"Up" review: THE BEST movie of the summer! INCREDIBLE!

"UP" absolutely delivers in every way! The story is very unique, as well as touching, exciting, really funny, and yes, thought provoking!

Some minor spoilers are ahead.

This is NOT just a movie for kids. But then again, none of PIXAR's movies were intended for the smaller set alone. However, "Up" has a very emotional core that wonderfully pushes the story along. The first fifteen minutes chronicles young Carl Fredricksen who happens upon an abandoned house where a young girl named Ellie is pretend-playing that the house is actually an airborne vehicle, flying her through countless adventures. His relationship with her, beautifully captured and completely without dialogue, sparks the entire movie. We see the two getting married, growing older, and building an amazing life bond. This opening sequence is so sweet and so emotional, I really felt we would be in for an incredible journey as the story progressed. The rest of the movie does not disappoint!!

Ed Asner, voicing the 78 year old Carl Fredricksen, is wonderfully craggy and amusing. Young actor Jordan Nagai, in his very first role, almost steals the movie as wilderness scout Russell. He has some of the funniest scenes trying to help Carl in order to get his final wilderness badge, unintentionally becoming a stowaway on Carl's balloon propelled floating house. A house Carl wants to bring to a place in South America that he and his wife always talked about living. But the adventure they had planned long ago ultimately becomes Carl's (and Russell's) adventure of a lifetime.

The visuals are breathtaking, the action is brisk, the animation is some of PIXAR's best, and the heart of the film beats perfectly in tune, connecting us to aspirations both young and old. We saw this in standard 2D. Now I can't wait to see it in 3D. And the really wonderful thing is this is a movie that's not specifically tailor made for that process. Things poking out at you from the screen is not the point here. 3D will only deepen the emotional connection we'll have to these great characters and incredibly fun story!