Up -- Disney/Pixar (Now on DVD)

[Pagan]

I just read a review in the NY Daily News that praised the film, but the writer - Elizabeth Weitzman - made this ridiculous statement at the end:

If there's any oversight, it's that girls will find themselves curiously underrepresented in yet another of Pixar's grand adventures. The company does such an extraordinary job making movies for everyone. Shouldn't they be about everyone?

How ridiculous! "Yet another of Pixar's grand adventures"?

I wrote her an email asking her to do some research before making a false statement like that.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the exception of "Up" and the two "Toy Story" movies, if memory serves me every other one featured at least one major female character.

Some people just need to find something wrong with everything, huh?

[marlaine]

My DS5 and I are going to the 3D version at 4:10 today! As our tradition, I went to the Disney Store and got him an "Up" t-shirt to wear to school and the movie today.
As far as advertising, my son's t-shirt had a picture of Dug the dog and said "I smell you". His teacher gave me a funny look and asked him what that meant. I guess only kids and parents of kids are the only ones who have paid attention to the advertising!

[Madame Leona]

It really just depends on the child. My older ds (3) has been going to the movies for about a year and a half now. My younger ds (1.5) will probably be about 30 before I take him to the movies.

[kakn7294]

We took both of our DDs to the movies nearly as soon as they were born. I'm not kidding - DD14 went to a Batman movie when she was just a few months old. When the movie was over, the guy in front of us turned around, saw her, and exclaimed that they never even knew she was there. My DDs have also been to nearly every Disney movie to hit the theaters. In a movie theater that is bound to be full of other kids, your son should be just fine. And as an adult, I expect kids to be at a Disney movie so they don't bother me unless they are totally misbehaving. Just be prepared to leave the theater if the need arises but I bet he'll be fine.

[LibertyTreeGal]

yes, unless he is scared of mean dogs and if so then I would definitely wait.

[LibertyTreeGal]

Just got back and it was a BEAUTIFUL work of art -- emotionally, cinematically, the whole shebang.

I also loved it's portrayal of the elderly, not relegating them to one-dimensional roles, but really funny, angry, sad, really REAL people.

I won't give anything away but if you are expecting nothing but a grumpy old man and a annoying little boy, you are in for a surprise.

And hey, got a trailer for toy Story 3, due out June 18, 2009 YEAH!

[Kathy Jetson]

I'm going to see it in 3D on Tuesday with ds5 and then go to the disney store after thats our little tradition I can't wait

[Kathy Jetson]

When my son was 3 he was afriad of the loud sounds at the beginning of the movies after that he was fine, he would start to get restless so I would let him get out of his seat and walk around right in front of our seats (not bothering anyone else.) I say go for it and see.

[Mufasa]

Should I do it? Or, is 3 too young for the movie theatre? I would take him to an early show, so he'd bother less adults.

As far as worrying about bothering adults- I wouldn't. If any adults really don't want to be bothered, there are plenty of theaters (the Cinema Fusion theater at Anaheim Gardenwalk for example) that offer 21+ screenings of movies including ones like Up.

It probably would be a bit of a drive, but there's always the experience of catching a Disney film at the El Capitan theater which is a treat because it's a throwback experience complete with an organist that plays Disney tunes and even a small stage show before the film with Disney characters which can help burn off any excess energy for extremely active little ones. There's also the Disney Soda fountain shop next door for an added bonus (good idea after the film though and not before unless you want that sugar rush and crash!)

A potential drawback to the El Capitan is the presentation is in Disney Digital 3D- younger children especially can have difficulty sitting through the entire presentation with the 3D glasses on.

I really don't think Up suffers any from being seen in 2D- the 3D is very subtle and while it does offer some richness and depth to the animation at the same time I agree with some critics (saw a write-up recently by Roger Ebert) that just by the nature of how they project 3D, you do lose some brightness of the image and Up is a film with some rich colors and wonderful textures that a good 2D presentation might be better.

