Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on December 2009

©WALT DISNEY PICTURES / PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

One of the best things about Pixar animations is their refusal to pander to children. Or to talk down to them. Oh, there’s plenty of color and activity for the tykes to enjoy, but their movies remain anchored in the art of storytelling. They have substance. And this flyaway fantasy marries comedy and drama to create a satisfying experience. Do not by any means arrive late. The 12-minute prologue delivers the film’s backstory with economy, wit and emotion, and actually moved some in the screening audience to tears (sniffle). It’s a buddy film. A curmudgeonly old widower (voice by Ed Asner), in order to avoid being sent to an old folks’ home, attaches countless balloons to his little house and flies it away, unaware that upon liftoff, a cub scout (Jordan Nagai) was on his porch hoping to earn a helping-the-elderly merit badge. But that’s just the kickoff, and the story develops into a journey of (self) discovery as it flies along through uncharted territory, which I will not tell you about. Recommend seeing it in 2D rather than 3D, which adds little, dims the colors and necessitates dubbing in Japanese.