"UP"
(2009) (voices of Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai) (PG)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Minor	Mild	Extreme	Moderate	Heavy
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Extreme	None	None
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
None	None	Heavy	Moderate	Moderate

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QUICK TAKE:

Animated Comedy/Adventure: A 78-year-old widower uproots himself when he attaches balloons to his house and sets off for South America, unaware that an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer has unintentionally come along for the ride.

PLOT:

Carl Fredricksen (voice of EDWARD ASNER) always dreamed of traveling to South America, thanks to the adventures of legendary explorer Charles Muntz (voice of CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER) who traveled there in his zeppelin, "The Spirit of Adventure," in search of a prehistoric bird known as "The Monster of Paradise Falls."

Yet, Muntz never returned and Carl grew up to become a balloon salesman, happily married to his childhood sweetheart Ellie. Life, however, got in the way of their plans to visit Paradise Falls, and now that she's passed on and their house is the lone one left standing in their former neighborhood turned construction zone, Carl's become a 78-year-old curmudgeon.

Accordingly, he isn't happy to have 8-year-old Russell (voice of JORDAN NAGAI) knocking at his door. He's a Wilderness Explorer who needs his "assisting the elderly" badge to move up to the senior level, but Carl wants little to do with him.

Besides, he has bigger concerns, having whacked a construction worker for damaging his mailbox. With the court set to take his home away, Carl decides to take off -- literally -- via a massive array of helium balloons attached to his house. But he's unaware that Russell has become an unintentional stowaway, and after a rough thunderstorm encounter, they find themselves floating above South America.

With Carl's only desire being to put his house down at Paradise Falls, he and Russell become unlikely traveling companions, eventually joined by a large prehistoric bird that Russell names "Kevin." There's also Dug (voice of BOB PETERSON), a dog that can talk thanks to a technologically advanced collar and who was part of a pack led by Alpha (voice of BOB PETERSON), sent out by their master to capture "Kevin." From that point on, Carl and Russell try to walk their floating house to the falls, all while avoiding Alpha, the other dogs, and their master who believes the outsiders are after his prized bird.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

While older teens might think it looks too childish, younger ones will likely be interested in it, especially if they're fans of Pixar films.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG

For some peril and action.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

CARL is the 78-year-old widower/curmudgeon who, facing losing his home, attaches helium balloons to it and lifts off for South America. But he must contend with his unintentional 8-year-old stowaway, as well as an array of unusual animals and characters once he arrives and tries to walk his floating house over to his desired location. Missing his wife, that's his most precious goal, but he eventually comes around to having a new outlook on life.

RUSSELL is the 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer who unintentionally ends up in Carl's floating home. Up for the adventure, he sets out to help the old man on his quest, as well as keep "Kevin" the prehistoric bird out of harm's way.

CHARLES MUNTZ is an aged explorer who's still trying to clear his name from decades-old allegations of faking a discovery. Now living by himself with a pack of obedient dogs, the inventor does what he can to get his hands on "Kevin."

DUG is a talking dog -- thanks to a collar that translates his normal "dog" speech into human English -- that's been kicked out of Alpha's pack, but still desires to accomplish his command driven goal (finding and catching the bird), but then ends up helping Carl and Russell.

ALPHA is the steely leader of the pack, a Doberman who must not only contend with Dug's failure, but also having a malfunctioning collar that gives him the voice of a chipmunk.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this computer-animated comedy/adventure. No profanity is present, but a handful of colorful phrases are uttered.

Violence consists of attempts on others' lives (darts fired from machine guns, a sword attack), but most of that's played more for action-based adventure rather than realism. There's also some striking of others. That violence and various moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some younger viewers, while some of the action and stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate.

There's some brief alcohol content, and tense family material and related thematic elements are present. Some crude/scatological humor occurs, as do bad attitudes. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, a few scenes involve the camera looking down while moving along some great heights.

A short animated comedy, "Partly Cloudy," precedes the main pic and tells the tale of clouds in the sky being the creators of human and animal babies that are then delivered by storks. During this, one loner cloud's creations always end up being rough and tumble rather than cute and cuddly, and the assigned stork ends up taking the brunt of the young critters' actions. That includes a baby alligator that twice tries swallowing the stork's head (after biting off the cloud's finger that grows back) and a baby ram that head-butts the stork in the gut and then hits him several times more while being carried in the stork sack. A baby porcupine's quills end up stuck in the stork's hands (and he returns with them stuck in his head), while a baby electric eel shocks the stork (all played for comedy).