Personally I like catching films that are projected digitally at a theater like the Landmark in West LA because they feature Sony's 4K projectors for their digital screenings and you mostly avoid some of the more obnoxious teenagers at the other major megaplex theaters so it is almost, though not quite as good as some of the screening rooms at the studio itself.

As for the movie- there are probably a few scenes that might scare little ones. Up does carry a PG rating for what they say is "some peril and action". It is similar in some ways to how The Incredibles carried a PG rating for the "violence" but it's certainly not more than what you'd find on any cartoon on TV.

When I've sat in on some preview screenings with young audiences, I think that kids weren't necessarily scared by what they saw on screen, but because of what was happening from the emotional connection that they make to the characters (does that make sense?). Yes there are some barking/growling dogs but the action sequences might upset little ones more because they worry about the character's safety.

Also, there are a few beautifully animated montages in the film that will probably emotionally affect the adults (and doesn't matter whether you easily cry at movies or not- I think anyone would find it difficult not to get choked up a bit) where understanding Carl's heartbreak is implied by what you see on the screen but might be difficult for children to understand. I often heard kids asking their parents "what happened?" so you may have to explain a few things to a little one but for the most part I think that kids just understand the simple fact that Carl is sad.

[Boojum]

Saw it at 6:15 this evening. Absolutely adored it--found myself tearing up at some of it, and laughing my head off during other parts.

I won't post any spoilers, but it has a great message: Cherish your families and each experience you have with them, whether boring or exciting!

[lovemykaitlyn]

We are going to see today, so excited!
3D also!!!
Saw the Disney surprise opening weekend promo that says to watch for the "Easter Eggs". Little references to other movies from Pixar. I will try to see if I can find A113 or the Toy Story Pizza Planet truck or maybe some others they have snuck in. It says that you should check back after June 1st for a surprise.Even more excited about Toy Story 3! Just can't get enough of the first two. I have seen them many times and enjoy them every time! I was so worried when Pixar was splitting from Disney, I'm glad it all came back together. They compliment each other well!

[Ed]

Just got back and it was a BEAUTIFUL work of art -- emotionally, cinematically, the whole shebang.

I also loved it's portrayal of the elderly, not relegating them to one-dimensional roles, but really funny, angry, sad, really REAL people.

I won't give anything away but if you are expecting nothing but a grumpy old man and a annoying little boy, you are in for a surprise.

And hey, got a trailer for toy Story 3, due out June 18, 2009 YEAH!

We saw it in 3D last night at Downtown Disney; the two of us give it 10 thumbs up!

Outstanding is too mild a word.

No spoilers from me either, but I will say this - - if you choose not to see this one, you're making a huge mistake.

One correction, LibertyTreeGal; Toy Story 3 doesn't come out until June 2010, not this year.

[LibertyTreeGal]

One correction, LibertyTreeGal; Toy Story 3 doesn't come out until June 2010, not this year.

yep, lol -- I have been writing 2009 over and over again and just auto-wrote it lol

[Ed]

I just read a review in the NY Daily News that praised the film, but the writer - Elizabeth Weitzman - made this ridiculous statement at the end:

If there's any oversight, it's that girls will find themselves curiously underrepresented in yet another of Pixar's grand adventures. The company does such an extraordinary job making movies for everyone. Shouldn't they be about everyone?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but with the exception of "Up" and the two "Toy Story" movies, if memory serves me every other one featured at least one major female character.

Some people just need to find something wrong with everything, huh?

UP does have a major female character - Ellie. Once you see the movie, you'll realize that she is absolutely central to the entire story line. Without her, there is no story.

And Toy Story had Jessie.

I wonder if the Daily News' Ms. Weitzman has ever had anything to say about numerous "chick flicks" that have no major male character?

[LibertyTreeGal]

Weitzman got absolutely skewered over at rotten tomatoes for that -- I wonder if she complains about Disney's princess obsession as being unfair to boys.... oh, probably not! When you go through life with an agenda, you are going to see proof of it everywhere, even when it doesn't exist.

And you are right TiggTigg5, Ellie IS the central figure in the movie.

So, Bo Peep, Princess Atta and Dot, Jessie, Dori, Boo, Mrs Incredible and Violet, Elle, and Sally don't count, I guess /rolleyes

Not only are Pixar women present and accounted for, but they are also STRONG women.

