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UP Already Getting “Best Picture” Buzz
Two years in a row Pixar has produced the #1 critically rated films of the year (Ratatouille and Wall-E) and two years in a row those films failed to get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I won’t go all into my whole “If it’s the Best Film, then it’s the BEST FILM, animated or not” rant again… but it looks like Pixar may have done it again.
Pixar’s new film “UP” just premiered at the Cannes film festival, and the reaction to the film is coming hard and fast… and they’re already talking about Oscars for it.
Our friends over at InConntention give us these low downs on the reactions from the major trades who saw the film:
From Variety Magazine
Depending on what you think of “Cars,” Pixar makes it either 9½ out of 10 or 10 for 10 with “Up,” a captivating odd-couple adventure that becomes funnier and more exciting as it flies along. Tale of an unlikely journey to uncharted geographic and emotional territory by an old codger and a young explorer could easily have been cloying, but instead proves disarming in its deep reserves of narrative imagination and surprise, as well as its poignant thematic balance of dreams deferred and dreams fulfilled.Unsurprisingly, no one puts a foot wrong here. Vocal performances, most importantly from Asner, Plummer and nonpro Nagai, exude a warm enthusiasm, and tech specifications could not be better. Michael Giacchino’s full-bodied, traditional score is superlative, developing beautiful themes as it sweeps the action along on emotional waves.
From The Hollywood Reporter
What gives “Up” such a joyously buoyant lift is the refreshingly nongimmicky way in which the process has been incorporated into the big picture — and what a wonderful big picture it is. Winsome, touching and arguably the funniest Pixar effort ever, the gorgeously rendered, high-flying adventure is a tidy 90-minute distillation of all the signature touches that came before it.
From Screen International
Although there are plenty of animated films still to come this year — Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox and Walt Disney title The Princess And The Frog among them — Up should be the strongest contender for the animated feature Oscar next March, and could even pitch for consideration in the best picture category as well.
Dear heavens… how good can Pixar make a movie? With phrases like “Funniest Pixar movie ever” and “Best Picture” being thrown around already, I can’t even imagine.
I’ve already got my invitation to an advanced screening of the film, and it’s like Christmas for me right now… each morning I look at the calendar and say “just 8 more sleeps”. Damn I can’t wait to see this!!!!
Can’t wait to see Up just for the fact that it looks hilarious and it is Pixar, but I will have to wait til I see it to really know if I think it is best picture quality. I am hoping the Nine is awesome as well and hopefully maybe a contender in best animation. Read some reviews yesterday from some people that got to see The Road, and they are talking it up really well and how it might be a best picture candidate. Would that be the first post apocalyptic movie nominated for best picture? Maybe we will have a crazy academy awards this year, like the last presidential election, and see history in the making. First Pixar movie and first post apocalyptic movie nominations for Best Picture?
I’m so jealous! We were supposed to see this together :( Aside from Harry Potter, this is the summer film that I have been looking forward to the most… Pixar can never go wrong.
this is wonderful news, I’m really glad, it looks epic, and I have an early prediction of Public Enemies getting a nomination, this too just looks WOW
” I won’t go all into my whole “If it’s the Best Film, then it’s the BEST FILM, animated or not” rant again…”
Thank god. Because I’ve misplaced the knitting needles to stick in my eyes in reaction to said rant.
LMAO
After a while it reminds me of the stalker moaning to himself in the corner (of a jail cell) “But why DOESN’T she admit she loves me?!? She DOES love me! Why don’t they let me show the world she loves me?!?”
You may not have gone into the Rant, but I will. I am still pissed thar Wall-E was not (at least) nominated for best picture (It should have won), winning the best animated feature is not a difficult feet and the competition is laughable (really, kung-fu panda). So go look for the knitting needles probitionate ;-)
I am really looking forward to another incredible Pixar ride.
you guys should chect out ign.com they have a review and state ‘ best pixar picture’
UK release date - 16th October 2009
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!
Wow, first, boxer Ricky Hatton gets KTFO by Manny Pacquiao two weeks ago and now Up is being released there on October 16th? That’s gotta suck, man.
Its such bullshit how Wall-E wasnt nominated because it wasnt one of those “Nazi kid gets raped by commies” dramas
Same with TDK
Same will happen to this unfortunately
Theres no way in hell T2 or terminator or star trek will be better then this movie….But no, the people that give oscars are assholes that only give out oscars if your movie had some stupid drama in which a lady got raped and had to overcome her ADHD to graduate high school…in Peru
Spot on.
Sounds very promising form the early buzz, strange though, this was actually the first that, to me at least, looked like it might end their successful run.
Also, what is with people’s problems with “Cars”? The movie was amazing in my opinion, and yet i see so many reviewers who didn’t care for it at all.
The problem with Cars is that it is definetely in the lower end of Pixar’s work (if there is such a thing) and was supremely average compared to their pantheon of classics.
I disagree, I loved cars just as much as all the other Pixar movies. They all hold pretty even to me in fascinatingly amazing, though I have my personal qualms with Toy Story 1 & 2. That will probably change once I get around to watching them again since it has been ages.
Always fascinating, just not amazing.
CARS is my favourite PIXAR movie along with Ratatouille & Monsters Inc.
I don’t get it why people hate CARS…it was simply superb!
I found “Cars” to be a great film
the problem with cars is that it had to follow the incredibles, which is the best pixar film.
Cars was terribly average, especially for a Pixar film. Pixar is known to push boundaries and excell and Cars did neither. It tried far too hard to copy Dreamwork’s approach by loading pop culture gags with little soul.
Just look at the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes ratings, it’s generally considered to be Pixar’s worst movie and I have to agree.
I will agree wholeheartedly with John on the whole “if it’s the best film it’s the best film” and should be rewarded as such. Personally, I found Wall-E and Ratatouille to be the two least enjoyable of all the Pixar films but who knows what’ll happen with UP? I know it’s already a foregone conclusion that it’ll win the best animated feature at the next oscars.
I don’t think it is a foregone conclusion. I got great hope that 9 will be a contender for best animation.
I can’t wait to see this. Ebert’s write-up about it in his Cannes coverage piece almost had me in tears.
I can’t disagree that Pixar always make great films, but have to say that certain of them which other people loved I have never bothered to watch twice (Finding Nemo and A Bug’s Life), while I happily skipped Cars entirely. On the other hand, I place Monsters Inc a lot higher in my list of favourites than most. I decide whether to see a Pixar film based on whether I think the story is interesting or not, and I rate them based on how enjoyable / touching they are. I figure that’s how Lasseter et al would like things, rather than just going gooey over the animation. Dated as it is, Toy Story still shits all over Shrek and friends. Really looking forward to Up.
Can’t wait, especially if it’s 3D
3D is a cash-grab gimmick.
Im so pissed at the oscars after they snubbed Wall-E like that. It only won one award. ONE FUCKING AWARD!
Wait! It’s not a limited release in the last two months of the year? No chance of getting nominated for Best Picture.
Wall-E was the Best motion picture of the year. That´s all.
Too bad it wasn’t a motion picture.