poor value and wasteful on Disney's part. Never the less, I'm done ranting.

This film is truly superb. Personally I consider most Pixar films to be excellent, with The Incredibles and Wall-E as stand outs in an impressive line up of CGI films. I think Up is right there with them. When it comes the CGI animated films I believe that technically Pixar have no equal, and there is no drop in standards with Up. On Blu-Ray it's gorgeous, with smooth, rich colours throughout and pin sharp imagery. Textures are just right, with translucent balloons and dusty interiors all looking equally convincing in Pixars' slightly stylised way. The animation is spot on too. Everything has just the right amount of movement to convey the weight and momentum of the object in motion. All this would be for nothing were the story not up to scratch, but once again Pixar hit the bulls eye here too. The main character barely utters a word in the first twenty or so minutes, yet I found it to be more moving than most live action movies ever manage. All of the small cast are all excellent, but special mention must go to the 'talking' dogs - which to be honest had me in fits of laughter. Running at a brisk 96 minutes not a moment is wasted either. I suspect most people considering buying this will have already seen a Pixar film or two and if you liked those you'll love this. And if you already seen Up but are wondering whether the Blu-Ray is worth the extra I'd say definitely - the picture quality is faultless. Besides it also comes with a DVD and digital version in the box if you want the versatility of standard definition too. This is definitely a must buy for adults and kids alike.

Pixar films are always very well written, produced and presented. When it comes to Up they've used a very lovely cartoony style, the animation and quality are stunning, especially in Bluray, there's no faulting the actual visual experience to be had from this film. The story itself is imaginative and fun, it begins quite sadly though, a lot happens in a short amount of time and leaves you, as the viewer, feeling pretty rotton and sorry for the main character. But that soon changes, and is soon forgotton as the mood lifts and it creates a much more jovial atmosphere. That said, the story is a bit far fetched, of course, but keeps in line right up until about 3/4 of the way through. Here some things really push the plotlines to the edge of wierd. But luckily it's well written and done in such a way as to keep you interested despite the odd... obscurities. A brilliant film for the family, fantastic animation, great story and a great experience. Pixar, in my mind, have yet to put a foot wrong.

The film was great, has to rate as one off Pixar's best. For me the worst has to be Cars. Ok, there is the odd flaw in the storytelling, but that doesn't detract from what is a GREAT film. The reason is the emotional roller coaster you ride from start to finish. I won't go into detail about the story in case I give anything away, just get this film. My only gripe is with the Blu-Ray dvd. I like, sometimes need, subtitles. Although they are there in English for the main feature, they are not there for the extra features, which is confusing, as to why they are not there, and annoying, for the same reason.

まさかの新品で驚いてます。ありがとうございました

Arrived in great shape and in 2 days.

Aun no abro mi pelicula pero todo se llevo acabo muy rapido y bien. Todo seguro. Y lo mejor buenos precios.

With the advent of the 'Digital Copy', I can now load the movie into my ipod touch, and take it with me. This takes the step of ripping the original DVD to back up my copy for personal use out of the equation, and I don't have to feel like I'm doing something illegal. (Backing up something you have paid for, and want to last, is only prudent) This review is twofold, in that I personally really enjoyed this film. Also I want to commend Amazon for resolving an issue, literally within a minute of my complaint. First: This film is both going to tug at your heart strings, as the depth of the film reaches into the universal inevitability that we all are going to die. That we all love someone who is going to pass, and that it is a painful process. It will bring tears to your eyes. At the same time, the promise of new, different, and rewarding relationships are possible throughout life, and that all we need do, is be open to them. What a wonderful, funny, entertaining, and fulfilling story. It's colorful animation will entertain the kids, and the underlying 'grown-up' content is there for Mom and Dad. You will not be disappointed. As for the second part of my review, this deals with the professional side of Amazon, and why this company continues to be the success that it is. I ordered this film as a gift for my wife, for Valentines day. I was remiss, and found I was looking for a gift way late in the process. However! Amazon, offering Saturday, (Next day in my case) delivery would get the gift to my home, with one day to spare. This service was of course at a premium. I'm a Prime Member, and feel the service is well worth it. So I paid the $6.99 to get the item here by Saturday. As you may have surmised already, it did not make it on time. I was disappointed with Amazon, who has served me so well, for better then 12 years. The package arrived, Tuesday the 16th. With Monday being a holiday, I could understand that it did not get here then. But it was still later then promised. I found the contact by email button within the 'My Order's' portion of my account, and sent an email to Amazon, explaining my situation. I kid you not, within One Minute, they sent an email back to me, indicating that I would be receiving a refund of the $6.99 I paid, back to my MasterCard. That's customer service. Thanks Amazon. Get this movie. It really is great! :-)

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