Directed by: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson
Starring: Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger
Rating: PG

Pixar’s animated feature, Up, is one of the company’s best films. (Courtesy photo)

Problems abound in Up, the latest movie from Pixar. First, the producers cast stars Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer instead of just getting the right voices for the parts. Second, they try to convince us a house could be lifted and flown by balloons, which is ridiculous. Later, they put voice communicators on dogs so we can hear them talk—as if animated dogs can’t talk already. And like every other movie out there, this one stars an old man, an Asian-American boy, a dog, and a giant fictitious bird. When is somebody going to try something different?

Okay, if that’s all there is to criticize, there isn’t really much wrong with Up. What really stands out is how simple and clean the story is. And by making the story so simple, the whirring minds at Pixar are able to fill it with so many pitch-perfect moments they leave the viewer in a joyful daze. It allows them to switch out the typical characters with septuagenarians. John Lasseter’s Pixar gang hasn’t made a bad movie yet, but in my mind they hadn’t reached the highs of The Incredibles or Toy Story 2 in awhile. It’s hard to pick a favorite Pixar movie, but Up is on a level with their very best work.

Carl Fredericksen (Asner) always dreamed of being an explorer like his idol Charles Muntz (Plummer). His beloved, adventurous wife Ellie even planned to journey to Paradise Falls in South America—the same place where Muntz disappeared decades ago. But life got in the way, and now Carl is a 78-year-old widower forced to move out of the house in which he and Ellie grew old together. With nothing to lose, he decides to fulfill their dream. Attaching a few thousand balloons to his house, he sails off into the sky. He doesn’t know that he has an accidental stowaway—young wilderness scout Russell (Jordan Nagai), who is as clumsy as he is enthusiastic. After a treacherous flight, they reach their destination. The odd couple grows to four with the arrival of a mutt named Dug and an enormous bird that Russell nicknames Kevin. It’s strange enough find a dog in the wilds of South America, and stranger still that Dug’s collar allows his thoughts to be heard. We learn that Dug is just one member of the dog army of Charles Muntz himself—still hoping to rebuild his reputation by proving the existence of a giant bird. Rest assured that by the end of the movie, Muntz is no longer Carl’s hero.

Up is animated, but like The Incredibles, it is most definitely not a kid’s movie. It earns its PG rating due to a succession of very intense sequences, along with some sophisticated story strands. Depending on what kind of youngster you have, it may be better suited for kids age 9 and older.

Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) gets the directing job this time around. Co-director Bob Peterson wrote the screenplay and provides the voice of Dug. The pair does an outstanding job of making a piece of pure movie entertainment. Up is more comparable to Raiders of the Lost Ark than, say, Bolt. The action scenes are thrilling, the comedy often gut-busting. But the real punch is the emotional journey of Carl. Perhaps still channeling their Wall-E mood, the team tells much of the story without dialogue, and it is beautifully crafted stuff.

When Ed Asner grunted his way amiably through the role of Santa Claus in 2003’s Elf, I figured it to be a nice cap to his long career. Asner has taken more than 30 roles since, and is now charging into his sixth decade. Carl Fredericksen may not surpass Lou Grant as Asner’s most identifiable role, but he’ll give him a run. Carl is a beautiful mix of classic old curmudgeon and unlikely hero. Christopher Plummer brings his 55 years of experience to Muntz, and he’s on his spry game. It’s no coincidence that visually Carl and Muntz suggest Spencer Tracy and Kirk Douglas. But the similarities end once Asner and Plummer put their own marks on them. Jordan Nagai’s Russell is the rare cartoon kid who is actually a delight. Peterson’s Dug should become the next animated icon to transcend his movie.

Up isn’t perfect. Even if you’re okay with the talking dog collars, you might feel they go a little too far when some dogs end up flying airplanes (the rationalization, of course, is that they engage in a dogfight). And someone needs to gently tell the Pixarians they need to stop dropping Star Wars references into every film. You may not embrace the unapologetic sentimentality, and you might not buy that Muntz would turn quite so monstrous. Or you may be so entranced by the hundred little delights sprinkled throughout you’ll gladly forgive the minor missteps. Up is cinematic storytelling at its best, and it’s not to be missed.

Alex Manugian lives in Sherman Oaks, Calif. He grew up in Groton and has reviewed movies for Harvard readers for many years.