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

We see wine in a basket carried by Carl.

Some dogs open a bottle of champagne and sloppily pour that into glasses for Muntz and Carl (but no consumption occurs).

BLOOD/GORE

A man from a retirement home states that Carl is probably going to the bathroom for a multiple time today (explaining why Carl said to give him a minute).

Russell announces he has to go to the bathroom, with Carl telling him to go into the bushes to do his business. Russell excitedly walks off carrying some large leaves, saying he's always wanted to try that (presumably referring to using that as toilet paper). We then hear him ask Carl if one's supposed to dig a hole before or after (going) and then hear him figure that out by saying "before." We then see him finishing covering a small mound on the ground, but no fecal matter is viewed.

"Kevin" the prehistoric bird regurgitates Carl's walker that's now all covered in slime and goo.

Dug returns a wet and slimy tennis ball to Carl.

We see a little blood soaked through the bandage around "Kevin's" leg after Alpha jumped and snapped his jaws shut on that.

While attacking Carl, Muntz yells at him to "spit it out" (what he's trying to say), so Carl spits his wet dentures out at him.

"Kevin" the prehistoric bird regurgitates Carl's walker, and her chicks do the same with previously swallowed tennis balls that had been attached to the bottom of that.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Young Ellie states she stole a page out of a library book.

An anonymous construction boss tries to pressure Carl into selling his house.

After a large construction vehicle nearly knocks over his mailbox, Carl is quite mad and wrestles with a construction guy over the mailbox. That ends with Carl hitting that younger man on the head with his walker, resulting in a courtroom appearance.

Alpha and the other dogs aren't nice to Dug.

Muntz sends his dogs after Carl and Russell when he thinks they're after his bird, and even sets fire to the bottom of Carl's floating house to distract him from rescuing "Kevin." Other attempts on Carl and Russell's lives are made - via different means - several times again in the film.

FRIGHTENING SCENES

When viewed in 3-D, the following might have greater impact on viewers, especially very young ones.

We see Russell attached to the end of a rope from Carl's home, flying over the city, with Carl then accidentally dropping the rope and thus the boy. We don't see any impact and then see that this was just wishful thinking on Carl's part, with Russell safely inside the flying home with him.

The flying house ends up being sucked inside a dark and loud thunderstorm, with lots of lightning and both Carl and Russell being tossed about inside the house, with plates falling and breaking on the floor, all as Carl tries to catch more important falling things. During this, Russell jumps on his large backpack but ends up sliding toward the open front door, but it slams shut right before he gets there.

The flying house goes through low clouds and/or fog, barely avoiding vertical rock formations that fly by. The house then scrapes along the ground, sending Carl falling out ahead of it, with the bottom barely going over his head. He then races to grab a rope/cable and stop the house from going over the edge of a cliff, with Russell weighing him down just enough on his leg to stop that.

We see point of view footage of "Kevin" the prehistoric bird racing through the jungle avoiding dogs that are chasing after her, during which she also avoids various traps set for her and darts fired in her direction. The squeal of Carl's hearing aide eventually drives the dogs away.

"Kevin" the prehistoric bird acts menacingly toward Carl until Russell stops her.

Alpha (a steely looking Doberman) and his smaller minions act menacingly toward Carl and Russell, growling and barking at them before escorting them back to their master's cave through a canyon where the newcomers end up surrounded by more such dogs.

After believing Carl and Russell have come after the prehistoric bird he's been hunting for years, Muntz becomes paranoid and acts menacingly toward them. Carl and Russell manage to escape and flee Muntz's zeppelin, followed in hot pursuit by the dogs, with Carl and Russell jumping off a cliff, but half-floating down a rocky incline due to holding onto a rope attached to the floating house. During the chase, Alpha bites at Russell, but rocks fall on that dog and others, caused by Dug running along above them. Alpha then grabs Dug with his teeth and flings him off a cliff, but Dug lands somewhat below on the side and is okay. As the chase continues along a cliff's edge, Russell dangles from a rope attached to the floating house that knocks over various vertical rock formations. Everyone jumps on "Kevin" the prehistoric bird that leaps over a precipice, but Alpha jumps and grabs the bird by the leg. Alpha falls off (and other dogs plunge into the body of water at the bottom of the precipice), but "Kevin" crash lands, scattering the others across the rock surface. We then see that "Kevin" is injured, with Russell tending to her leg wounds (we see a little blood soaked through the bandage around her leg).

