Up (2009)
★★★★ — Up (2009)
Pete Docter's Up, released by Pixar in 2009, arrived at a point when the studio could seemingly do little wrong. Coming off a run of films that had redefined what mainstream animation could achieve, Pixar handed Docter a premise that, on paper, sounds almost absurd: a 78-year-old widower ties thousands of balloons to his house and floats it to South America. That the studio greenlit it without apparent hesitation says something about the creative confidence the place had built up by that point. The film runs a brisk 96 minutes and carries the tagline "Change is in the air", which, for once, feels like an understatement rather than a piece of marketing fluff.
Docter had already proven himself with Monsters, Inc., and he would later return to similarly emotionally ambitious territory with Inside Out. His work tends to take a concept that sounds like pure family entertainment and use it as a way into something more searching, grief, fear, identity, the inner life of people (and creatures) who feel out of place in the world. Up fits that pattern comfortably. The film is co-directed by Bob Peterson, who also voices the dog Dug and the no-nonsense Alpha, and who co-wrote the screenplay with Docter. Michael Giacchino composed the score, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score, one of the film's two Oscar wins that year, the other being Best Animated Feature.
The voice cast is led by Ed Asner as Carl Fredricksen, the stubborn, balloon-selling pensioner at the film's centre. Asner brings a weathered credibility to Carl that keeps the character sympathetic even when he is being deliberately difficult, which is often. Christopher Plummer is memorably cast against type as Charles Muntz, the explorer whose legend shaped Carl's entire childhood. Jordan Nagai voices Russell, the relentlessly cheerful eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer who ends up along for the ride, and Bob Peterson (again) fills out the cast alongside Delroy Lindo. It is a relatively small ensemble for an adventure of this scale, which keeps the focus tight and the relationships clear. If you are interested in how animation handles subject matter that pushes well beyond the conventional family film comfort zone, it is also worth having a look at The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the quietly extraordinary Josep, both of which I have covered elsewhere on the site.
Pixar have a habit of making the impossible feel intimate, and Up is a prime example. What begins with one of the most quietly devastating montages in animation history quickly shifts into a wildly imaginative adventure, yet never loses sight of the grief and loneliness at its core. It’s a rare film that can pivot from heartbreak to buoyant escapism without feeling disjointed, all while anchored by Carl’s gruff, deeply human sorrow. The emotional intelligence on display is typical of Pixar at their best. The journey to South America (complete with talking dogs, a floating house and a giant, colourful bird) could easily have veered into pure whimsy, but the film’s sense of wonder is balanced by genuine warmth and wit. Dug the dog steals every scene he’s in, not just for the jokes, but because he embodies the film’s underlying message about kindness and belonging. Even the more outlandish elements feel grounded by character, never just spectacle for spectacle’s sake. It might not quite reach the transcendent heights of Inside Out, but Up remains a beautifully crafted, deeply affecting film. It reminds you that adventure doesn’t always mean excitement, sometimes it’s about learning to let go, to open up, to move forward. Funny, tender, and visually inventive from start to finish, it’s a modern classic that earns every tear and smile it provokes.
For me, that comparison to Inside Out feels right, and I would not argue with it. There is something about the way Docter constructs emotional architecture, building a whole world of feeling from what looks like simple, even silly, ingredients, that places Up just a half-step below that film's particular kind of precision. But half a step behind a masterpiece is still a long way ahead of most things in the genre. I find myself coming back to that opening sequence in particular, and the way it reframes everything that follows. It does the heavy lifting so efficiently that the adventure can afford to be genuinely playful without ever feeling frivolous. A polished but emotionally generous piece of filmmaking, and one that sticks around long after the credits roll.
Rating: ★★★★ | Year: 2009 | Watched: 2025-07-23
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Up (2009) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Pete Docter: Monsters, Inc. (2001) · Inside Out (2015)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
