Pixar's Up: A Shining Example of Excellence

Mere hours before going to see Up, I found myself ranting to a friend about the state of children's programs and films today. Perhaps I'm just an English major snob, but I find the vast array of mediocrity that we're offering children quite insulting: insulting not only to the adults forced to sit through them with their charges but also to the children that make up the target audience.

Why do I find works like High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Zoe 101 and most of the other kids' television programs and movies insulting? Because they assume their audience has no intelligence. Because they don't bother creating characters, they use two-dimensional, overly stereotypical stock characters. Because many times these shows and films don't even bother trying to do anything new or interesting, they simply recycle plot lines as overused and underdeveloped as the stock characters that inhabit them. Because they don't bother with character development or motivation. Because they assume that their young audience can't handle serious subject matter.

Why have I rambled and ranted so long about the shortcomings of children's programs and movies when I'm supposedly writing about Up? Because unlike the shows and films I ranted about, Up is a shining example of what family entertainment can (and should) be.

This movie definitely respects its audience and shows that respect by delivering a well crafted story with well developed characters, hilarious comedy and moving drama: there is plenty in this movie for both kids and parents (or 22 year old college grads!) to enjoy.

As I stated above, the characters in Up are well developed characters, not recycled stock figures. The characters are memorable and, for children's entertainment, unique. Rather than filling the cast with "hip" young characters or even a stereotypical family, Up's three main characters consist of a crotchety old man (Mr. Fredrickson), a sweetly awkward young boy (Russell), and an enthusiastic and loyal dog (Dug). Each character was different and endearing, and I was pleased with Pixar's choice to have such a wide age gap between the two human characters. While Russell's age was not out of the ordinary, it is rarer to see a senior citizen as a main character (probably due to America's tendency to hide the sick and the elderly so as not to be reminded of our own mortality).

Up weaves an entertaining and compelling story that is rich with both dramatic and comedic moments. What I dearly loved about the movie's comedic aspects was that they are diverse and genuinely funny. The film didn't rely only on prat falls and overused jokes for its humor. As with many of Pixar's movies there are jokes that the adults get that children won't and gags that kids will guffaw at while adults will only chuckle. Despite these differences in reaction the fact remains that, by and large, the humor in the film appeals to both the children and the adults in the audience. Comedy aside, what I loved about the dramatic portions of the movie was how touching and real they were. The film had its share of heartbreaking moments that were beautifully and creatively portrayed. In my opinion Up had the perfect blend of comedy and drama: enough dramatic moments to keep it from being simply a fluff piece and enough comedy so it wasn't too sad for family fare.

As I stated before, Up really sets the bar high for children's entertainment, providing a shining example of what it should be. Up presents a story filled with rich characters, entertaining comedy and moving drama. Most importantly (to me) is that Up achieves this by respecting its audience and trusting that its viewers can handle a mature, well crafted film. It doesn't try to "dumb down" for the children in the audience like the examples I criticized above. Instead Up operates on the assumption that, given the chance, children can understand and appreciate mature characters, situations and comedy.

If you haven't seen Up yet then you are missing out. Go buy it, rent it, borrow it (do anything but steal it) and watch it today!

"A children's story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. The good ones last. A waltz which you can like only when you are waltzing is a bad waltz...Nothing seems to me more fatal, for this art, than an idea that whatever we share with children is, in the private sense, childish and that whatever is childish is somehow comic. We must meet children as equals...The child as reader [viewer] is neither to be patronized nor idolized: we talk to him as man to man." - from C.S. Lewis's "On Three Ways of Writing for Children"