For most people, Pixar can do no wrong; even Cars has its fans.  For me, I can tell where Pixar slumped – it was the time period between the release of Monsters, Inc. and Ratatouille (with the exception of The Incredibles), when Disney and Pixar were having contract issues.  Disney’s original agreement with Pixar allowed for distribution of Pixar movies with limited sequels.  Disney wanted to make a new agreement that called for more sequels.  This resulted in John Lasseter and Pixar telling Michael Eisner and Disney to go find a new cash cow.  Disney’s Board of Directors saw the future without Pixar and immediately got rid of Eisner.  With Eisner out of the way, Disney was able to acquire Pixar and put John Lasseter in charge of all animation.

This was good for everyone that loves movies, animation, and the Disney animation heritage.

Up is the story of an elderly man simply wanting to fulfill the lifelong wish of his recently passed wife to adventure to South America.  What we get is perhaps the most complex, layered story found in animation.  This is not a movie aimed at kids with a few things thrown in for adults – this is a movie for everyone.

The animation is stunning and the acting is great.  The only thing I was surprised about was the fact that there were some dark moments early on – a warning to parents before taking the young kids.  The Pixar short at the beginning was again top notch and you could see how they thought about making it longer.

I did see the movie in 3-D first and again in 2-D.  The 3-D was stunning, but I am annoyed by the sudden rise in the ticket premium from $1 to $3, even thought AMC is using the same eq1uipment it had 3 years ago.

My advice:  See this on the big screen – you will kick yourself if you don’t….