Another winner by Pixar. Not like anyone should be surprised at this point. The studio reinvents itself every year and annually forces me to rethink which of its 10 films is truly my favorite.

The montage at the beginning of "Up" rivals any segment of anything Pixar has ever done. When it ended, I knew there was no way it would be topped. To me, it was better than the famous Sarah McLaughlin montage from "Toy Story 2." I liked how this one was beautiful, sincere and gut-wrenching without overtly pulling on my heartstrings. In "Toy Story 2," I felt like John Lasseter was toying with me a little, trying too hard to make me cry. This one was perfect, somehow encapsulating a lifetime of love into a few minutes.

Carl, Ellie and Russell were quite engrossing -- another example of Pixar developing full-fledged characters, not animated caricatures. They were real people, and we felt their pain and joy throughout the movie.

The talking dogs threw me a little, I am surprised to admit. It's an animated film, and a Disney one no less. Why should anthropomorphic animals bother me? Pixar movies have always operated within the realm that they create. For example, in "Finding Nemo," the fish talk because this is an ocean with talking fish. WALL-E and EVE communicate with beeps and sounds. That's just the way it is. I accept it because it is established at the beginning. Somehow, I felt the general word of "Up" was meant to resemble reality. There was no indication animals could talk, let alone fly planes. It struck me as weird.

I saw it in 3D and wish I hadn't. I may go back to see it again in traditional 2D. I thought the 3D muted the otherwise beautiful color palette. When I took off my glasses, I felt like I was watching the movie the way it was supposed to be seen. The balloons and landscapes of Venezuela were so much more vibrant. With the glasses, I felt like I was watching in a haze, or with everything put through a 10 percent tint. I still think 3D is mostly a gimmick. The only movie I have ever seen that I found the effect to be somewhat effective was Henry Selick's "Coraline," which came out this year. And that may because it was created in stop-motion, not computer animation. Perhaps I'm old-fashioned, but I have not embraced this 3D revolution and believe "Up" would have been an even better experience in 2D.

Also, I was actually slightly disappointed by "Partly Cloudy." It wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was quite beautiful and funny. I personally liked most of the other shorts better, that's all, including last year's "Presto" and 2007's "Lifted." This one was my least favorite in a while. Not sure why. Just didn't do it for me.

Anyway, as of today, here is my newly reordered list of Pixar films, adjusted for "Up:"

1. Finding Nemo
2. Ratatouille
3. WALL-E
4. Toy Story
5. Toy Story 2
6. Up
7. Monsters, Inc.
8. The Incredibles
9. A Bug's Life
10. Cars

You know, in case anyone cared.