As "Kevin" tries to run back to her chicks, a net from above suddenly lands on her. As Carl and Russell try to help, Muntz then throws a lantern to the ground under Carl's house, starting a fire that then catches part of the bottom on fire. As Carl races to put that out (and succeeds), Muntz's dogs race over and drag the netted "Kevin" back into his zeppelin.

With a handful of balloons and a leaf blower, Russell sets off on a rescue mission after Muntz's zeppelin that's holding "Kevin" the prehistoric bird. Russell ends up banging into and then getting inside the zeppelin, only to be captured and then bound to a chair by the dogs. We then see a ramp at the bottom of the zeppelin being lowered, with Russell and his chair sliding down that, with Carl flying up just in the nick of time to grab the chair and thus save the boy's life.

Moments later, Russell ends up falling from the home and grabs hold of the garden hose that fully unwinds, leaving the boy dangling. Muntz then sends his dog minions out in biplanes to finish him off, and they fire dart-filled machine guns at him and the house.

Muntz comes at Carl with a sword, and after throwing Dug into another room (following the dog biting his leg), Muntz continues the assault, with Carl avoiding the blows or fending them off with his walker (at one point the latter hits both Muntz and Carl). Muntz then kicks Carl back and continues swinging at him, slicing through various displays in his zeppelin in the process. The zeppelin then lists in one direction, sending everyone sliding and Carl nearly out of the craft, while Alpha throws Dug aside and tries biting him. But Dug end up trapping Alpha's neck in a "cone of shame" and avoids any further attack.

Muntz pursues Carl outside the zeppelin, with Carl knocking him back down the ladder. Muntz then fires his rifle at the floating house's balloons, causing it to land and then slide along the zeppelin's surface toward the edge, with Muntz firing another such shot. With the house now adjacent to the zeppelin, Muntz uses the rifle to bang into the door that he then kicks open. He then goes inside, pointing his gun around, but "Kevin" the prehistoric bird then jumps through the window with Russell and Dug in tow, and they disappear from sight. Muntz then ends up falling from the house holding onto just a few balloons that only slow down his descent a little, but we don't see any impact. Carl is then relieved to see that Russell, Dug and "Kevin" the prehistoric bird are okay below him, hanging onto the zeppelin.

GUNS/WEAPONS

Rifles/Machine guns (that fire darts)/Sword: Carried and/or used to threaten or attempt to kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. A rifle or shotgun is fired at the back of a wedding ceremony as part of the celebration.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "The bee's knees," "Jiminy cricket," "So long, boys," "Oh, for the love of Pete," "Sheesh," "Cone of shame," "What a joke" and "That was cold."

The actions and stunts might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate.

Young Ellie states she stole a page out of a library book.

A rifle or shotgun is fired at the back of a wedding ceremony as part of the celebration.

Carl uses a leaf blower to try to drive away a construction guy by blowing air in his face. Later, Russell does that to some dogs as well as Muntz.

While kids obviously won't be able to lift their home with balloons, they might try to do the same with smaller objects, siblings or animals.

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous, and action-oriented music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

None.

PROFANITY

None.

SEX/NUDITY

None (although it's possible some viewers might read a shotgun fired at Carl and Ellie's wedding ceremony as representing a "shotgun wedding").

SMOKING

None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

During a montage, we see Carl and Ellie planning on having a family, but then see her getting some sort of bad news at the doctor's office and then looking sad after that (possibly indicating a miscarriage).

We see elderly Ellie in a hospital and then elderly Carl alone after what's presumably been her memorial service (no dialogue). Various subsequent scenes show him missing her.

Russell states that his dad isn't home much and is often away, thus not having the time to spend with the boy. He also states that Phyllis isn't his mom and that she states he (Russell) bothers his dad too much.

Carl watches in bittersweet melancholy as his house floats away and disappears into the clouds.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

How widowers or widows cope with the loss of their spouse.

Adventurers of the past and how they looked for exotic and "lost" worlds.

During a montage, we see Carl and Ellie planning on having a family, but then see her getting some sort of bad news at the doctor's office and then looking sad after that (possibly indicating a miscarriage).

