Finding Nemo is a Disney Pixar masterpiece and one of the best-animated movies I've ever seen. You can feel the immense love for this film as soon as it opens. I was blown away when I first saw it. I watched it several times after that because of how memorable it was! I'll write a non-spoiler review first before I write a spoiler review on Finding Nemo.
Non-spoiler review:
These are some deleted scenes from Finding Nemo. Finding Nemo isn't afraid to get dark and shows mature themes such as grief or loss. The humor is also great like in the scene when Dory plays with the other sharks.
Gill's origin story was borderline disturbing. It made me really think about his mental state and the mental states of the other fish.
The scene where Marlin and Dory finally find Nemo but Nemo is unconscious was very dramatic. It was also moving especially when we see how guilty Marlin feels over losing Nemo.
Story:
The story is about a clown-fish named Marlin who is overly cautious about his son, Nemo, who has a short fin. When Nemo swims too close to the surface to gain his father's trust, divers catch him as Marlin watches in horror. Marlin must rescue him. Along the way, he meets a blue reefed fish with short-term memory loss named Dory. They face sharks, jellyfish, and other dangers. Meanwhile, Nemo plots his escape from the tank.
I loved the adventure Finding Nemo puts you on. The scenery, the plot, the characters, the emotions all captivate you. You feel all sorts of emotions watching Finding Nemo such as fear, shock, joy, sadness, relief, and so on. Finding Nemo is a rare movie because almost every scene keeps you engaged with the story. It's also a rare movie with its ability to make essentially all the characters memorable.
Animation:
The animation in Finding Nemo is breathtakingly beautiful! It looked so real! I loved the full attention to detail, the different colors of light, the different shades used, etc. The animation was so detailed, you could distinguish between seawater and tank water!
Cinematography:
I loved the different camera shots used for Finding Nemo. I loved the use of first-person perspective in some scenes. It made them more intense.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack was incredible! The soundtrack was full of raw energy, tension, and emotion.
Acting:
The acting was phenomenal! The voice actors didn't just play the characters. They became the characters!
In conclusion, Finding Nemo takes you on an unforgettable journey from start to finish. I loved almost every scene of Finding Nemo! This truly is a movie everyone can love! I highly recommend you buy Finding Nemo on DVD!
Spoiler review:
Animation
The animation in Finding Nemo is breathtakingly beautiful! It looked so real! I loved the full attention to detail, the different colors of light, the different shades used, etc. The animation was so detailed, you could distinguish between seawater and tank water! The changes in lighting made scenes more suspenseful.
Story
The story is about a clown-fish named Marlin who is overly cautious about his son, Nemo, who has a short fin. When Nemo swims too close to the surface to gain his father's trust, divers catch him as Marlin watches in horror. Marlin must rescue him. Along the way, he meets a blue reefed fish with short-term memory loss named Dory. They face sharks, jellyfish, and other dangers. Meanwhile, Nemo plots his escape from the tank.
I loved the adventure Finding Nemo puts you on. The scenery, the plot, the characters, the emotions all captivate you. You feel all sorts of emotions watching Finding Nemo such as fear, shock, joy, sadness, relief, and so on. Finding Nemo is a rare movie because every scene is tense. It's also a rare movie with its ability to make essentially all the characters memorable.
The opening scene got me instantly hooked with its emotion and Marlin's promise to Nemo.
The scenes between the seagulls, Marlin, and Dory were genius as well as hilarious.
Bruce, the shark, was terrifying! It wasn't just his size that disturbed me. It was also his whole demeanor, his facial expressions, and his personality changes! I get the impression he and the other sharks are trying to trick the fish into becoming their next source of food. That's what made them scary. When Bruce smells blood and goes into a frenzy, my suspicions were correct!
I loved how there's no hero vs. villain trope. The characters simply do what's in their nature. The real "villain" is Marlin's mistrust of others and himself. The villain is Marlin's view that the world is a dangerous and unsafe place. The reality is the world is a neutral place.
One of the biggest reasons why Finding Nemo is so great is how natural the animals sound. They have unique almost human-like personalities. The changes in sound also were realistic.
Gill became a father figure to Nemo. Gill teaches Nemo to trust himself and face his fears. However, he learns Nemo can't do everything.
I loved the character development in Finding Nemo. Gill became a father figure to Nemo. Gill teaches Nemo to trust himself and face his fears because he wants to escape the fish tank. However, he learns Nemo can't do everything and regrets putting him in harm's way. Eventually, Gill helps Nemo by risking his own life. That was powerful.
Characters:
Marlin - He's often driven by anxiety and grief more than he is by love.
Nemo - he's like Marlin except he's more curious about the world and wants to be trusted.
Dory - I loved Dory's playful personality. Sometimes, she's too reckless for her own good.
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack was incredible! The soundtrack was full of raw energy, tension, and emotion.
Cinematography
I loved the different camera shots used for Finding Nemo. I loved the use of first-person perspective in some scenes. It made them more intense.
Acting
The acting was phenomenal! The voice actors didn't just play the characters. They became the characters!
