Bryan and I finally went to see Up yesterday. Holy smokes, what a film: moving, hilarious, nuanced, gorgeous to look at (my only regret is not seeing it in 3-D).
We saw it with a friend and her two kids, who are three and nine. (I highly recommend seeing “kids’ movies” with kids.) I sat between Bryan and Zion, the nine-year-old. Zion did totally ordinary nine-year-old-boy things, such as burp after every slurp of Cherry Coke and “whisper” commentary to his mom. Yet I overheard some of his commentary, and it struck me as rather extra-ordinary for a nine-year-old.
Around the 15-minute mark, the main character, Carl, goes through a rough patch (this is a gross understatement, but I don’t want to spoil). Grief and regret lead Carl to become a crotchety old man, which we (the audience) already know is out of character. There’s not a lot of dialog to tell us that Carl has changed, but there are a ton of visual cues—and Zion was totally tuned in to these nuances. “Mom!” he hissed, in his not-so-subtle whisper. “Look how he’s so square and is always in the shadows! He’s boxed up and in the dark!”
Color me deeply impressed. I haven’t hung out with many nine-year-olds, so maybe someone can answer me this: Are powers of observation that acute common to kids of that age?
Filed under: life | Tagged: Pixar, seeing kid movies with kids, UP, visual storytelling
Wow. I didn’t notice that. What does that say about me?
But it was a fantastic movie.
All it says is that you got it without noticing you got it. Honestly, I might have been in the same boat without the nine-year-old Roger Ebert sitting next to me.
And yes, it was fantastic!
Kids make the most amazing comments sometimes…missing some things, remarking on other things. It’s a huge joy to behold. : )
Brilliant film. Too brilliant for adults. That’s what’s so spectacular about Pixar, they dazzle us in story dazzling to children.