Pixar's Streak Still Running

10 and 0. That is a record not many members of the film industry can boast. Having ten mega hits in a row is very impressive whether it is for a producer, and actor, or a director. One of the few that can is Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar has been producing and animating hits since their 1995 success, Toy Story, and their latest creation, Up, is a testament to that success.

The movie Up is about an elderly man named Karl Fredrickson who has had a good long life. He knows tragedy and has become more and more self dependent since the death of his wife, Ellie. One day after haggling with the construction people next door and a young Wilderness Explorer, Karl over reacts and assaults someone working with the construction company. He is then declared a public menace after a trial and is forced to give up his beloved house. Luckily, before he leaves his house, he fills up thousands of balloons with helium so that his house will fly and he can visit Paradise Falls, A small area in South America where his childhood hero had traveled to in a giant blimp. After taking off he finds out that the young Wilderness Explorer had stowed away on his house. Eventually after flying through a storm, Karl and the boy (Russel) land near Paradise Falls. On the other side of the ridge to be exact. On their way across the ridge, Karl and Russel meet Karl's childhood hero, Charles Muntz, who seems to have gone crazy though all the years of isolation.

I was very unsure before coming to see this because of WALL-E last year. "How could they follow that up?" I though to myself, and once the credits rolled, all my expectations had been blown away. This movie was unbelievably good. All the voice actors knew exactly when to put the emotion in to their voices and when to keep a straight voice. The animation was as good as ever and the laughs were all genuine. Besides the funny stuff the film had its misty moments that even made me come close to balling. Overall, it was fantastic and it is going to be a good contender for the Oscars this year.