Flaws
Finding Nemo had a few minor flaws. I disliked a crude subtle reference to a curse word. I didn't think that was necessary. Finding Nemo already had great humor that advanced the story.
I also didn't like the subtle reference to the Shining when Bruce chases Dory and Marlin. I feel like the creators didn't know how else to make Bruce scary so they included that. I wish Bruce's character could've been developed more.
Themes:
Finding Nemo tells the importance of trusting your family and not being overprotective of them. This is best explained in the Whale scene where Marlin says he promised he wouldn't let anything happen to Nemo then Dory said "you can't let anything happen to him..then nothing would ever happen to him!" Characters like Marlin believe the world is so dangerous but he learns the world is not that bad. He has to depend on some creatures who help him in his quest. He was so determined to protect Nemo that he failed to realize he couldn't do it alone. He needed others to help him. If he tried rescuing Nemo alone, he would've died in the process. Nemo also learned to trust himself and that's why they were saved from the fishermen at the near end of Finding Nemo!
In conclusion, Finding Nemo takes you on an unforgettable journey from start to finish. I loved almost every scene of Finding Nemo! This truly is a movie everyone can love! I highly recommend you buy Finding Nemo on DVD!
This review will cover the Incredibles, one of Disney Pixar's wonderful masterpieces. I'll give a non-spoiler review first before giving the spoiler review.
Story:
The plot is about Mr. Incredible and Elastagirl who are forced to live with secret identities after the Government bans superpowers. While Mr. Incredible loves his family, he craves adventure and his superpowers. He gets a chance to go on an island and fight a robot but needs to be saved.
The plot was creative and original. The Incredibles wasn't a typical superhero about superheroes needing to save the world. The superheroes in the Incredibles aren't wrapped in typical superhero ideals. The story was about a family struggling to live regular lives. The humor in this film was great. It didn't need excessive crude humor to be funny.
I loved the Incredibles because it tackled various complete, mature, and dark themes. This is a list of my favorite deleted scenes that were supposed to be in the film and serve as examples.
In the first deleted scene, Mrs. Incredible (AKA Elastagirl) has a conversation with another woman on work. Her friend looks down on her for being a stay-at-home mother. I thought this gave a good social commentary on how mothers are looked down on. People don't consider women having kids as a serious form of labor but being a mother and a wife is very challenging. Mothers have to give so much of themselves for others. It also showed the real struggles superheroes would have to go through to keep their identities a secret. Superheroes have to feign vulnerability which leads to immoral behavior as we see later.
Snug, Mrs. Incredible's ex-boyfriend, takes her and her kids to find Mr. Incredible. He subtly mentions their past and in a way, tries to court her. He didn't respect the fact she was a married woman. We can figure out why they broke up. When he dies, I was surprised the Incredibles planned on including death in a children's movie.
The scene where Mrs. Incredible confronts Mr. Incredible on the possibility of him cheating was also shocking and intense. He explains himself and she feels guilty for her suspicions. She later has a somewhat disturbing dream of him being with other women while she's stuck in a washing machine.
This scene was powerful because it showed Mrs. Incredible's insecurities. She's afraid of being abandoned and used. She's afraid of being stuck in a loveless marriage where she's burdened with responsibilities. This is what makes the characters in the Incredibles movie relatable and memorable.
I loved the tension in almost every scene of the Incredibles. I disliked one crude joke although it was a very small flaw with the movie. It didn't add anything to the story and seemed to appeal mostly to adults.
Characters:
I loved the appearance of the Incredibles characters. Although their superheroes, they look more like a family.
Cinematography:
I loved the close-up camera shots of the characters. I loved seeing the characters' facial expressions.
Animation:
I loved the animation because of its special shapes and colors. Some characters are round, some are square-shaped, the list goes on. Some vehicles are square-shaped or rectangular. There's many different types of lighting and colors. The animation was amazing.
Soundtrack:
I loved the music to the Incredibles. It fit the film so well and sounded like it was made in the 20th century. It reminded me of the movie - Mission Impossible. Some of the Incredible's film score was very catchy like "road trip." The soundtrack made you want to go on an adventure.
Dialogue:
The dialogue was usually intense in some way. I loved how the dialogue revealed much of who the characters in the Incredibles were.
Acting:
All of the voice actors in the Incredibles were amazing and believable.
In conclusion, the Incredibles is a masterpiece with timeless themes and a memorable story. The characters were compelling and lovable. I highly recommend you buy the Incredibles on DVD!
The plot is about Mr. Incredible and Elastagirl who are forced to live with secret identities after the Government bans superpowers. While Mr. Incredible loves his family, he craves adventure and his superpowers. He gets a chance to go on an island and fight a robot but needs to be saved.
The plot was creative and original. The Incredibles wasn't a typical superhero about superheroes needing to save the world. The superheroes in the Incredibles aren't wrapped in typical superhero ideals. The story was about a family struggling to live regular lives. The humor in this film was great. It didn't need excessive crude humor to be funny.
