New Trend - Successful Movie

Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios once again takes viewers to the world of the surprise in one of the funniest adventure ever over latest work: Up directed by Pete Docter. Up tells the story of the 78-year-old man selling balloons, Carl Fredricksen , who finally made the dream of a lifetime by tying thousands of balloon to his house to fly to explore the wilds of South America. But then he realizes it is too late that the worst nightmare of his is also present in this unique journey. It is the 8-year-old  explorer Russell. The journey takes them to a lost world full of bizarre, strange and unexpected characters. Overall, this is a journey of fun, full of emotion that will bring your imagination flying high and far.

            

I personally like the movie because this movie is not like any other movies that Wald Disney has made. Their target used to be the teenage guys and girls or not older than thirty years old, so movies like the Cinderella, Snow White, Lion King etc ..were all about these elements: vibrant colors, music, bright story, the main character that is close and easy to relate to the child's world, it can be  animals, princesses, or characters of children's ages. I like the fact that Up was created in the trend of modern cartoon so that everyone, not only the teenagers, would be able to enjoy. Therefore, in my opinion, director Pete Docter's ''Up'' was a piece of art by showing a lot of symbolism, well-chosen music, and the contribution of the characters.

              

Symbolism - Deep Thoughts

In every movies, whether it is accidental or intentional, there will be some sort of symbolism that has been hidden along side with the content of the movie. Even though there are countless scenes that have symbolism, I would like to point out these three little spots. 

First of all, I would like to share a little thought of mine about Carl's house filling with full of balloons. For me, this really represents a dream of theirs. The image of balloons can be said likely to be Carl's life, it may blow at anytime and pretty much the end of him. But in the movie, the presence of the house filling with thousands of balloons  is the hope to fulfill the task that he and his late wife have always dreamed of.  With perseverance and determination to fulfill his and his late wife's ambition, Carl has tied a lot of balloons to his house to dream that someday it will help him go to the paradise island, And in the end, the trip that he had put so much effort into, it has become true.

“We came up with this image of a floating house held aloft by balloons, and it just seemed to capture what we were after in terms of escaping the world. We quickly realized that the world is really about relationships, and that’s what Carl comes to discover.”    -Pete Docter, Director/Writer

Second, in Up, we can see Carl and Ellie holding hand when they read books and smile at each other. That gesture represents not only love but also the sympathy of thought that they have for one another. Couples hold hands as a sign of deep connection, and also as a display of their relationship. Physical contact is a large part of human relationships, providing comfort and a feeling of closeness, so holding hands is a simple, symbolic way of showing fond feelings towards loved ones. 

The couple holds hand when reading book

Even when they look up to the sky talking about their life

Lastly, the house symbolizes his wife, and Carl carries the house on his shoulder means that he loves his wife so much that he wants to be with her everywhere if possible. That is why at the end of the movie the house ends up being  at the falls where she wanted to live. By the end he realizes its just a house and that he will always have his wife in his heart and he sets out to love Russel like a father would love him.

Source:
https://thedreamofpixar.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/up-themes-relationships/

Michael Giacchino and His Passion for Up's Soundtracks

There are many of the elements that contribute to make a great movie, and music is one of the elements that cannot be left out. Based on that, Michael Giacchino, the creator of many good film soundtracks, comes up with the theme song for Up, The Married Life.

Michael Giacchino was born October 10, 1967 in New Jersey. He loves doing "animation stuffs" and experimenting music. By the time when he reached high school, he was an expert in stop-motion animation. He was recommended to attend the School of Visual Arts in New York and later on he graduated for there with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in film production. 

Giacchino’s professional career started when he signed up for an unpaid internship at Universal Studios, where he was hired upon completion of his term. While taking night classes in orchestration from the University of California, Los Angeles, he took a job at Disney Interactive as a producer. He then contributed music for many of Disney’s Sega Genesis games, including “Gargoyles” and “Donald in Maui Mallard” from 1995, and the multi-console version of the highly famous “The Lion King” from 1994. Later Michael Giacchino won Grammy Awards for both "Up" and "Lost" including awards for Best Soundtrack Album and Best Instrumental Composition. In 2010, Giacchino won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for “Up”. 

