Animation

Anything’s possible with animation. Want your main character to down fifteen milkshakes and not gain a pound? Done. Want your main character to live in a house made out of boogers? Easy. Want your main character to be a talking cloud of Frosted Flakes dust? You got it. Sure, CGI can accomplish a lot in a live-action film these days, but in an animated flick, the only real restriction is the animator’s imagination.

We Want to Believe

The fact that Up is an animated movie enables all sorts of flights of fantasy, and we’re not just talking about Carl’s floating house. Everything from Carl’s boxy character design to Muntz’s massive, opulent airship can be chalked up to Up’s animated mode of production.

Carl’s world may not reflect the real world, but that just makes it all the more entrancing. “That’s one of the cool things that I really love about animation,” says co-director Pete Docter, “that you know it’s all phony. You know it’s just a bunch of drawings or in our case computer images, but when it’s done well, you totally get sucked into it.” The process of animation allows viewers to believe that a house really can fly, and that dogs can pilot airplanes.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Of course, drawing an entire movie—whether it’s by hand, on computer, or a mix of both—presents its own set of problems. “Even with the way people move: we have challenges in terms of ‘Okay, Carl needs to get from this side of the screen to that side of the screen,’” Docter explains. “You don't want to sit there for twelve minutes and wait for him to cross, but that's what it takes. He moves slow. We're having to figure out what's the most entertaining way [to watch an old man walk across the screen].” Animators have to make tough calls like these all the time, but that’s just because they have free rein to animate their universe however they please.

Classing Up the Joint

Ultimately, the possibilities that animation presents as a mode of production outweigh the limitations, and Up tells the story of Carl’s fantastic voyage with a surprisingly traditional bent. You’re not throttled with garish colors and zany sound effects. “Most animation bombards the viewer with sensory overload and sees what sticks,” explains Empire’s Ian Freer, “but Up is more classical in approach.” The animators exercise restraint because Carl’s story is bursting with complicated emotions, like love, loss, and loneliness. With Up, co-directors Pete Docter and Bob Peterson create a delicate balance of wacky hijinks and heart-busting sentiment that’s rarely seen in what, at the end of the day, is still a cartoon.