I loved the unpredictability in the Incredibles. When Mrs. Incredible urges Violet to use her powers to block the missiles from destroying the plane - I thought Violet was going to do it. I was shocked when she didn't because she was afraid and lacked confidence.
At the beginning of the film, the citizens loved the superheroes but they expected more and more from them. The citizens wanted superheroes to capture criminals quickly and without destroying the city. It was realistic.
While the Incredibles were superheroes, they were far from perfect. They broke some moral codes which made the conflict in the Incredibles realistic. The scene where Mr. Incredible's boss calls him to his office for a reprimand was one of my favorites because of its intensity and what it revealed about the characters. While his boss wasn't a supervillain, he was still a villain judging by his bullying behavior and disregard for the man who got mugged. This scene exposed how villains in society can have high positions of power even if they never committed a crime. Mr. Incredible using violence against him also revealed the disturbing truth about superheroes. The dinner scene showed how dysfunctional the Incredibles family was. Superheroes can also abuse their powers and exhibit villainous traits.
Another one of my favorite scenes was the scene between Syndrome first meets Mr. Incredible for the first time. It revealed Mr. Incredible's mistake in rejecting him at first. We can guess its because Mr. Incredible saw Syndrome as inferior due to his lack of superpowers. Mr. Incredible was only sorry because Syndrome became a villain.
One of the disturbing pieces of information revealed in the Incredibles was the fact Syndrome killed many superheroes before.
Another one of my favorite scenes was the argument between Mr. Incredible and Mrs. Incredible. It was powerful because we learned what the characters really thought of each other. Mr. Incredible was devoting less time and energy to his family. Its like he didn't want to be there. Maybe he didn't want to be a father and husband. Mr. Incredible pointed out how unfair Mrs. Incredible was being to Dash, her son. He was right as she expected Dash and Mr. Incredible to pretend to be average.
Another is the scene where Mr. Incredible captures Syndrome's girlfriend and threatens to kill her but Syndrome dares him to. Syndrome knows Mr. Incredible knows he can't do it, nullifying his strength. However, Syndrome's girlfriend feels betrayed and ultimately helps Mr. Incredible so Mr. Incredible's move worked after all.
The humor in this film was great. It didn't need excessive crude humor to be funny.
I loved the tension in almost every scene of the Incredibles. I disliked one crude joke although it was a very small flaw with the movie. It didn't add anything to the story and seemed to appeal mostly to adults.
Characters:
I loved the characters because they were well-developed and believable. They were deeply flawed as well as gifted with superpowers. I loved the appearance of the Incredibles family. Although their superheroes, they look more like a family.
Syndrome - He's a prime example of how the Incredibles' create a dark tone in the story. He originally wants to be like Mr. Incredible for the wrong reasons. When it's revealed he becomes a villain, I was quite surprised and disturbed. Syndrome was a special villain because he's not evil for the sake of being evil. He doesn't necessarily plot to destroy. He had a plan to give everyone superpowers so superheroes wouldn't be special anymore. This plot is to get revenge on Mr. Incredible for rejecting him because Syndrome didn't have superpowers.
Mr. Incredible - Mr. Incredible wanted adventure and the need to be needed. I feel like he's a superhero partially because he loves the attention and thrill of it. He struggles to live as a regular citizen but he knows he's not. This habit of dishonesty is what makes him lie to Mrs. Incredible about his whereabouts when he's called to the island.
Mrs. Incredible (AKA Elastagirl) - She's very assertive and strong-willed which makes her attractive. She is supportive of her husband in some areas. Mrs. Incredible's flaw is not being completely empathetic to her family's needs. We see this when she threatens to ground her children if they despair. She had unrealistic expectations of her family. For almost the whole movie, she conditions Violet to not use her powers. Because of this, Violet doesn't have the confidence to use her powers when she desperately needs it the most.
Mr. Huph - He was a bully and felt the need to intimidate Mr. Incredible.
Dialogue:
The dialogue was usually intense in some way. I loved how the dialogue revealed much of who the characters in the Incredibles were. The perfect example is the argument Mrs. Incredible had with Mr. Incredible.
Animation:
I loved the animation because of its special shapes and colors. Some characters are round, some are square-shaped, the list goes on. Some vehicles are square-shaped or rectangular. There's many different types of lighting and colors. The animation was amazing.
Soundtrack:
I loved the music to the Incredibles. It fit the film so well and sounded like it was made in the 20th century. It reminded me of the movie - Mission Impossible. Some of the Incredible's film score was very catchy like "road trip." The soundtrack made you want to go on an adventure.
Acting:
All of the voice actors in the Incredibles were amazing and believable.
Cinematography:
I loved the close-up camera shots of the characters. I loved seeing the characters' facial expressions.
Themes:
I loved the Incredibles because it tackled various mature and sometimes dark themes.
