Disney/Pixar's animated feature Up is out on DVD
today. This was easily one of my favorite movies on the year. Another winner for Pixar, with stunning visuals and an inspired story about a pair of the unlikeliest adventure heroes you've ever seen -- 78-year-old balloon salesman and a chubby Asian American wilderness scout.Yes, the star of one of the best movies of the year is an Asian American kid: Russell, the awkward, accidental stowaway on Carl Frederickson's balloon-powered floating house, who goes on a high-flying adventure to the wilds of South America and meets a rare, colorful bird named Kevin and a talking dog named Dug. Huh? Just watch the movie.
They don't ever specifically say that Russell is Asian, and his ethnicity doesn't really play into the story -- which is great -- but it's fairly obvious. And he's voiced by a real, live Asian kid, newcomer Jordan Nagai, who apparently got the job by tagging along with this older brother to the audition. He does a really good job.
I wonder how many kids dressed up as "the Asian kid from Up" this year for Halloween? Anyway, it's a wonderful movie. Pixar has definitely done it again. Pick it up on DVD
today everywhere where pretty much anything is sold.