Talking about Up, we cannot forget to talk about the theme song of the movie, the Married Life, and how the song ruled the audiences at the beginning of the film. It keeps a consistent melody throughout the entire segment that changes shape to match the stages of life and the circumstances Carl and Ellie experience throughout their marriage, its tune being bouncy and toe-tappable at some points, with brasses and strings whose sounds immediately recall a glorified version of a bygone time in history. At other moments, though, the music is very somber and beautifully slow, helped by the simplicity of its arrangement with instruments like a single piano. The clip is shown below:

Source
http://www.famouscomposers.net/michael-giacchino

Characters - The Factor That Makes Great Movie

We can not fail to mention the character factors when it comes to the success of the movie Up. This really is an extremely important factor that any director before creating a movie has to think about.

Although the couple, Carl and Ellie, appeared only about first ten minutes of the film, they have brought the audiences full of emotions, they have won the heart of million of people. Carl and Ellie, they lived a happy life, they became great soul to each other. They did not need any children to become a warm and cozy family even though they really wanted one. What do we need more than a spouse that may share the same dreams in life like that? What do we need more than a person who always stood by their side in any ups and downs, in the way to realize the dream? Their dream has come true or not is not important, the important thing is that they never lose the dream and desire to implement it.

There is one thing that Carl did not know until the end of the film, that for Ellie, the years that they were living together is even better than any adventure. She has narrated their lives as a couple living together through the two photos pasted behind pages that Carl has always stopped in the diary. Up again make viewers welling with emotion. Carl and Ellie's love story is as beautiful as a dream that any audience always longed to be.

Accompanying on this journey with Carl is Russell, a scout boy that needs to assist an elderly to complete his mission. Russell is like a younger version of Carl, also aspires to be a "wild advanced explorers" and also a "little hero" not aware of the dangers beyond a pure heart filled with love. Russell is an overweight, 8-year old Wilderness Explorer. He showed up at Carl's doorstep, hoping to help him in crossing something to assist him. Unfortunately, Carl tries to get rid of Russell by saying that there was a "snipe" bothering him and tells Russell to look two blocks down to capture it. When Carl sends his home (and him), in the air with 10,000 colorful helium balloons, Carl finds Russell holding on for dear life waiting for Carl (whom he kindly calls "Mr. Fredricksen") to let him in. He tells him no, and Russell is forced to wait 5 seconds before Carl finally decides to let him in. At the end of the film, Russell gets his "Assisting the Elderly" Wilderness merit badge, presented by Carl. Then, he and Carl go and have some ice cream, just like he and his dad used to do.

On the way of their advanture, they make friend with a bird named Kevin and a speaking dog named Dug. Dug is an obese golden retriever who belongs to Charles Muntz. He is a fun-loving dog who speaks English via a special collar that translates his thoughts into speech, invented by his former master, Charles Muntz.  However, immediately after meeting Carl, Dug begins to idolize him and sees him as his master. He winds up switching sides, assisting Carl, Russell and Kevin. He is every ounce a puppy in behavior and quickly becomes attached to Carl, who is at first hesitant to accept Dug. When he does, Dug expresses his joy in a manner that leaves no doubt that he prefers his new master.

I WANT YOU To Watch the Movie !!!

Pixar studio have never disappointed me, and I think it is something that millions of their fans around the world will agree. From the scripts, drawings, and the scenes, they make the audience impressed. As 3D technology began to appear and popular, they brought Up to conquer us all. Like director Michael Mayer once said: " This is cinematic art of the highest caliber, and completely accessible in the very best way. Who could ask for anything more? ''. For me, Up is perhaps the most impressive film of Disney that Pixar Studio could ever create. Even though it is just a animated movie, it has a valuable lesson that is hidden in it. Up is one of my favorite cartoons that I have watched. From the first seconds of the film, Up has given me very true feelings about love. And certainly, everyone agrees with me that those first seconds are the most expensive moments of the film. Up does not only present dream but also tinge to everyone to protect the magnificent creatures, protect primary forest fragments, do not because the immediate benefits that we forget that our beloved Earth is gradually dying because of emissions, and vegetation is increasingly being narrowed because of human's hands. After all, Up is not only a story of love in life but it is also a lesson on how to preserve the small happiness around us !

Work Cited

"Michael Mayer On PETE DOCTER Of 'Up'." Daily Variety 306.2 (2010): A3. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2015.

"Up Married Life Carl Ellie." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Nov. 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2015.

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""Up" Themes: Relationships." The Dream of Pixar. N.p., 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 04 Nov. 2015.