I think the Incredibles gave a dark theme about the dangers of isolation. When Syndrome was a child, he wants to be Mr. Incredible's sidekick but Mr. Incredible rejects him because Mr. Incredible worked alone. This attitude contributed to Syndrome being a villain. Syndrome internalized this rejection and believed he wasn't a good person. Mr. Incredible could've stopped Syndrome from going down a dark path by being a good role model but he didn't.
The Incredibles gave a good message on the importance of family and the need to unite. Mr. Incredible's flaw was his need to do everything on his own because he didn't want to lose people. The irony is he would've lost them like he lost Syndrome. Why? Because he refused to acknowledge his weaknesses and how he affected others. If he fought the creature at the end, he would've been killed.
The Incredibles was a dark movie because it sometimes blurred the lines of superheroes and villains. The superheroes for much of the film broke the law and committed immorality. It makes you think whether the superheroes are no better than the villains.
In conclusion, the Incredibles is a masterpiece with timeless themes and a memorable story. The characters were compelling and lovable. I highly recommend you buy the Incredibles on DVD!
The Soul disney pixar movie stood out to me because of its predominantly black characters and emotionally powerful story. I love the Soul Disney Pixar movie for it's profound themes, humor, memorable characters, list goes on. This review will have spoilers.
Story:
The Soul Disney Pixar movie is about Joe Gardner, a middle school band teacher who's life doesn't go as planned. He's passionate about Jazz but when he travels to another realm and helps another being find its passion - he learns the meaning of soul.
I loved how the Soul Disney Pixar movie portrayed blacks realistically in regards to their mannerisms, culture, speech, etc.
I loved how Joe hated Jazz at first until his father took him to a Jazz club and Joe falls in love with Jazz after hearing it.
I loved the character development in the Soul Disney Pixar movie. Joe was selfish and didn't care about the spiritual realm he was in. Eventually he realizes life is more than just your career. 22 originally doesn't want to live on earth because it's worthless in her mind. Joe could've been a lost soul had he continued in his selfish ways and stayed disconnected from life. 22 doesn't see the purpose of life which is why she refuses to go to earth.
The animation of lost souls disturbed me especially when Joe saw 22 in the body of the lost soul and heard her insecurities.
I loved the ambiguity of the ending in the Soul Disney Pixar movie. We don't know which body Joe Gardner and 22 end up in.
Scenes:
I'll analyze my favorite scenes from the Soul Disney Pixar movie. We're introduced to Joe Gardner doing band practice with his students in a classroom that's poorly funded. First of all, I love how accurate this scene is. When I was in elementary school, kids dressed and behaved as shown in the the Soul Disney Pixar movie. They were fooling around and not taking music seriously. Joe dislikes this judging from his cringe but tries to instill his passion for Jazz in his students despite the situation he's in. The girl (Connie) plays the trombone with passion. When she stands up, we can see she's the only one who took music seriously. Nevertheless, she loses confidence when the class makes fun of her. She doubts herself when she points out she's 12 years old. The school is poorly funded probably because of institutional racism against blacks and society doesn't take music seriously in school. I loved the sense of humor in this scene. Joe's work seems to pay off when he plays the piano in front of the kids and they simply watch in amazement.
Soul started with a strong opening because we not only learn Joe is passionate about Jazz that he doesn't care about money, he also wants to inspire others to be like him. I love how Soul reveals to us who the characters are through body language. When Joe looks at a picture of Dorthea Williams in the classroom and presumably his favorite Jazz musicians, we learn he idolizes them.
Joe's flaws are revealed early in the Soul Disney Pixar movie. He's selfish. For example, when he tells his story to Connie - he doesn't stop and think if she can relate. Another flaw is he's not completely honest about his feelings towards others. This is shown when he tells the school principal "you're doing my ears a favor." His student gets offended and Joe says "not you! You're good!" but secretly tells the principal he's not.
When he talks with his mother, we can see what kind of person she is. She doesn't completely support him. It seems she only loves him for who she wants him to be. When his old friend, Curly, calls Joe - we see Joe is humble.
When Joe rehearses with Dorthea Williams and the rest of the band, we can see Dorthea is not impressed at first. This is probably because of so many musicians who failed to meet her standards as a pianist. This also suggests performing on stage with Dorthea Williams isn't what Joe is expecting. Joe can't see it because he's blinded by a fantasy and idol worship of her. This will play a bigger part later in the film. Joe plays the piano and gets into "the zone." This is likely when he somehow opens a connection with the soul realm later in the Soul Disney Pixar movie.
When Joe's so excited that he finally got the job, he carelessly moves around and nearly gets in accidents. From this scene, we can see Joe's weakness. He cares too much about his career that he doesn't care much about his wellbeing. He believes life's purpose rests on your actions, namely his dream career.
In the scene where 22 in Joe's body tutors Connie was powerful. Connie is on the verge of quitting. We can probably infer Connie has been trying hard to practice playing the trombone but couldn't meet her own expectations. When 22 sees Connie play the trombone, 22 understands Connie loves music although 22 can't empathize with her. Connie realizes she loves music too much to quit.
I loved the barber scene where Joe Gardner had a talk with the barber about something other than music. It really showed Joe's flawed view of life. Joe was too busy focusing on his passion, he forgot about connecting with others.
The scene where Joe Gardner argues with his mother was powerful. We learn Libba has never supported Joe's dream career because she didn't want him to struggle like his father. She eventually supports him.
The ocean scene was also quite impactful. Joe should've been happy he finally got the dream career he wanted but he wasn't. He was expecting more. Dorthea Williams told him the story of a fish to basically tell Joe he had unrealistic expectations.
The scene where Joe realizes life is about living and his connections with others. He realizes life is much greater than having the ideal career. Throughout most of the Soul Disney Pixar movie, he was selfish and thought of only himself. He was insecure about his ability to achieve his ideal career.
There's a deleted scene where Joe goes into his dream and debates whether to go back to his body or not. This gave the Soul Disney Pixar movie a somewhat sadder tone.
In another deleted scene, 22 admitted to Joe she wanted to go to earth but regretted it because it was a lonely place. She wasn't wrong. I think the Soul Disney Pixar movie depicted that well. If this scene was kept, it would've given the Soul Disney Pixar movie a darker tone.
Dialogue:
The dialogue felt very natural and humorous. I loved how the Soul Disney Pixar movie's dialogue stood out from other movies. Ever since 22 manifested itself in Joe's body and Joe in a cat's body, they have to work together to speak for each other.
Cinematography:
I loved the cinematography. The beautiful camera shots of vast amazing landscapes show how life is larger than Joe Gardner.
Animation:
The Soul Disney Pixar movie's animation was breathtaking and amazing! It looked so realistic! The soul world looked phenomenal! I didn't expect that kind of animation. I loved the "living line" animation.
The animation in the Soul Disney Pixar movie helped the storytelling in a dramatic way. For example, when Joe goes in the zone at the beginning of Soul - the color change beautifully shows Joe's disconnection from reality in his trance state. In the scene where Dorthea tells him the story of the fish - the light goes out after she leaves. He's left in the darkness to ponder her words. The darkness symbolises Joe's ignorance of life. The light goes out as if his world is telling him getting his dream job won't change the poverty and disconnection around him.
Soundtrack:
I loved how the Soul Disney Pixar movie blends Jazz with ambient music in the soul world which sounded so calming. It sounded like the music you would play to help with meditation. It was ethereal, supernatural, and electrifying.
Themes:
I loved the overall theme of life being more than just your passions. We live in a toxic culture where your life's purpose is determined by your contributions to society. Your real purpose is to simply exist. Life is about experiencing everything - good, bad, pain, pleasure, etc. Your connections with others and yourself are what ultimately matter. There's a huge danger in turning passion into an obsession and becoming disconnected from life. This is the concept behind the lost souls.
We should teach people to simply live rather than try to justify our existence on this Earth when such justifications aren't necessary. We're already born with purpose and value.
Characters:
Joe Gardner - I love Joe because he's a well developed and has a great personality.
Connie - While she's a supporting character, she has a huge impact on Joe.
Curly - He's a side character who loves Jazz and Joe Gardner.
I loved almost all of the characters because they're relatable.
Acting:
The voice actors did an amazing job. Every voice actor sounded so natural. I felt they really wanted to be in the movie and not just because they were getting paid to.
Flaws:
While I loved the Soul Disney Pixar movie, I thought the movie did have some serious flaws.
The first major flaw was its subtle form of racism against blacks. While the Soul Disney Pixar movie had black characters, we didn't get to explore their world as much as we did the soul world. Furthermore, Joe Gardner wasn't in his body for most of the film. It was technically a white character. Meanwhile, Joe was stuck in the body of a cat. This sends the message it's not ok to be blacks, blacks are animals, and ignorant. I wasn't expecting the concept of souls to be featured in the Soul Disney Pixar movie. I was hoping to watch a movie with a story about black characters with a powerful message on Jazz all the way through. Unfortunately, I didn't get that.
The second major flaw with the Soul Disney Pixar movie was the ending. Personally, I felt like Joe Gardner should've gone to the great beyond after trading his place with 22. I loved how he realizes his spark wasn't his purpose. It was his act of living and giving life to others such as 22. He gives up his Earth pass, gives it to 22, and explains he's already lived on Earth. The story is naturally flowing in the direction of him going to the great beyond until Terry decides to give him another chance. The natural flow stops and after that, his choice to return to Earth feels forced for the sake of fan service. I feel the Soul Disney Pixar movie could've been more powerful if Joe Gardner went to the great beyond, we would've learned Joe was fine with living his life and willing to sacrifice himself so someone else could live. We would've learned Joe became dissatisfied with achieving his dream career and thus had no motive to live anymore.
Overall, I loved the Soul Disney Pixar movie regardless. I thought it was quite memorable. If you want a movie with powerful themes, humor, and a story based on the afterlife then the Soul Disney Pixar movie is a film for you. I highly recommend you to buy it on DVD through Amazon!
