UP

[Mr. MacPhisto]

The reviews have been coming in for the new Pixar movie and they've been pretty uniformly excellent. I can't say I'm surprised anymore, but the superlatives seem to be even better than usual. Some are saying it is the best Pixar film yet and that is high praise indeed when you consider Pixar's flawless catalog.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one. I wasn't sure about it looking at previews, but then I also wasn't too sure about Wall-E or Ratatouille or Toy Story or Monsters Inc, etc.

If this movie is as good as advertised then it is astonishing what Pixar continues to do and proof that focusing on details, story, and quality can produce consistently great films. That won't change how many do business in Hollywood because quick bucks are out there, but Pixar definitely has held up Uncle Walt's old Disney standards. I watch these movies knowing that Disney himself would absolutely love them and I'm hoping that Pixar has managed to rub off on Disney for the upcoming return to 2D animation in The Princess and the Frog.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/up/

[Guest]

I wouldn't say their catalog is "flawless". Cars and A Bugs Life are pretty bleh.

But, yeah, point taken. Pixar has certainly set the animation gold standard as far as creativity and innovation. The fact that the preview for Up looked rather mundane is usually a good sign with Pixar.

[Bill the Butcher]

Yup. Pixar is certainly not invincible. Like the man before me just said, Cars and A Bug's Life are pretty subpar.

BUT because of their other films, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. Plus, the trailer made me literally LOL.

I'm looking forward to Up.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

I wouldn't say their catalog is "flawless". Cars and A Bugs Life are pretty bleh.

But, yeah, point taken. Pixar has certainly set the animation gold standard as far as creativity and innovation. The fact that the preview for Up looked rather mundane is usually a good sign with Pixar.

Agree on Bug's Life, though I find it more entertaining than the other bug movie that year, Antz, and have found it has aged much better than things like Shrek. It's subpar for Pixar.

Cars is a movie I like quite a bit. I have trouble ordering my favorites from the Pixar catalog. Finding Nemo is actually closer to the bottom for me with Wall-E, The Incredibles, the Toy Story movies, and Monsters Inc at the top. Ratatouille and Cars are right below that.

But Pixar does have a great track record, especially after Wall-E last year. They've had a lot of concepts that looked stupid or nonsensical to me that they've managed to turn into some entertaining and heartwarming flicks.

I'll agree, like Disney of old they're not quite flawless, but probably as close as anyone right now.

[Bill the Butcher]

I just recently watched Finding Nemo again a couple of days ago. I absolutely friggin' love that movie.

...And it's dahhhk (dark) down there. Wicked dahhhk. I mean, you can't see a thing. How ya doin', Bob...

[CP]

Tell my 3 yr old that Cars or Wall-E were bad movies. Or Finding Nemo. Or Monsters, Inc. Or The Incredibles.

Only one he has never really taken to is Ratatouille.

I actually didn't think Cars was that bad, particularly for the younger audiences. Thought it held their attention pretty well and was a pretty good storyline.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Tell my 3 yr old that Cars or Wall-E were bad movies. Or Finding Nemo. Or Monsters, Inc. Or The Incredibles.

Only one he has never really taken to is Ratatouille.

I actually didn't think Cars was that bad, particularly for the younger audiences. Thought it held their attention pretty well and was a pretty good storyline.

I loved Cars. Maybe you had to take a family roadtrip out west to really appreciate it. I know that that is what inspired Lasseter.

And I'd think many up north would identify with a town shutting down, though it was more an analysis on modern life's ignorance of patience and truly soaking in things.

There's not a Pixar film I don't like because they all are more than just fun movies. There are things to discover and messages conveyed, though not heavy handed. I've found each plot to be interesting and each is experienced differently between kids and adults. Finding Nemo is an excellent example of this. So is Toy Story 2 with its overtones of old age and death disguised as a toy being abandoned.

The genius of Pixar is in their ability to tell a story for all ages and allow people to discover humanity through often non-human characters. Wall-E was a beautiful love story with ultimately amusing environmental overtones. Honestly Ratatouille seems to be the one most out of step with these kind of themes, but I still find it very enjoyable.

And it's always fun to enjoy the new short that Pixar puts in front of their new movie. Last year's Presto was my favorite.

[Guest]

Tell my 3 yr old that Cars or Wall-E were bad movies. Or Finding Nemo. Or Monsters, Inc. Or The Incredibles.

Only one he has never really taken to is Ratatouille.

I actually didn't think Cars was that bad, particularly for the younger audiences. Thought it held their attention pretty well and was a pretty good storyline.

I loved Cars. Maybe you had to take a family roadtrip out west to really appreciate it. I know that that is what inspired Lasseter.

And I'd think many up north would identify with a town shutting down, though it was more an analysis on modern life's ignorance of patience and truly soaking in things.

There's not a Pixar film I don't like because they all are more than just fun movies. There are things to discover and messages conveyed, though not heavy handed. I've found each plot to be interesting and each is experienced differently between kids and adults. Finding Nemo is an excellent example of this. So is Toy Story 2 with its overtones of old age and death disguised as a toy being abandoned.