Russell states that his dad isn't home much and is often away, thus not having the time to spend with the boy. He also states that Phyllis isn't his mom and that she states he (Russell) bothers his dad too much.

Russell stating that the boring stuff in his life is what he ends up remembering the most.

Comparisons to "The Wizard of Oz" and its "flying" house similarly transporting its character to a different world.

VIOLENCE

Young Ellie convinces young Carl to walk across a lone board in an old home's attic (to retrieve his balloon). He tries, but the wood breaks and he falls (we don't see the impact, but next see him with a cast on his arm). Young Ellie then ends up surprising him, accidentally causing him to hit himself on the head with that cast (all played for comedy).

After a large construction vehicle nearly knocks over his mailbox, Carl is quite mad and wrestles with a construction guy over the mailbox. That ends with Carl hitting that younger man on the head with his walker, resulting in a courtroom appearance.

As Carl lifts off in his home that's attached to many balloons, the bottom of the house scrapes across the top of a parked van and knocks over some aerial antennas elsewhere.

The flying house ends up being sucked inside a dark and loud thunderstorm, with lots of lightning and both Carl and Russell being tossed about inside the house, with plates falling and breaking on the floor.

After believing Carl and Russell have come after the prehistoric bird he's been hunting for years, Muntz becomes paranoid and acts menacingly toward them. Carl and Russell manage to escape and flee Muntz's zeppelin, followed in hot pursuit by the dogs, with Carl and Russell jumping off a cliff, but half-floating down a rocky incline due to holding onto a rope attached to the floating house. During the chase, Alpha bites at Russell, but rocks fall on that dog and others, caused by Dug running along above them. Alpha then grabs Dug with his teeth and flings him off a cliff, but Dug lands somewhat below on the side and is okay. As the chase continues along a cliff's edge, Russell dangles from a rope attached to the floating house that knocks over various vertical rock formations. Everyone jumps on "Kevin" the prehistoric bird that leaps over a precipice, but Alpha jumps and grabs the bird by the leg. Alpha falls off (and other dogs plunge into the body of water at the bottom of the precipice), but "Kevin" crash lands, scattering the others across the rock surface. We then see that "Kevin" is injured, with Russell tending to her leg wounds (we see a little blood soaked through the bandage around her leg).

As "Kevin" tries to run back to her chicks, a net from above suddenly lands on her. As Carl and Russell try to help, Muntz then throws a lantern to the ground under Carl's house, starting a fire that then catches part of the bottom on fire. As Carl races to put that out (and succeeds), Muntz's dogs race over and drag the netted "Kevin" back into his zeppelin.

Moments later, Russell ends up falling from the home and grabs hold of the garden hose that fully unwinds, leaving the boy dangling. Muntz then sends his dog minions out in biplanes to finish him off, and they fire dart-filled machine guns at him and the house.

Muntz comes at Carl with a sword, and after throwing Dug into another room (following the dog biting his leg), Muntz continues the assault, with Carl avoiding the blows or fending them off with his walker (at one point the latter hits both Muntz and Carl). Muntz then kicks Carl back and continues swinging at him, slicing through various displays in his zeppelin in the process. The zeppelin then lists in one direction, sending everyone sliding and Carl nearly out of the craft, while Alpha throws Dug aside and tries biting him. But Dug end up trapping Alpha's neck in a "cone of shame" and avoids any further attack.

As the biplanes continue their attack on him, Russell distracts the dog pilots, causing them to crash into each other, but all parachute out safely.

Muntz pursues Carl outside the zeppelin, with Carl knocking him back down the ladder. Muntz then fires his rifle at the floating house's balloons, causing it to land and then slide along the zeppelin's surface toward the edge, with Muntz firing another such shot. With the house now adjacent to the zeppelin, Muntz uses the rifle to bang into the door that he then kicks open. He then goes inside, pointing his gun around, but "Kevin" the prehistoric bird then jumps through the window with Russell and Dug in tow, and they disappear from sight. Muntz then ends up falling from the house holding onto just a few balloons that only slow down his descent a little, but we don't see any impact. Carl is then relieved to see that Russell, Dug and "Kevin" the prehistoric bird are okay below him, hanging onto the zeppelin.

Reviewed May 26, 2009 / Posted May 29, 2009

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