Without spoiling anything, 'Up' begins with a few minutes of back story, allowing you just enough time to absolutely love the characters, a cadence measured without a single extra beat, and slows to a shrill realization that this is going to be a tough movie for those who easily tear up. Playing out much like the last masterpiece, Wall-E, the screenplay explains without dialogue a wonderful life, a few hardships, and the act of growing old. A single word would have destroyed it. Composer Michael Giacchino's playful but effective themes could be played without the visuals or voice overs; a story would still be told.
Carl Fredricksen, the aging widower, decides he will fulfill his deceased wife's dream to move their fixer-upper to South America. Reserved, but not a curmudgeon, Carl decides to 'Up' and leave overnight via helium balloons, taking his home with him. Pixar's incredible art is almost expected, and most likely not noticed by most theater goers, which is probably how they like it. Vivid, stylized textures, incredibly detailed lighting and volumetric, and painstakingly accurate animation is simply a standard in Pixar's portfolio, and nothing is skimped. The multi-colored balloons cast colored rays of lights on objects, glass windows have a subtle natural grime, wood and cloth are imperfect as real life. Fredricksen's design matches his character, with a nearly square head and a big round nose. These aren't the generic characters that Disney relied on for several decades; with Pixar, everyone has their own look and gate. Up, like all of Pixar's work to this point, is not a cartoon, and is not made especially for children; but a testament of our prowess of mastering an art medium that didn't exist whatsoever 30 years ago.
With Fredricksen is a young boyscout, Russell, who provides comic relief while trying to assist the old man in his quest. The boy is remarkably charming, real, and has a deep, thought out history. The two are a very unlikely pair, which is by far one of Pixar's most specialized themes. The film, despite it's tear-jerking moments, contains some of the best written jokes of all of the Pixar films, with a whole lot of randomness to keep things surprising. Doug, a 'talking' dog who uses a steampunk-style collar to communicate with humans, is your typical overactive, admirably dumb dog who steals quite a few scenes.
The film plays out with several memorably comedic scenes followed by some moderately intense action, all along the way, Pixar portrays a beautiful setting from ground to sky, with a perfect depth and scope. There are no repulsive 3D gimmicks, no questionable plot holes, nothing is forced or overused. By the end, the delicate symbolism only slightly sits higher than the laughs, and it's a hard movie to walk out of without feeling a bit emotional and ready to go out and do something fantastic.