The genius of Pixar is in their ability to tell a story for all ages and allow people to discover humanity through often non-human characters. Wall-E was a beautiful love story with ultimately amusing environmental overtones. Honestly Ratatouille seems to be the one most out of step with these kind of themes, but I still find it very enjoyable.

And it's always fun to enjoy the new short that Pixar puts in front of their new movie. Last year's Presto was my favorite.

I lived out west, and that movie is massively disappointing.

The plot was completely shrug. I am unable to judge a movie by criteria such as "well, my 3 year old liked it". Cars was, for me, the biggest disappointment that Pixar has thrown out there. It wasn't bad by any stretch, but it was ordinary.

Name me a Pixar movie worse than Cars.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Name me a Pixar movie worse than Cars.

A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo, and Ratatouille. I like Cars better than those three and I don't dislike any of those three. In fact, I like them a lot.

It's certainly not up to Monster's Inc, Wall-E, the Toy Stories, or the Incredibles.

The critics agree with you on Cars, though.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/up/news ... ing_streak

Still amazing to me how well received the Pixar movies have been.

Up right now is tied with Finding Nemo at 98% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes.

[CP]

Cars was probably their best money maker with merchandising, by far. Those little cars were everywhere at $4 a pop and I know my kid probably has damn near all of them. It took them forever to release Frank the Combine, which is one of his favorite characters from the movie, but he now has that one and plays with it constantly.

I know a lot of people don't like the movie, but despite how often they watch it, I don't cringe when it comes on. Same with Wall-E. I can get tired of Nemo pretty quickly.

Perhaps I like Cars for the way it allowed some of the older generation to connect with their kids and grandkids, with sort of the final works of Paul Newman and George Carlin. Particularly Carlin in a minor role. Kids have such a different view of Carlin than adults. They know him from narrating the Thomas the Tank Engine series for nearly 5 years and for lending his voice to kids movies.

Even though it was not a critical success, it made so much money for Disney Pixar that I am surprised that the release date for Cars 2 is somewhere in 2010 or 2011 when it probably should have been out in 2008 or 2009.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Even though it was not a critical success, it made so much money for Disney Pixar that I am surprised that the release date for Cars 2 is somewhere in 2010 or 2011 when it probably should have been out in 2008 or 2009.

It takes some time to get these things done. And they have Toy Story 3 for next year. Up was already slated for 2009. They have to work out the schedules generally three years or more in advance. Right now Pixar has announced dates on their next four films.

Funny thing is that Cars is only the second Pixar movie to get a sequel. It also wasn't as big as Finding Nemo, Monster's Inc or the Incredibles or even Wall-E or Ratatouille when foreign box office is accounted for.

But I think you hit it with the merchandising angle. I think more Cars merchandise sold than maybe any other Pixar film. Only Toy Story and A Bug's Life made less overall than Cars and that may not be the case when inflation is taken into account.

What's amazing is how little Cars did overseas, though maybe not completely. It is based on several things that are uniquely American.

I doubt Cars 2 will be a bomb, but Toy Story 3 is very likely to dwarf it and may be able to pass Nemo.

[Bill the Butcher]

I saw UP last night.

Disney and Pixar kind of took a break from the talking inatimate object or animal (well, lol, they found a loophole -- you should know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie or at least the trailer), but they still hit a homer with this one. Disney and Pixar at its best of combining fun and meaning for both children and adults.

What I liked most about it is that even though they took a more realistic route by having human characters, the movie included ridiculous, fun adventure (i.e., balloon-lifted house w/ shower curtain sails). Kind of reminded me of a CGI'd Indiana Jones.

Overall, I thought it was great. Another one for all ages to enjoy.


Squirrel!.................

[swerb]

Took my son to see this tonight. Very well done. CGI was great, the characters were very likable, and the story was good.

On par with Wall-E. Both were super.

[Mr. MacPhisto]

Been so busy that I only got to see this movie tonight. Great. I just loved how it went in so many different emotional directions - sadness to humor, etc. As with all Pixar movies, subtext abounds and it works so well for the kids but also can give adults something to think and discuss.

SPOILER:

Like the contrast here between Carl (brilliantly voiced by Ed Asner) and Muntz (Christoper Plummer great as always). Muntz's passion ate him up. He forfeited his humanity, spending decades obsessed with finding the bird to prove himseld. Carl also was obsessed with fulfilling Ellie's dream, but Ellie's notebook ultimately made him release that obsession and find the adventure around him (which happened to be an honest to goodness adventure).

END SPOILER.

Dug was just a brilliant character, especially for those of us that love dogs. Squirrel! and the "Cone of Shame" are both great.

Pixar just keeps on rolling. Who would've ever thought even back in 1995 when Toy Story debuted that anybody could pull off a body of work like they have done?

[Bill the Butcher]

Who would've ever thought even back in 1995 when Toy Story debuted that anybody could pull off a body of work like they have done?

It's a conspiracy.