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Up Review

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Up

Review Ratings

Art/Style: 
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
Production Value: 
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
Content: 
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
Personal Enjoyment: 
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
Overall Popularity: 
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
{
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6
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final_score: 8.6

Final Review Score

8.6 / 10

Amazing

Directed by Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) and co-directed by Bob Peterson, Up (2009) made history as Pixar Animation Studios’ tenth feature film and only the second animated film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Combining grief, aging, and adventure into a poignant narrative, the film demonstrated Pixar’s uncanny ability to balance heartbreak with hilarious high-adventure. In this detailed Up movie review, we explore how Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, colorful balloon physics, and Michael Giacchino’s Oscar-winning score forged a cinematic treasure.

The Balloon-Powered House, Paradise Falls, and the Wilderness Explorer

The story follows Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner), a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman who has grown bitter and isolated following the death of his beloved wife, Ellie. Faced with forced relocation to a retirement home after a neighborhood development dispute, Carl attaches thousands of helium balloons to his house, lifting it into the sky to fulfill a lifelong promise to Ellie: travelling to Paradise Falls in South America. However, Carl inadvertently brings along an unexpected stowaway: Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai), an overly eager eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge. Upon landing near Paradise Falls, the pair encounter a giant tropical bird named Kevin and a golden retriever equipped with a translating collar named Dug (voiced by Bob Peterson), bringing them into direct conflict with Carl’s childhood hero turned mad explorer, Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer).

The Legendary Opening Sequence, Vocal Craft, and Character Dynamics

The film’s opening four-minute dialogue-free montage chronicling Carl and Ellie’s life together—from childhood sweethearts to marriage, tragedy, and old age—remains one of the most emotionally devastating and brilliant sequences in film history. Ed Asner brings gruff warmth and deep grief to Carl, finding a perfect comedic foil in Jordan Nagai‘s energetic performance as Russell. Bob Peterson’s voice work as Dug provides unforgettable, innocent humor, while Christopher Plummer delivers a formidable antagonist in Muntz, serving as a dark cautionary tale of obsession.

Balloon Physics CGI, Tepui Landscapes, and Michael Giacchino’s Score

Pixar’s animation team achieved technical milestones in simulating the physical behavior, translucency, and light refraction of 10,297 individual balloons pulling Carl’s house through the clouds. The design team traveled to Mount Roraima in Venezuela to capture the unique, prehistoric rock formations (tepuis) and mist-covered cliffs of Paradise Falls. Composer Michael Giacchino earned a well-deserved Oscar for his iconic score, anchored by the waltz theme “Married Life,” which transforms musically throughout the film to reflect Carl’s emotional evolution.

The Final Verdict

Ultimately, this Up review celebrates a breathtaking, heartwarming, and timeless masterpiece of global cinema. Driven by Pete Docter’s brilliant direction, Ed Asner’s career-defining voice performance, breathtaking visual artistry, and a touching message about life’s true adventures, it stands as an absolute high mark for Pixar.

Information

  • Title: Up
  • Release Date: May 29, 2009
  • Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson (Co-Director)
  • Key Cast: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, Jerome Ranft
  • Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family

This post is part of Pixar Movies Ranked