‘Up’ is the direction Pixar/Disney is going

Walt Disney knew that certain images touched the heart. So, too, does Pixar.

Working the same basic formula that Disney pioneered, the Pixar Animation Group over the past 30 years has succeeded by giving that same formula a bit of a twist: They’ve taken neutral or even negative images and given them qualities that average moviegoers simply can’t resist.

The company, which made its reputation by making bouncing metal table lamps seem positively human, has done the same thing with fish, cast-off toys, monsters and robots.

Three years ago Pixar was purchased by Disney, and that blending led to two Oscars: “Ratatouille” (2007) and “WALL-E” (2008).

Pixar/Disney new film is “Up,” a film that poses a challenging question: How do you build a successful a film around a crotchety old man? Pixar/Disney achieves this by giving our protagonist, Carl Fredricksen (voice by Ed Asner), a back story.

In a extended sequence that takes up much of the film’s first half hour, we see Carl during his childhood, when he first meets the love of his life Ellie (voice by Ellie Docter). The film progresses through the next several decades, as Carl and Ellie live a full life while holding on to the dream of one day traveling to South America.

When Ellie dies, the reason Carl’s grumpiness becomes clear: His lifemate is gone, their dream remains unfulfilled.

Then fate takes over. Because of an encroaching development, Carl finds himself a target. And after a particularly bad decision, he is labeled a “public nuisance.” He responds by utilizing the skills he developed as a balloon seller: He floats his house off its foundation, and, with a so-called wilderness scout named Russell (voice by Jordan Nagai) as an accidental stowaway, he heads south.

After a series of near-disasters they arrive at their destination, and that’s where Carl and Russell encounter a whole new cast of supporting stars. These include the same once-famous lost explorer (voice by Christopher Plummer) whom Carl admired as a boy, a pack of dogs equipped by the explorer with electric voice boxes (one of whom, Dug, voice by Bob Peterson, becomes Carl and Russell’s friend) and a giant bird, a cross between an ostrich and a toucan, that propels the plot forward:

Carl and Russell want to save this rare, plumed creature, while the explorer wants to capture and exploit it.

“Up” may not rank with the very best of Pixar – the two “Toy Stories” or “Finding Nemo,” for example – but it comes close. Not only are the computer-generated effects that writer-director Pete Docter oversees impressive, especially when rendered in 3-D, but the blend of comedy and adventure hits just the right balance.

What makes “Up” special is how well it delivers the obligatory Disney messages – friendship means sacrifice; children from broken families deserve love, too; sometimes the meaning, not to mention magic, of life is not what you think it is – without any unnecessary effort. The film reaffirms the importance of pledges, but it never resorts to preaching.

Pixar may one day falter. But it hasn’t yet. And now that’s it’s teamed with Disney, the company’s fortunes clearly are continuing … well, “Up.”

Below: The trailer for Pixar/Disney’s “Up.”