Up – Blu-ray Review

The Flick:

Animated films are a mixed bag.  Sometimes they offer an escape from everyday life.  Sometimes they remind us of our childhoods and dig up feeling long forgotten.  But sometimes, once in a blue moon an animated film comes along that not only offers an escape and digs up memories forgotten, it reminds us of what’s really important in our not so animated lives.  Up is one of those films.  It not only entertained me for 96 minutes, it reminded me of all the reasons I get up in the morning.

Up tell the story of Carl Fredricksen, a soul fascinated by the possibility of adventure and exploring undiscovered lands.  When Carl is a young boy he meets a high strung young lady named Elie, who like him, lives for adventure.  The two of them form an unbreakable bond and spend their entire lives together, but never quite find the time for the adventure that they promised themselves they would one day embark on. Upon Elie’s passing, Carl takes a leap of faith and decides to use his house as a giant hot air balloon that he raises off the ground using the helium balloons he sells at his day job.  Only Carl has a stowaway, Russell, a wilderness explorer trying to earn his kindness to the elderly badge.  Carl’s plans are instantly changed and he is forced to reevaluate his what is actually important.

There is no possible way that I could illustrate just how incredible a film Up is in a simple review.  I enjoyed every second of Carl’s journey and was touched by the solid writing and sense of wondrous possibility it created.  Edward Asner was perfect as the voice of Carl, and Jordan Nagai and Bob Peterson also rocked as the voices of Russell and Dug.  Do yourself a favor and rush out to see this amazing killer film as soon as you can.  You won’t be disappointed.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The DTS 5.1 audio on this disc is simply amazing. It sounded so good on my home theatre that I forgot I wasn’t at the metroplex. This is by far one of the best sounding discs I’ve ever heard. The video is also stellar. The vibrant colors popped off the screen in what might just be the most beautiful transfer I’ve ever seen.

Special Features

Not only is the flick awesome, this four disc collection is simply amazing. It’s packed with exclusives, the standard DVD and a digital copy as well.

Commentary: The flick’s directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson deliver a really thorough picture-in-picture commentary. I’m not usually a fan of commentary tracks, but the picture-in-picture sells it for me. This feature is totally worth watching.

Partly Cloudy: This solid short film was release theatrically and thankfully joins the flick in this collection. Awesome!

Dug’s Special Mission: Dug is back in a new animated short film! Pixar really is cornering the marked on awesome animation. Worth watching over and over again.

The Many Endings of Muntz: Alternate endings featuring the films unlikely villain.

Adventure Is Out There: This is a really cool feature that delves into the films pre-production and art direction.

8 All-New Documentaries: There isn’t an aspect of this flick that isn’t covered in these documentaries. Some focus on the characters, some focus on the animation, the house, the music, and much, much more. I’m don’t think I’ve ever seen a more amazing collection of featurettes on one disc.

Global Guardian Badge Game: BD-Live! An interactive game that your kids are going to love!

Married Life: A longer look at the montage of footage that shows Carl and Ellie together. Stunning.

DVD Copy: As is the case with most of Disney’s flicks lately, they package a standard definition DVD in with the blu-ray. I personally love this because my kids can take the DVD into their rooms and watch without worry of the Blu-ray getting scratched up.

Digital Copy: Along with the DVD is a digital copy for people that enjoy watching flicks on their computers or mobile devices.

These are just some of the features on this disc, Disney is really starting to raise the bar when it becomes to packed discs. One of the most amazing collections you’ll have the chance to pick up this year!

The Flick: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: