What is up with Up? In the cinema I was watching through my cutting-edge 3D glasses (plastic and all) to be distracted by a light sobbing to my left. I took the glasses off which reduced the screen to the grey fuzzy blur of the truth behind 3D only to see a small child sitting in the seat next to mine. However bright his eyes shone, there was no sign of tears, yet the incessant sobbing continued. My eyes led me to his father, a fat man, receding hairline and a shirt soaked in tears. Awestruck I turned my attention to the entire cinema behind me: through the glasses of the masses I saw every adult in the cinema either crying or holding back tears with the effort of Atlas.
And really that's all that Up did to every adult who saw it - it fucking depressed them. The blurb on the DVD case better read:
''A morbid meditation on death'' - The Times
''Your dreams won't come true'' - Pixar
I wonder if many people are going to watch Fantastic Mr. Fox to scratch their animated itch as an alternative to the Oscar-winning Pixar flick. Sure Wes Andersson's appeal is somewhat limited but what a shame to let this gem of a film go.
It has everything... Espionage, family drama, chickens.
If just to see the wonderful stop-motion animation this film is worth it. It is a Rauld Dahl Story at its core but the characterizations are Andersson's through and through. Each relationship is full of Andersson-esque quirks from Fox's son just wanting to be an athlete to Badger's lacking ability to concentrate.
The voice over acting is sublime with Clooney and Swartsman standing out for me. The soundtrack, maybe not as exciting as some of Andersson's others (see Darjeeling Limited or The Life Aqatic) still has enough charm to compliment the action on screen.
It is amazing how a unique film-making style such as Wes Andersson's can work in perfect harmony with an existing, and popular, story to create something Hollywood hasn't produced in quite a damn long while - something original.