I hope you enjoyed this review!
up the film is an incredible and emotionally-moving masterpiece from Disney's Pixar with a powerful message on society's treatment of the elderly, relationships, life's purpose, along with other complex themes.
up the film is about an old man named Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year old balloon salesman who is about to fulfill a life-long dream. He ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies to the South American wilderness but his worst nightmare is when he finds a boy named Russell aboard the house.
I'll give a non-spoiler and spoiler review. The non-spoiler review will try to cover what's in the trailer and how I felt about up the film.
Non-spoiler review
When I saw the beginning of up the film, I walked out not because it was a bad movie. It was because i was so overwhelmed with emotion, I couldn't continue watching. I was a teen at the time. I was terrified of facing my future. I got really upset at how fast life passed. People pressured me to do my best to become successful by having a career, a house, education, and other things. I was looking for an escape from my problems and boring life. I felt like people held me to unrealistically high expectations. I resented people for not understanding why I wasn't trying my best. I didn't know what I wanted to do in life or how my future would look. The escape from reality for me was focusing so much on finding a relationship. I was so devastated at the thought of working so hard to get what you think makes you happy and loved by all only to see it disappear. When you're old, it feels like everyone including your spouse leaves you. It feels like people advantage of you, your accomplishments, your gifts, your body, your personality, money, etc. When you can no longer offer anything more as an elderly person, society isolates you with your kind then forgets about you.
I was very demoralized by these emotions. The thought of forming a relationship, the main form of escape from reality for me at the time, only to watch it disappear destroyed me. The thought of meeting unrealistic expectations and working so hard to be successful only to watch it disappear completely broke me. I thought "wow! This is the thanks i get for everything i do for society? What's the point in life if this is my future?"
After I processed my emotions, I watched it again. For a children's movie to get someone my age to react the way I did speaks volumes. That's what made up the film so memorable.
The animation
I loved the animation in up the film because it was so detailed and also helped us understand the characters better. Carl's unique square figure made him stand out from round characters like Russell.
Voice acting
I love the voice acting. Russell's voice was not a stereotypical child voice. It felt authentic as did all of the characters.
The cinematography
The cinematography also develops the story as well as reveal some of the most beautiful scenery. Wide camera shots reveal how small characters like Carl are in the beautiful landscape.
The soundtrack
Up the film's soundtrack is amazing. Not only does it sound like music from the 20th century, it adds so much emotional depth to the story.
The characters
I loved how deep the main characters were. They were well developed and three-dimensional. The side characters were also interesting.
The themes
I loved how up the film made an old man the main character rather than a child. It sends a powerful message that just because you're old, doesn't mean you have to live a sad life in isolation and despair. You can have a grand adventure at any age.
In summary of the non-spoiler review, up the film is a powerful movie with an inspiring and healing message. Its an adventurous story full of hope, joy, imagination, nature, etc. I highly recommend buying it on DVD. If you want to do that, please click the Amazon link below.
Spoiler review
The characters
I loved how up the film made all of the characters relatable and memorable.
Carl - I could completely relate to Carl. When he meets Ellie as a child, he stutters and he's anxious. I loved Carl's youthfulness, desire for adventure, passion, and inspiration. He looked up to Charles Muntz as a role model which is admirable. It brings back memories of when i was a child and full of life, inspiration, imagination, etc.
Ellie - I loved how up the film introduces Ellie who is an extremely sweet and lovable character. Carl hears a girl's voice in an abandoned house which makes him curious. He slowly creeps in and checks until he meets someone who's just like him. The only difference is Ellie feels more assertive and bold than Carl at the beginning of up the film. She inspires him to be courageous when she urges him to get his balloon. She cares for his well being evidenced by her bringing him his balloon at night.
Even as Ellie grows old, she still has the same enthusiasm and energy for an adventure like she did when she was a child.
Russell - Russell is a lovable and admirable character. He's like young Carl except he never looked up to Charles Muntz and formed his own identity instead evidenced by his clothes. Russell is vital to the story because he's what motivates Carl to continue his adventure.
Kevin - I loved Kevin's beautiful colorful design. Kevin was an important part of up the film because Russell loved animals. Kevin had a strong personality despite not talking. Kevin's kind to those who are kind to her but mean to those who aren't.
I loved how all of these characters needed each other in a way to form a family.
Charles Muntz - He's an interesting villain. He doesn't just do things for no reason. Assuming Charles Muntz was alive for the whole movie, we can infer his obsession over his career and grief over loss turned him into a villain. Muntz is a disturbing villain because he was willing to kill Carl and Russell to achieve what he wanted.
The story
up the film's story was very interesting from the beginning to end. It's a creative story about an old man trying to process grief through adventure. The movie introduces Charles Munz and his quest to explore paradise falls, a place unknown to civilization which is interesting.
There were several powerful symbols in up the film. I loved the idea of tying a bunch of balloons to a house and watching it fly. The house was a strong symbol of Carl's need to live in the past free from the rest of the world. When he talks to Ellie looking at the house, it's like he's talking to her house in heaven. When he has the house fly with balloons the first time, it gives a subtle and sad picture of Carl trying to fly into heaven to be with her.
