Another Pixar Disappointment

// June 10th, 2009 // Reviews

Up

up

Rating: 3/5

Does anybody remember a time when makers of animated films would occasionally throw stuff into the movie for the adults that were forced to take their children? Well, Up felt like an animated movie aimed toward adults with stuff occasionally thrown in for the children. Up started out well enough. Who doesn’t love a story of somebody doing something great in memorium of the one they love? But then they practically ruin a beautiful story by throwing in obnoxious animals that I could not have cared less about. It felt like they threw this subplot with the animals into the movie because they needed to fill time, because the real story  just didn’t take long enough.

Up was a huge disappointment. Although it was a huge step forward from their last two efforts, this still isn’t nearly as good as I know they are capable of. It wasn’t that funny, it was boring, and it felt insanely long. I also decided from this film that I absolutely hate 3-D. It hurts my head something fierce, but that is another blog for another day. I challenge all the other movie studios out there to please make a great animated movie. I am tired of Pixar films winning best animated film just because they are pixar films. It is trendy to think that Pixar is amazing, and people have become trapped in the mindset that they can do no wrong. Well, two years ago ‘Persepolis’ definitely should have won best animated film. It is twice the film that Ratatouille could ever even hope to be.

Basically, if you are going to make an animated film for adults, then have the balls to do it. Don’t throw in a bunch of kiddie stuff that distracts from the emotion and beauty of the film. Up lacks the fun and sense of humor to be remembered ten years from now, and lacks the emotional punch to ever be considered more than an animated film and nothing more. I liked the movie, but for heaven’s sake, quit trying to disguise your agenda by wrapping it in a “children’s” movie.

13 Responses to “Another Pixar Disappointment”

  1. Chris says:
    June 10, 2009 at 10:46 pm

    I doubt there is anything we could disagree on more than Pixar’s recent work, but I’m not going to get into that right now.

    I am, however, very curious as to what you think Pixar’s “agenda” is, particularly regarding Up.

  2. Jake says:
    June 10, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    I loved this movie. I thought it was funny

  3. Nic says:
    June 11, 2009 at 6:24 am

    Yeah, I couldn’t disagree more. I must be part of the trend, because Pixar has never disappointed me. And I thought ‘Up’ was incredible. It’s a rare movie that my wife and my children and I all enjoy.

  4. keshia says:
    June 11, 2009 at 10:09 am

    I am so tired of animated movies pretending to be kid movies, but really having adult themes/content/crap. They’re advertised as kid movies, they should be for kids. I’m really sad you didn’t like “Up” because now I don’t want to see it.

  5. justin says:
    June 11, 2009 at 10:52 am

    I don’t want to make you not want to see it, I am just tired of them making “children’s” movies that are in no way for children. Their agenda in Up was to make a real, heartfelt, animated movie, but didn’t fully commit to it because they don’t have the balls to do it. Nobody does. Animated movies for adults don’t do well unless they are like south park. So, they threw in a bunch of kid stuff that totally distracted from the beautiful story that they had set up.

  6. keshia says:
    June 12, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    My problem is, if the movie is advertised as a kid movie, I’m going to it because it is a kid movie. And that’s partially because it’s animated, so I assume, because that’s the whole point of the animated genre, or was. And if a parent can’t even take a kid to a kid movie without pre-viewing it, that’s just wrong. I don’t want to worry about the hidden adult agenda behind the story, “moral of the story” is ok, but not “we’re going to persuade you to see our point of view”. And if they want to make a movie for that purpose, don’t veil it behind animation to brainwash children with far-sided political statements, which makes me sound very conspiracy-theorist, or make it un-child-approved. They could have made the real story of “Up,” the first 20 minutes completed or whatever, as not animated or as not advertised toward children, and I wouldn’t care. It’s just the veiled target-consumer that I don’t like.

  7. justin says:
    June 12, 2009 at 11:43 pm

    Very well said.

  8. Nic says:
    June 18, 2009 at 6:54 am

    http://roflrazzi.com/2009/06/18/celebrity-pictures-carl-fredricksen-plot-movie/

  9. Nic says:
    June 19, 2009 at 10:58 am

    Touching story of a Pixar employee fulfilling the dying wish of a young girl:

    http://www.neatorama.com/2009/06/19/pixar-grants-last-wish/

  10. bryan says:
    June 19, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    Maybe she disliked the movie so much that it killed her.

  11. Nic says:
    June 19, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    lol! that was actually the first comment on this story on both Digg and Reddit.

  12. Nic says:
    June 30, 2009 at 6:49 pm

    http://imgur.com/vCxQY.jpg

  13. justin says:
    July 1, 2009 at 9:32 am

    That is fantastic

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