When our brood were small some of the regular stars of story time were Dr Seuss's books . Designed to combat the rising tide of illiteracy with only 250 words in their vocabulary they grabbed the imagination of even the tiniest and most timid fledgling reader with their fantastic illustrations and barmy humour .They are full of fun. Kids like fun and generally speaking they are good at it too and can find it in the most unexpected places.
The great advantage that children have over us mere adults is the ability to see things that are everyday and boring as something magical and wondrous, the ability as Seuss put it to look at the world through the wrong end of a telescope and laugh at life's realities. It is something I think that Disney Pixar have turned into an art which is why perhaps they have produced such amazingly captivating characters in their feature animations.
There is a lot in this film that reminds me of Dr Seuss stories, they share the endearing eccentricities of plot, the wonderful wit , the zanny illustrations , characters like the rather odd bird called Kevin and other idiosyncratic beasts like Dug the talking dog .Seuss's books were brimming with get up and go-ishness without making any moral obvious they oozed encouragement for kids to follow their dreams and be themselves no matter how weird others may find them and generally they did not pussy foot over the nasty bits nor lie and say life is always going to be fun. Kids can spot that sort of untruth a mile off.
The Movie "UP" does not pussy foot over the nasty bits either. It is a film about about fallen heros lost dreams and finding love and happiness in unlikley places. I do not want to ruin the plot for you nor uncover too many of the little comic treats it holds therein but let me say that Not for nothing did this movie win 2 academy awards including best animated feature. So if you have children or want something to keep your inner child happy then I can think of no better way to do that than for you to go and get yourself your own copy of "Up", and if you need even more encouragement then click on the clickable links in this review above and watch the trailers.
On a technical note of course one of the joys of blu-ray is that all the extra space it has for bonus features like the making of the movie which you don't get on an ordinary dvd and which to visual thinkers and must know how its done freaks like youngest and I is better than popcorn as a movie watchers treat! So if you do not have a Blu-ray player then its about time you got one because you are missing out on lots of fun.
ps you may also want to buy a box of tissues just incase that inner child needs a good wail at some of the sad bits not to mention laughign till you cry at the funny bits too.
Enjoy!
This movie is one of those rare gems that one seldom finds nowadays that depicts in detail a film with a very simple storyline but which ends up with great success creating a very enjoyable tale for children and adults alike. The plot is well-constructed, and nothing seems to have been left to chance. It is one of the future delightful disney classics that portrays the well-known disney goals of love and fighting for what you believe in.
ReplyDeleteThis blog says it all, going into great meticulous detail about the portrayal of the movie, and literally turning the film inside out to uncover what is underneath the story. It very wisely picks up on the key themes of the film-such as the adult/child relationship, and even goes as far as to compare it with other literary masterpieces, Dr Seuss, a similarity that I myself did not pick up on, but henceforth, can see that the similarity was staring me in the face.
It also has a razor-sharp wit and a keen eye, putting itself into the minds of small children, and helping us see the film from their point of view "generally they did not pussy foot over the nasty bits nor lie and say life is always going to be fun. Kids can spot that sort of untruth a mile off." Nowadays thanks to videogames and the likes, children have indeed become more aware and wordly about the adult world, it is no longer a case of a good advert with a pretty jingle that will get the childs attention-they like to know what sort of product they're dealing with, and handle it like pros.
To cap it all, this blog gives an almost perfect synopsis of the movie UP, and really tugs at ones curiosity, for those who haven't seen the movie already. And this blog pretty much takes the words out of my mouth.
Having read Dr Seuss to my children as well, I'm always looking for something that might regenerate that simple silliness combined with advice and good old fashioned philosophy. I must say I hadn't heard of this movie, though I do of course know the book A Great Day for Up; the images in this blog don't seem to suggest that the movie is about the book, however.
ReplyDeleteI will certainly go out to find a copy, Blu-ray of course; how better to enjoy these latest offerings from Hollywood?
Yes, Dr Seuss was an indelible part of my childrens' childhood too......they were 27 in Feb but I bet they would LOVE this!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have blu-ray too, and it makes a world of difference in the colour and quality, especially of animated films. Great review! This looks like a film I should be buying for the grandchildren - the Easter box isn't yet closed, so there's still time!
ReplyDeleteWe watched this the other evening, and rather took to Kevin.
ReplyDeleteThank you! My daughter (28) just recommended this movie to us. I've put it at the top of my Netflix queue.
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