[DisneyDog]

I took DS6 to see it last night. We both loved it!!! I think it's now my favorite Pixar film. That is mostly due to Dug. I want him to be my dog!! Also, I was happily thinking of the Adventurer's Club throughout the film. It got applause at the end. The last film I saw that got applause was Dreamgirls. To me, that is HUGE and wonderful.

Oh, on the way out of the theater (on opening night, mind you) DS asks "when can I see Up! 2?"

[BrerGnat]

Thank you for all the input! I think I am going to go ahead and take BOTH my kids. I am going to be brave and go outside my comfort zone. The matinee this morning is only $6, so if it all goes bad, it's only $18 down the tubes if we have to leave early...

Mufasa: thank you for your detailed information! I am not considering a 3-D screening at this time, simply because my kids HATE wearing glasses of any kind, so no point in that.

Also, thank you for the information about the "emotional" aspects of the film. Honestly, I WELCOME that sort of thing in a movie. My older son is only just about 5, but he has Autism, and being empathetic is something he is just starting to pick up on. I would actually cry out of happiness if he even picked up on the fact that a character was feeling ANY sort of particular emotion, let alone expressed concern about it. It would be a huge step forward developmentally for him, so if this movie presents those types of scenarios, I'm all for it! All too often, kid's programming just comes out and tells the kids "X is feeling scared" or whatever, but they don't SHOW the character feeling it, so it's very hard for my son to understand what "scared" looks like. A movie that maybe presents situations where there is "danger", "sadness", "scared" in a more dramatic fashion may make more of an impact for him.

As for my younger one...the reason why I was concerned that he'd "bother" adults is that he is severely speech delayed. However, he is now starting to talk and use words that he knows. What he does is yells out labels for things he sees on t.v. that he can say, and he'll probably do that during the movie. Not much of a social filter on that kid yet (he IS three), so telling him to "shhhh" during the movie will result more in a tantrum or crying than him actually being quiet. So, that was my concern there, plus his speech therapists don't want us "shushing" his attempts to speak, so it's sort of a catch-22 as far as being out in public spaces is concerned.

[NotaGeek]

Ok .. I just got back from Up and I honestly LOVED it. It was totally funny, totally heart warming and had great messages for all audiences. I even got a bit misty eyed. I am going to see it next weekend in 3-D ... I just had to see if it was worth the extra money.

[BrerGnat]

So, I took the boys on my own. We had to leave about 30 min into the film.

DS3 actually was doing pretty well. He was being a bit annoying (talking, standing on his seat, etc.), but he was overall into the film, and the whole "movie experience". He was not bothered at all by the noise, dark, etc. He seemed to like it.

DS4 (the one with Autism) was not doing so well once the trailers started. I think it was too loud for him. He immediately began asking to "go see the fountain" (outside). He then started saying "Max wants to be all done with this movie" before the movie even started. I talked him into staying at LEAST until the balloons carried the house away (that was the part he was most interested in when watching the trailers), but once that part happened, he would not stop perseverating about leaving the theatre, so we had to go.

Oh well. I tried. At least now I know that they're just not ready yet. I think we got there too early too. I wanted to get good seats, so we ended up being in the theatre for about an hour total, which was longer than I expected, to be honest. They did better than I thought, so that's something.

What I did see of the movie, I LOVED. I want to see the rest of it now! I guess I'll have to get a babysitter so I can go next weekend or something.

Thanks for your advice everyone. It's hard to have to accept sometimes that what others are able to do with their kids with no problems whatsoever are SO much harder when you have kids with developmental issues. I was blown away by the number of BABIES in there with their parents...I would have never been able to bring my kids in there at those ages...those families that can do that have no idea how lucky they are.

[tinkerbelle75]

Wow, this is a fantastic movie!! It looks like I will be the first to admit I had tears rolling down my cheeks TWICE during the movie (and I refuse to let anyone see me cry!). I think Pixar outdid themselves with this one. Can't wait for TS3!!!