Adding wearable tech. to Charles' dogs so they could talk was imaginative. It showed how much Charles loves dogs.
I loved how up the film leaves some aspects of the story ambiguous. For example, while it's revealed Charles Muntz is a villain later in up the film - one could argue he was a villain all along. When the scientists accuse Charles' of fabricating evidence at the beginning of the up film, notice Muntz body language. He looks villainous rather than heroic. It's interesting to note it's never explicitly stated whether he fabricated evidence or not.
Some theorize when Carl met Charles Muntz later in the film, Charles was an imposter when you compare their physical features. It's quite possible the imposter killed the real Charles Muntz.
Others theorize Carl actually died from a broken heart shortly after Ellie died and we simply saw his journey in the afterlife.
up the film does a great job in building tension in several scenes such as when Carl and Russell reach paradise falls.
The character development:
The characters in up the film grow dramatically and organically.
Carl realizes he and Ellie are old but he still has yet to take Ellie to paradise falls.
up the film does a splendid job in helping Carl grow as a character. After Carl loses Ellie, he becomes more cynical and pessimistic about life. You can see this as Carl sits alone mourning her loss for the whole day at her funeral before going into the darkness of his home. You can especially see the darker side of his character in the mailbox scene where he hits the construction worker out of anger. Carl's treatment of Russell at the beginning of up the film mostly shows his bitterness and darker character.
Carl only seeks to travel to paradise falls to fill the void left by Ellie's death and guilt over not taking her there.
I tried hard not to walk out again when up the film revealed Charles Munz was a villain. That was so devastating. I can't imagine the pain i'd feel if my childhood role model betrayed me in that manner. Its important to note Charles is a reflection of what Carl could be if he didn't resolve his grief over Ellie's death and bitterness with himself over not taking her to paradise falls.
One of the darkest scenes of up the film is the scene where Russell confronts Carl about a broken promise to keep Kevin no matter what. Carl has an outburst and in a way, rejects Dug along with Russell. Carl despairs and declares he's going to paradise falls with or without them. When he reaches paradise falls, the view is beautiful but you can tell Carl still feels unsatisfied. The absence of music sends a powerful message although Carl kept his promise to Ellie, he didn't receive the joy he expected. He goes back into the house and reads the Adventure book as if he's trying to find guidance on how to live his life after reaching paradise falls. When Russell throws him his explorer badges, Russell symbolically rejects Carl.
Gradually however, Carl lets go of his past symbolically. For example, in the scene where he takes out the items in his house so the house can fly and chase Russell. It's as if Carl refuses to let memories weigh him down. Carl once again meets Dug who helped Carl see Russell as a loyal loving person.
The last scene where Carl fights Charles Muntz shows one of Carl's final stages of character development. Carl is willing to let go of his past (the house being a symbol of it) to save his future (namely Russell). In contrast, Charles is not and that's why he died. Carl is not only shocked Muntz died but he died so quickly. For Carl's life, he believed Muntz to be invincible.
Russell also goes through character development in some form. He's willing to sacrifice a ton to save Kevin from Charles Muntz.
Russell subtly implies he had a neglectful father with a step-mother who apparently didn't want his father seeing Russell anymore. By the end of up the film, Carl becomes his new father. Symbolically, this is when Carl resolves his grief over losing his first child with Ellie at the beginning of the movie. The ending was heartwarming and emotional as we see Carl eating ice cream with Russell, enjoying the simplicity of life.
The dialogue
I loved how up the film had little to no character dialogue in some scenes especially the beginning. The storytelling was done mostly through the character's body language and environment.
The dialogue can be intense at times like in the scene where Muntz suggests Carl and Russell are lying about Kevin.
The dialogue felt very natural and dramatic. It had good subtext. For example, when Russell talked about his family - Carl feels bad so he recommends Russell get some sleep. Carl was indirectly trying to give him some comfort from sad memories.
The most powerful line Carl says in up the film is "I didn't ask for any of this!" It summarizes his feelings of all the tragedies he endured..
I love the humor in up the film mostly conveyed through dialogue. The monologue playing while Carl is imagining himself being Charles Muntz was funny.
The cinematography
up the film's cinematography was spectacular. In the opening scene, we see Charles from a lower angle to see how grand his demo. is. We see a beautiful view of the neighborhood and its time period from a wide shot of the place.
When the cam. zooms in on Carl's feet as he leaps over a small rock for example, up the film effectively illustrates young Carl's imagination and need for adventure.
In the balloon house scene, Carl walks out of his home as the camera gives a full view of the construction workers rebuilding the area around his home. The camera angle makes you feel like society treats seniors like second-class citizens.
The scenes
I'll give my thoughts on some of my favorite scenes of up the film.
The monologue at the beginning of up the film shows how much Carl wants to be like Charles Muntz and go on an adventure like him.
The montage scene was perhaps the most powerful scene of up the film. Ellie and Carl grow up to build their own world from the abandoned house where they first met as children. At Ellie and Carl's wedding, you could see the stark contrast in those who attended. Ellie's friends were happy for her while Carl's were not.
