Up (2009)

'Up' is one of those films in the Pixar library that hits all the right emotional spots. It's funny, heartwarming, gorgeous to look at and in the end leaves you with that snuggly feeling that everyone craves but not everyone always gets.

And that on a totally bonkers premise as well.

The opening scene is by far the strongest on an emotional level that Pixar has ever done. We see a young Carl meet a young Ellie, both very much inspired by an explorer named Charles Muntz. They make a pact to go find Paradise Falls in South America and build a house there. Then, it is a montage of their lives with no dialogue, but with all the feels. Especially the final part is gutwrenching, but also much too real.

Seriously, try not to cry. I dare you.

After that, the film truly starts, which at first feels a little like a letdown, because the opening was so gripping. But give it some time. Carl is now an old, grumpy man who refuses to sell his house to property developers and does not want to go to some retirement village. But after he wounds someone from the construction company, he is ordered to move. But he hatches a plan to move his house with the help of thousands of balloons to South America. However, he has a young stowaway on board as boyscout Russell hitches a ride. They make it to South America and they even meet Charles Muntz, who is not what Carl thought he would be. There are also a lot of dogs that have special collars allowing them to speak and a bizarre bird that Russell names Kevin and that is hilarious.

Pixar's animation has always been of a high level, but 'Up' is one of those where the vibrant colours really impress you. Take a good look at Kevin and you'll understand what I mean. Also you might never expect a film about an old man and a child to work as a dynamic, but it does, even though they go through the classic 'Carl doesn't really like Russell, but eventually opens up'-route. But Carl's motivation is so clearly defined, you completely understand why he does what he does and why he's so bloody single minded about it.

Also also: this one probably has the most gruesome death in the Pixar universe. It's not really on screen (as in: you don't actually see someone die violently), but there is an occasion where you know the person could never have survived that certain instance. I'm sorry to stay this cryptically, but I don't want to ruin it.

But despite some darker moments and some genuine pulling of the heartstrings, this is a timeless tale that is sure to make you feel good and sometimes, oftentimes, that is precisely what we need.