Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 19, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
UP, the new Disney/Pixar animated film produced under the direction of Disney/Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, is this year’s opening film at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. The opening ceremony on May 13, 2009 will also mark a world premiere: UP is the first animated film to be presented to the festival’s opening-night audience in 3D. This year’s Cannes Film Festival takes place from May 13 to 24, 2009.
For their tenth film, Pixar Animation Studios present what may be their most unusual hero yet. Carl Fredricksen is a sometimes grumpy but fundamentally lovable retiree who wants to enjoy a modest life in peace and quiet in his little house. The former balloon salesman’s life is disrupted when the city builds a huge shopping centre around his property and waits for an opportunity to demolish his home as well. But the resourceful 78-year-old will not let that happen: attaching thousands of balloons to his house, he floats away from his old life towards the Amazon, where he hopes finally to fulfil his lifelong dream of having a home in South America.
Only too late does he notice the stowaway on his porch: eight-year-old scout Russell had crept aboard unnoticed, hoping to do Carl a good deed and earn his final missing scout badge. His constant chatter and boundless cheerfulness drive Carl mad. His mood does not improve much when, after reaching the jungle, they meet the talking dog Dug and encounter a prehistoric bird named Kevin, whose distinctive expressions and movements make a decidedly eccentric impression. This curious expedition team embarks on an extraordinary journey in which youthful recklessness meets the serenity of old age—with unexpected results for everyone.
Following the success of Monsters, Inc. as director and Toy Story as co-writer, director Pete Docter joins co-director and screenwriter Bob Peterson, a writer on Finding Nemo, to bring an unlikely duo full of humour and heart to the screen. The eccentric Carl and talkative Russell journey through the jungle and become an unbeatable team.
UP opens in the United States on May 29, 2009 and in German cinemas on September 25, 2009. It will also screen simultaneously in Disney Digital 3-D at selected cinemas.
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