Disney/Pixar Animation Studios has created another smash summer hit with Up. The movie, which tells the story of a man named Carl Fredrickson who ties thousands of balloons to his house in order to escape to South America after his wife's death, is one of the best movies, animated or not, I've seen in a long time.

While many teenagers may dismiss Up as a children's movie not worth their time, they don't fully realize that the movie, like most Pixar films, has something for everybody and requires a little knowledge of the world to fully appreciate.

The film opens on a young Carl watching a 1930s-era newsreel about a blimp pilot who discovered a place called Paradise Falls in South America. As he walks home, he finds a girl named Ellie who shares his fascination with exploration. Eventually, the two marry and they find that life gets in the way of their dream to go to South America.

When Ellie dies, Carl is miserable. His house has become a shrine to his wife and he has to deal with a land developer who wants to demolish his house and send
Carl to a nursing home. On the verge of going to the nursing home, Carl decides to tie thousands of helium balloons to his home and lifts off — unknowingly taking a wilderness scout named Russell, who was trying to earn his "assisting the elderly" badge, along for the ride.

The two make it to South America, discover a rare bird, and Carl meets his childhood hero, who disappeared to South America in shame and has been tracking the exact rare bird that Carl and Russell found.

Up is darker than most Pixar films that we've gotten used to. It's a story of loss, adventure and change. Carl, who in the beginning almost fears life without his wife, learns to move on.

I saw Up in 3-D and was amazed. The glasses weren't cheap plastic and, rather than going for cheap effects, the 3-D added depth to the movie.

Up is one of the best movies I've seen in a while and offered a nice reprieve from the more mature movies that usually come out in the summer (not that I don't love those movies, but a break is good sometimes). Overall, Up is worth every penny of admission, any time of day, 3-D or not. If you see one movie this summer, see this.

David Salazar is going to be a junior at
Santa Fe High School. You can reach him
at davidjsalazar@gmail.com