Pixar has done a pretty good job of keeping their next movie, Up, completely under wraps. Till now, all we’ve really seen from it is a vague teaser image. At Comic Con though, the movie’s director Pete Docter showed up to break the seal on Up, and introduce it to the world.
So what’s it about? Up is the story of a crotchety old man named Carl Frederickson, who ties balloons to his house and floats away to escape from modern society, before modern society can knock down his house and put him in a nursing home. When Carl and his wife were young, they vowed to go to South America and live a live of adventure. Unfortunately, life happens and they never make their journey. Now Carl is airborne, and headed towards South America to plant his house where he and his deceased wife promised each other they’d go.
Docter showed off footage from early in the film, the scene in which Carl actually gets his house airborne. It’s a beautiful moment, as thousands and thousands of helium balloons leap out of his roof, rip his house from the ground, and send him soaring into the clouds. High above everything, Carl settles into his comfy chair as the wind whips by, ready to take a nap… just then there’s a knock at the door.
The clip ends there, but Docter goes on to introduce the person ringing Carl’s doorbell at 1000 feet. It’s a kid named Russell, a 9-year-old wilderness explorer, who has for weeks been pestering Carl to help him get his assisting the elderly badge. He was on the porch when the house took flight, and now he’s stuck with Carl on their adventure.
Eventually the house loses altitude, sinking into the jungles of South America, a few miles from the location where Carl planned to live. Docter showed off another clip, in which Carl and his boy scout sidekick are forced to drag the still somewhat airborne house through the jungle towards his destination. Carl is cranky and old, his companion is young and irresponsible, and their chemistry together is just perfect.
Though only temp voices were used in the footage shown, in the final film Ed Asner will voice Carl with Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo, and Bob Peterson also providing voices. Michael Giacchino, who did the music for Ratatouille and is currently doing the music for Star Trek, will handle the soundtrack for the Up.
Like everything Pixar does, Up looks like it’s thinking outside the box. The story is complex and completely weird in a wonderful way. Nobody out there is making anything even remotely like this. We’ll have more on Up shortly, in the form of an up close and personal interview with director Pete Docter. Keep your eye on the site.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Comic-Con-Pixar-s-Up-Unveiled-9684.html
