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‘Up’ at Cannes
CANNES, France — When the media come to Cannes, they seem to suffer from a case of the bad puns. So here’s one: The media were not down on “Up.”
The opening-night Disney/Pixar animated movie, showing in 3-D, received highly favorable reviews on Wednesday, a turnaround from previous years of savagery. London-based Screen International called the movie “a highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling.” Variety said it was “a lofty delight.” And The Hollywood Reporter said the “nongimmicky” use of 3-D gave “Up” a “joyously buoyant lift.”
By all means, go ahead and groan.
But the movie itself rightfully deserves accolades. It’s a charmer, combining the latest digital technology with old-time storytelling that Disney does so well.
No stranger to self-promotion, Disney wisely screened “Up” for select critics in advance of the debut Wednesday, showing it to members of the all-important trade press before they became jet-lagged in Cannes.
Such was not the case with such critical flops as “The Da Vinci Code,” another opening night movie in Cannes that went on to make more than $600 million worldwide despited bad reviews.
When it’s released later this month, “Up” will most likely have not only financial success but also critical support, as did the new “Star Trek.” And Disney will no doubt breathe a sigh of relief.
The story focuses on a grumpy 78-year-old widower who ties thousands of balloons to his home and tries to float away to an adventure in South America. The filmmakers, who took three years to write the script, let audiences identify with the old coot through a silent prologue, showing the marriage of Carl to Ellie, their years of domestic happiness, the sorrowful discovery that they can’t have children and the recovery of joy through everyday events. When Ellie dies, Carl retreats into his home, becoming the neighborhood grouch. Remarkably, all of this is conveyed with no dialogue ever spoken. And the scene will probably go down as a mini-masterpiece because of its visual effectiveness.
At a press conference after Wednesday’s screening in Cannes, the filmmakers looked relieved over the picture’s warm reception.
But Pixar honcho John Lasseter said that the birth of “Up” wasn’t as easy at it might look. He said his team sometimes re-did various sequences of “Up” from 30 to 40 times, just to get the right look and dialogue. And he said that the prologue about the life of Ellie and Carl was one on the most crucial in establishing audience identification with the characters.
Lasseter and director Pete Docter said they tried to use the 3-D effect to provide an emotional window into the story, rather than use it as a “gotcha” gimmick.
But the use of 3-D at Wednesday’s screening did have a downside. All English-language movies in the official selection at Cannes are required to have French subtitles, and they seemed to leap from the screen into the audience and distract from the story on Wednesday. If the French critics eventually decide to sharpen their knives over “Up,” this might be one of the easiest ways to pop its balloon. Yes, you may groan again.
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By Diane Holloway
May 13, 2009 1:37 PM | Link to this
Hey Charles, if you get invited to parties on Brangelina’s yacht, be sure to take pictures. They may be hiding more kids on board!!