Up gets down to business

The Pluggedinonline movie review said that the film Up could be used in college literature classes as a subject for analysis. I agree.

The film has such depth, such character, and symbolism that at one pass, the viewer can absorb enough meaning to fill all the old man's balloons and the blimp beside. The story alone is so rich it rivals the 3-D textures of the old man's ties.

For instance, the ties alone stand as a marker for the passage of time. The house, reminiscent of Christian's burden in Pilgrim's Progress, represents the old man's baggage from the past and his inability to break free. The bottle cap pin represents the need to pass on a spirit of adventure to others--especially the young.

The old explorer and his ideals (pride, ruthlessness, a conquering spirit) are juxtaposed against the young scout's ideals (curiosity, sympathy and love). This creates a moment of realization for the viewer when the boy says that the jungle isn't what he thought it would be. It's not safe and fun, but dangerous and difficult. In other words, a safe and fun world could be faced with that old ruthlessness but the real world must be challenged with empathy and friendship.

These are just a few examples of the themes in Up. As with any good work of art, it is a pleasure to see on first glimpse. But it is art because it continues to reveal itself again and again on increasingly deeper levels.