Pixar makes it so hard for us to choose a favorite. There are so many movies that are just so darn good, it is almost impossible to select just one. Last week, we heard from fellow Rotowriter, Pablo Ruiz, about why Ratatouille is his own pick for greatest Pixar movie.
Now, I like Ratatouille just fine, but these are the reasons as to why I think that Up should bring home the trophy for being the greatest Pixar film.
1. The Character Design
This is not a movie about robots or toys. Instead, it focuses on a grumpy old man and a little kid. The animation could have gone for a very realistic vibe, which would have made it more difficult to love the characters. Instead, the animation went with very geometric designs, which could have gone horribly wrong, but instead gave the characters even more life. This design added to their personalities, and made them all very adorable.
2. The Opening Sequence
Oh. My. Gosh. This scene just tears your heart out in a million different ways. I feel like there isn’t much more to be said, this is just one of the most perfect, heartbreaking sequences in a movie that I have ever seen. I hope you brought your tissues, because here it is…
3. Russell
Sniff, sniff… Okay, I just have to move on to happier thoughts…
Russell is perfect. This is another case in which a character could come off completely annoying and you could end up hating him for it, but in the end, our favorite Wilderness Explorer was the perfect combination of being cute, funny, optimistic, and completely real. You see that annoying side of him, but you also see that side where he will help anyone, “be a plant or fish or tiny mole!”
4. The Colors
I love that house so much. It is gorgeous, and add in all of the balloons later on in the movie, you got yourself a pretty iconic design. Throughout the whole movie you see colors that display the emotion, and the end result is an incredibly gorgeous film.
5. Dug
Maybe it is just my never-ending fondness for golden retrievers, but I just love Dug to pieces. He plays an important role in the story and was not just thrown in for comedic relief (although he did help to add some humor.) Plus- Squirrel!
6. The Overall Story
I’ll admit that I was tentative when I first heard of this movie. Most people trying to describe it to me would say things like, “Well… It’s about an old man, a Boy Scout, a talking dog, a bird, and a flying house.” From descriptions like that, it is hard to imagine a coherent story. But somehow, it is. The whole story just works and flows together. One of my favorite things in the world is to just see extreme amounts of imagination or creativity, and this movie has both. This is perhaps one of the most unusual stories that I have ever seen, and I love it for that.
7. An Intangible Charm
For me at least, this movie just has an intangible charm that pulls the whole thing together. Any movie can have decent animation and a good story, but somehow the childish whimsy and imagination that this film projects just gives it a charm that makes it my all-time favorite Pixar film. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of Pixar’s movies. Just something about the charm that this one carries makes it my ultimate favorite.