Up

Up was released in Canada on May 29, 2009. The voices you will recognize in this animation are Edward Asner and Christopher Plummer.

The plot is actually more developed than one might anticipate from an animation. The first seven minutes, covering maybe seven decades, are sweetly sad as we watch a couple grow up and grow old together. Left alone following his wife's death, Carl sets out on an adventure he had planned to take with Ellie. Up is the story of that adventure, and an emotionally satisfying tale at that.

Up has received five Oscar nominations, including Score, Sound Editing, and Screenplay nods. Of course, it is nominated for Best Animation, but the biggest surprise for this film is finding itself in the pool of ten for Best Picture. We all know it would not be there if this were not the year of ten nominees, and not a particularly strong year at that. But we also know the field of ten was adopted to reward films like this one. The Animation category may be the only one taken by this film, and even that is no guarantee based on the strength of the other nominees.

Up found its way to my TV screen because of its nominations, but it was an entertaining watch. In a year of some disturbing pictures, this film is a nice addition to any collection of must see films for the Oscar season.