Up

Rating

: * * * * *

Verdict

:

Pixar's best film since, well, the last one.

There is a moment in

Up

that might seem incidental among the animated movie's many visual wonders, a fantastical story of an old man and his flying house, and its rollicking adventure. But it's one that seems to display the workings of the film itself, care of a visual pun.

It's this: as cranky old Carl flies his home to South America by attaching thousands of balloons via its chimney, he goes to the fireplace where he's tethered the lines. He gives them a tweak to check tension. All taut, they play a little tune.

Yep, he's tugging at those hearth ... er heartstrings. And the way

Up

does that while offering a film of such tremendous imagination and hilarity is what makes it such a wonder.

This is the tenth film from computer animation hit factory Pixar and their first in 3D. It might come with the company's most lateral-minded storyline - grumpy widower and boy scout attempt to land the former's house in far-off jungle, get distracted by wildlife rescue mission featuring giant bird, pack of talking dogs and baddie in a blimp - but it has some common touches with previous offerings.

Like last year's

Wall-E

, it's about a lonely guy taking to the sky out of love - in this case Carl's flight is because he and his late wife Ellie never went on the dream adventure which brought them together as kids.

Inspired by explorer Charles Muntz, the pair had always wanted to see Paradise Falls in South America. Only life - as we see from a very affecting wordless montage early in the film - and eventually death got in the way.

All alone and pushed to the edge by developers wanting his house, Carl, a former balloon salesman, decides his only way is up and south. Only he's got a stowaway - young, rotund Russell, the scout who's been pestering Carl to sign off on his "helping the elderly" badge.

Well, he proves useful as ballast as they land short of their destination and decide to tow the still-floating house before the helium runs out. Cue exotic giant bird, talking dogs (all fitted with a device which amusingly articulates their canine thoughts: "My name is Dug. I've just met you and I love you") and their airship-flying villain of a master.

Towards the end it does feel a little overstretched and it defies a little of its own character logic - when we first meet Carl he's frail and arthritic, by the end he's as elastic as Roadrunner - along the way.

But there's something poignant about Carl and Russell's eventual bonding and their emotions - Carl's adult regret and guilt sure isn't something you often see in a family cartoon. And though the 3D version adds some extra vertigo to all the airborne action, the heart - and hearth - of this movie is such that plain old 2D will work just as fine.

Especially as this movie is so touching you might find those 3D goggles getting all misted up.

Russell Baillie

Voices

: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai

Director

: Pete Docter

Rating

: PG (Some scenes may scare very young children)

Running time

: 104 mins