Up, Disney Pixar's latest summer blockbuster, is the best Pixar I've seen since Finding Nemo. It is brilliantly executed under the direction of Pete Doctor, the director of another previous Pixar animation, Monsters Inc.. Screenwriter and voice actor Bob Peterson co-directed Up; he is remembered best for his parts as "Roz" in Monsters Inc., "Mr. Ray" in Finding Nemo, and as the hilarious talking canine, "Dug."
One of my favorite components of Up was its story line, and its characters. The story, like, other Pixar films, is unique in all it's forms. The humor is not forced upon the audience, like in other popular Dreamworks and Sony Pictures' movies. While having comedic relief with its heart-felt characters, the story is also very deep, as is explored during Carl Fredricksen's life story sequence. The animation is stunning, and in that, I hope to get my hands on a Blu-Ray player before the DVD/Blu-Ray release. From the dirt smudges on Russell's face and Dug's soft fur, to the environments and light facial hair depicted on Fredricksen's chin.
Another praiseworthy attribute of this almost flawless motion picture was the voice-acting. Edward Asner voices the part of Carl Fredricksen, which greatly increases the characters two-sidedness nature. Japanese-American voice actor Jordan Nagai was another winner, who voiced the part of Russell, the overly eager "wilderness explorer." Co-director and screenwriter Bob Peterson steals the show with his voice talent. Previously portraying other funny Pixar characters in previous performances, he now jumps into the role as Dug, an odd golden retriever who translates many languages including English, which ensues hilarity.
As I am writing this I am proud to say I've seen the movie four times, and liked it better each time. "Up" is not only a must-see movie of the summer, but it is a must-see movie for the year 2009, and I highly recommend.