UP is a downer (WARNING: Contains some spoilers)

Pixar has been generating incredible films for years, and I'm always excited to see what they're going to do next. Upon seeing the first trailers for UP months ago, I was skeptical. An old guy sailing off in his house? How exciting could that be? Yet because it was Pixar, I was willing to give it a try, especially after hearing the rave reviews from everyone else.

Although the animation was characteristically well done and the script deceptively deep, I wish I'd steered clear. In the tradition of Marley and Me, trailers for UP lead you to believe you're heading into a light-hearted adventure/comedy when what you actually get is an emotionally-draining heart-breaker. It's a cruel bait and switch.

We meet Carl Fredrickson (voiced in his elder years by the iconic Ed Asner) when he is a young boy who dreams of following in the footsteps of famous adventurer Charles Muntz. During the first several minutes of the film, we watch as Fredrickson and childhood sweetheart Ellie marry and grow old, repeatedly setting aside their dream of traveling to South America due to the expenses of everyday life. During the remainder of the film, Fredrickson comes to terms with Ellie's death as he attempts to make good on his childhood promise to fly them to Paradise Falls.

Fredrickson is not alone on his journey. Along the way, he picks up a young Wilderness Explorer (a fictional film version of the Boy Scouts) named Russell, a talking dog named Dug, and a colorful chocoholic bird that Russell dubs "Kevin." This motley crew presents a few moments of comic relief, but most of these appear in the trailers.

A wicked Muntz (who inexplicably still lives and somehow seems YOUNGER than Fredrickson, although he would have to be 15-20 years older) is after Kevin's rare bird breed and believes that Fredrickson and his young companion are in South America to undermine him. Trying to get Kevin safely to her chicks and Fredrickson's house to Paradise Falls before the helium balloons carrying it deflate, all while eluding Muntz and his pack of trained pooches, brings plenty of classic Pixar adventure as well as the conflict necessary for interesting drama.

UP's writers do a fantastic job with character development. Not only do we fully understand Fredrickson's pain and the urgency of getting his and Ellie's home to the falls, but we also feel for Russell after learning of the disappointments dished out by an absentee dad. The bumbling but friendly Dug and even Kevin (who has no dialog) burst with personality, and we want to pull for them just as emphatically as we root against Muntz. Even our villain has considerable depth. Banished to Paradise Falls after being labeled a fraud, he seeks to redeem himself by bringing back real evidence of the undocumented bird breed. We want to feel sorry for him, until we realize the length to which he's willing to go and the malevolent methods he's willing to employ to achieve his goal.

Overall, UP delivers a complex story told beautifully through top-notch animation and stellar voice-acting. Unfortunately, the light-hearted moments are too few to overcome the sad theme, and this seriously hampers enjoyment of the film. Furthermore, the plethora of children seated around us seemed bored by the middle of the movie, providing evidence that it does not provide enough adventure or humor to sustain juvenile attention for its 96-minute running time.