Review by Phe’dre Von Kallenbach
I’m gonna be honest: I didn’t know if I wanted to see this movie when I first heard about it. I mean, seriously? A movie where an old guy ties a bunch of balloons to his house and flies away on an adventure. It was the not exactly the type of movie I envisioned to follow in the footsteps of Pixar’s previous masterpieces.
However, I was completely wrong. This movie is magical. It’s wonderful. It’s exactly what I wanted in a Pixar movie ithout even knowing it. At first you prepare yourself for it to be a certain type of story; something witty and cheeky right off the bat. It’s not. It’s sweet and sentimental and then, suddenly, very sad. You begin to wonder where all of this is going until it comes to you in startling clarity.
Then the movie’s pretense, the reason behind the “balloons” and “flying house” makes complete and utter sense. The dynamic between the characters is hilarious. The old widower, Mr. Fredericksen, embodies everything you can envision an old, crotchety widower to be. Here we have Mr. Fredericksen, living alone in his home that he and his beloved built, struggling to survive amidst a sea of developers who cannot stand to leave him in peace. Cue Russell’s entrance.
Russell, the young boy-scout wannabe is dead set on earning his “assisting the elderly” badge so he can become a Senior Wilderness Explorer member. As you can imagine, Mr. Fredericksen has no desire to have anything to with the kid so he sends him on his way with a task of finding the elusive “Snipe”, a fictional bird that eats his flower bulbs at night.
As one can imagine, the kid is out of Mr. Fredericksen’s life, or so he thought. Without revealing the whole plot, hilarity and a sentimental story unfolds in true Pixar fashion.
Regardless, it’s a lovely lovely movie that will make you think twice when you look at your dog (“Squirrel!”). Overall, I give it an A and feel you will too if you give this movie a chance. It’s surprisingly sweet and one that doesn’t skimp on humor.
