Up, Up, and....

Well still here. I'm having an odd week. As you all know I haven't done any posting this week. I've been in full recovery mode. The only thoughts that have been running through my head this week have been how to get from Point A to Point B. That means that all the things I want to talk about, all the cool things I've learned this week, all the interesting films I've seen, have been relegated to the back of my mind while I concentrate on learning crutches and finding out how to do things I've taken for granted before. Like eating breakfast, and showering.

But there is only so long I can go without writing, much like reading. And this was the breaking point. So I'm going to start with something that happened what feels like months ago. Last week I watched Pixar's Up and I've been wanting to talk about it. As most of you know I'm a HUGE Pixar fan. Other than Cars, which I thought was lackluster, I have loved everything that Pixar has ever created. Their movies are wonderful, their shorts are funny and poignant, and everything they create has tons of heart.

This movie is no exception. When I say that I cried within the first 20 minutes of this film you will understand exactly how much heart this movie has. I fell instantly in love with the love story between Carl and Ellie. We watch them meet, fall in love, get married, and follow them throughout their lives. This is done with little dialogue but by the end we are already in love with this couple. Those first twenty minutes of the film, may very well be my favorite montage in a film ever. I laughed, I cried, and I sighed with them. And that was just the set up.

The film follows Carl who, after Ellie's death, decides to carry out her last wishes and move to Paradise Falls in South America. He rigs the house with balloons and manages to fly there, with one stowaway, a young boy scout named Russell. Although Carl is not happy to have Russell with him, he realizes that getting him home would be problematic and the two become unlikely partners. When the house lands close to the falls, Carl and Russell decide to walk there to set up. Along the way they meet Doug, a talking dog and Kevin, a gigantic bird that becomes the basis for all the movie's conflicts. They also meet a famous explorer who Carl once idealized. He has been hunting for Kevin for decades and has been driven mad by the search. He and his army of talking dogs then start hunting for Russell and Carl since they know the whereabouts of the bird.

It is an odd plot and in places is far more intense than I would have expected. The flight from the crazy explorer (Charles Munts) and the later fight against him was action packed with tons of impressive animation work. The visuals are beautiful throughout the film. But what really stuck with me was the heart of the story. The love story between Carl and Ellie and later the friendship between Carl and Russell really made this movie for me. We see how Carl changes over the course of the film. This is his story, and never has a children's film about an old man, created such a stirring realistic character. Kids will love the talking dogs and the moments of slapstick once the pair reach the Falls. Adults will love the character of Carl and the film's ideas of relationships, idolization, and life. Me, I just fell in love with the whole thing.

Disney Weekend

I spent this weekend on the couch. Other than breakfast on Saturday and dinner that night with my parents I never left the house and hardly left the couch. I was feeling fine, I just wasn't particularly ambitious. It was a thoroughly relaxing weekend although this morning I could have done with a couple more hours of sleep.

Friday's weather left quite a bit to be desired so I decided that we would stay in and order pizza. A nice thick pan pizza sounded wonderful on a day when it had been drizzling all day and the temperature had barely topped fifty. I was cold and ready to relax. So we ordered pizza and I decided that I needed to watch a movie. I've had Wall-E sitting on my shelf for months now. I'd borrowed the movie from my mom and although I'd really wanted to see it, I just hadn't made the time. I giggled and ahhhed through the entire film. It was just so funny and cute and poignent. Jeff thought it was okay but I think it might be my favorite Pixar so far. I tend to like books and movies with a bit of a message this one had it in spades. I was impressed by Pixar's guts in putting out a film that challenges our consumer lifestyle. That is a bold move and one that I haven't seen from a film company in a while. Not that Disney didn't do its standard merchandising mania when the movie first came out. But the story was wonderful, the characters were cute, and I loved the humor. A great movie with a big heart. Pixar films beat modern Disney films anyday.

Jeff and I went to breakfast the next morning and then did a bit of shopping. When I got back home I was in a painting mood. I broke out some new colors and worked on my picture for class. I'm almost done but I don't think I'll be posting my first attempt. A little too rough still. But I love the gouache. I love the bright colors and the thickness and how easy it feels to work with. Time flies when I'm painting and I look up at the clock after what feels like 20 minutes to find that an hour has past. It will be a hobby I continue to play with.

We had dinner with my parents on Saturday night at the restaurant my sister works at. It was nice to get a chance to see her. We had been talking about going to the zoo on Sunday but she had an 18 hour work day the day before and understandably begged off. Which actually worked out okay for me. A couple weeks ago, my little sister asked me for a biography of Walt Disney. Now I'm a die-hard Disney fanatic. I've been to the parks a ton of times and still would love to go back. I'd go yearly if I could. I adore most of the Disney films and have had a huge interest in Disney himself for as long as I could remember. I had brought her a couple biographies and realized that one of the ones I had, I'd never read. It's a massive book. Well over 900 pages and with dense type. I've been reading it whenever I get the chance over this past week and am completely hooked. I actually plan my lunches alone recently so that I can read. So Sunday I grabbed breakfast and my book and read ALL day. I started reading at 8:30 in the morning and stopped at 10:30 at night.

If I bad mouth the Disney Studios occassionally it is because I know where they came from. Walt Disney himself had very little interest in making money. Money for him was a means to an end. The more money a film brought in the better his next movie could be. He pumped all his profits back into the company. For many years he didn't even collect a salary so that there would be mroe for film-making. He was an idealist in some ways. I have been fascinated with his early career, when he was still making the Alice pictures (before Mickey). He would beg and borrow to make his pictures. They hardly ever made him any money but he just kept working.

And he was incredibly anti-sequel. After his Silly Symphony, The Three Little Pigs, came out, people were clamoring for him to make more pig films. They wanted a pig sequel. Disney famously said, "You can't top pigs with pigs" and went on to make other movies. He was always interested in pushing the envelope to make his films better or more innovative. He was not a man to rest on his laurels. Which is why I have become somewhat ashamed at the Disney Company in the last 20 years or so. As they pump out Cinderella 2 and Peter Pan 3, all to make a fast buck, I realize what the company is in business for. And I think back to where the company started and just shake my head. Walt would never have stood for it.

Pixar's Presto

I just started reading Animation Blog and stumbled upon this Pixar short that I have somehow not seen. Considering how much I love Pixar's work this is shocking to me. I'm not kidding when I say that this is the funniest thing I have seen in a long, long time.

Pixar's Presto.

Seriously, click on it. You will not be disappointed.