Up is the latest offering from Disney and Pixar. It stars Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show/Lou Grant, Gargoyles, X-Files, Superman, Spider-Man) as Carl Fredricksen, a grumpy old man who has had enough, and Russell (Jordan Nagai – Up), an enthusiastic cub scout-ish kid who ends up stranded on Carl's porch just as Carl unleashes thousands of toy balloons. But you know all this, that's just the trailer…

The story begins when Carl was a kid. He was a huge fan of famous explorer Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer – Star Trek VI, A Beautiful Mind), and one day he meets a like spirit in another kid his age: Ellie (Elie Docter – Up) and they never part. They grow up together, experience life together, and fail to realize their dreams together, but through it all, they love each other right to the end, the end that comes too soon for (seriously, spoilers) Ellie.

Seriously, it's a really down beginning for a movie called Up. Maybe it's designed to where the movie can only go up from there?

Carl failed to come through with the adventure of a lifetime for Ellie, but he's just about to begin his new adventure. In it, Carl will save a cute kid several times, get a sweet loving dog, defend the lives and liberty of those who can't defend themselves, and honor his wife's memory on the way to finally technically fulfilling his promise to Ellie and beginning his new adventure.

Extras:

DISC 1

• Cine-Explore Commentary – Including Blu-ray exclusive Picture-in-Picture video
• Partly Cloudy Theatrical Short (5:46) This was the one show in theatres with Up. It's cute but a little masochistically creepy. I didn't love it, and I usually do with Pixar shorts.
• Dug’s Special Mission (4:40) This is an awesome short and a perfect cherry on top after you watch the main feature. It shows how Dug came to be where Carl and Russell find him.
• Adventure Is Out There (22:17) If you like nature shows and Up, this is a real treat, as it shows the real life locales where this movie takes place.
• Alternate Scene: The Many Endings of Muntz (4:56) I didn't buy Muntz's evilness to begin with, but if you want to see some more Muntz, this might help you understand more about him.

DISC 2

• Documentaries: The titles are self-explanitory, and they are all worth watching.
  • Geriatric Hero (6:24)
  • Canine Companions (8:26)
  • Russell: Wilderness Explorer (9:00)
  • Our Giant Flightless Friend, Kevin (5:04)
  • Homemakers of Pixar (4:38)
  • Balloons and Flight (6:25)
  • Composing For Characters (7:37)
• Married Life: Alternate Scenes (9:15) how the writers and editors choose between real sad and real sad.
• Up Promo Montage (6:00) Cute but missable.
• Global Guardian Badge Game – Every Blu's got a game and this oe is no exception. Earn your Wilderness Explorer badges with your remote or PS3 controller.
• Worldwide Trailers

DISC 3
Standard DVD with standard commentary and extras.

DISC 4
Digital copy for your iTunes, iPhone, and presumably more.

Overview:
Up starts out cute for a moment, then spends the next several minutes ramming home the dread of mortality, the futility of reaching for one's dreams and the loss of one's love. Then it has nowhere to go but up. Aside from the villain, the characters are engaging, the scenery is fantastic, the voices are perfect, and the art is superb. And for all the downer it starts out with, for all the weight it leaves on you for the majority of the film, Up may be the film that can lift you up, even for the downest of hearts.

ComicsOnline gives Up 4-Disc Blu-ray Edition 4.5 out of 5 uplifting spirits of adventure.