They seemed to fake their happiness and were doing it almost out of pity. That was painful to watch. From this, you could probably guess Carl had a very dysfunctional childhood.
I loved how despite Carl's mistakes, Ellie is quite forgiving and accepting of them. They continue their adventure evidenced by Ellie observing the clouds as they watch.
up the film does an incredible job in instilling grief and sadness in viewers when Ellie loses her child through body language, lighting, and music. Shadows express the dark tragedy that happened. She becomes distant from Carl and tries to heal on her own via. meditating in the morning. Ellie desires to go to paradise falls as they save up money but calamity after calamity strikes so they must use it to resolve their problems.
When Carl goes on a picnic with her, she wants to go with him as she climbs the hill but she collapses then dies. When she's on her deathbed, Carl sends a blue balloon with the adventure book attached to comfort her like she comforted him at the beginning of up the film.
When Carl reads he and Ellie's scrapbook, he finds the words "thanks for the adventure - now go have a new one!" That was another one of the most powerful scenes of up the film. Despite Ellie's death, she's symbolically motivating him to continue living life.
The soundtrack
Up the film's soundtrack is amazing. Not only does it sound like music from the 20th century, it adds so much emotional depth to the story. I loved how up the film's soundtrack at times creates elements of latin-American style of music to match the setting of paradise falls.
Ellie's theme in up the film is one of the most iconic pieces of the soundtrack. It effectively expresses the joy and adventurous spirit of childhood. As Carl and Ellie age, the theme's boy changes from a muted trumpet to a fiddle like violin. The vibraphone's melody stops midway in the scene of Ellie seeing clouds to illustrate the short lived desire for the couple to start a family.
In the scene where Ellie loses her child, the waltz disappears. Music slows down like their lives, becoming sad and lonely.
The music expresses Carl's innermost emotions and thoughts throughout up the film. When he first meets Ellie, the music expresses Carl's hesitation to trust Ellie and nervousness over her. When he's about to retrieve his balloon, the music tells us about his cautiousness. When Carl starts to fly to paradise fall, the music expresses his ambition and determination to reach his final destination through the monophonic melody. The soundtrack also expresses the concept of Ellie never left Carl from the monophonic melody progressing to a polyphonic melody. Carl's loneliness is conveyed before a feeling of comfort afterwards. The piano and adante help establish peacefulness.
When Ellie wakes up and sees Carl in the hospital, the music helps establish the mood of hope for Ellie's life. The theme's pace sometimes changes to illustrate the couple's pace in life. When Carl puts the jar on the table, the waltz and melody play again which hint at their lives returning to normal. The music demonstrates the uneventual lives of Carl and Ellie at some points of the up film.
When the theme plays on a violin, it symbolizes refinement of the civilized when they grow old. The music doesn't repeat the rising and falling strings following the balloon cart lifting off the ground in the montage scene. The music emphasizes the couple's happiness despite losing the chance to form a family and travel to paradise falls. When Ellie dies, the waltz and rhythm is silent as a solo piano plays Ellie's theme as a eulogy. When Ellie died, her theme disappeared too.
When Russell talks to Carl about his father, Ellie's theme plays again to express Carl's compassion for Russell just as Ellie did for him when they first met.
At one point, Ellie's theme plays in the background but then completely changes into a different and special song when Carl tries to rescue Russell. There's a stirring orchestral repeated musical piece. It's a symbolic way of telling the audience Carl refuses to be bound to his grief and starts his own adventure. Carl's theme mixes Ellie's theme but with a more triumphant, heroic, joyous, and new energetic form of music.
The animation
I loved how up the film blended black-and-white film well with the rest of the film's animation in the opening scene.
I loved the animation in up the film because it was so detailed and also helped us understand the characters better.
When Carl copies Charles' Muntz at the beginning of up the film through body language and clothing, it makes you love the characters.
Carl had a square-shaped body, especially his surroundings. The square represents his confinement in life to his tragedies, biases, etc. Characters like Russell and Ellie were round. Circles represent change and enthusiasm.
The themes
Elaborating on what I said earlier in my non-spoiler review, up the film made me feel quite depressed from how short Carl's transition from childhood to old age was. However, i loved how up the film made an old man the main character rather than a child. It sends a powerful message that just because you're old, doesn't mean you have to live a sad life in isolation and despair. You can have a grand adventure at any age.
up the film delivers a profound message on the meaning of life. You don't need to grand acts such as traveling around the world, becoming rich and famous, having a prestigious career, etc. The great adventure Ellie and Carl had was life itself.
Although Ellie passed away, she never truly died. She was with Carl all along in his memories, hunger for adventure, his willingness to care for Russell, etc.
In conclusion, up the film is one of the best animated movies ever made. Up the film had an emotionally impactful story that overwhelmed me and nearly made me cry. I highly recommend you watch it on DVD. Its a must-watch movie. If you want to buy it on DVD, visit the Amazon link below.
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