I just saw the Disney animation, UP, yesterday I'm and glad we watched it instead of "the proposal". it must have been predestined that i watch the movie before i end up going through the periodic personal state of calamity (the blues wanes every weekend--that sounded like bruce wayne ;p)
for those who haven't seen it, it's about lolo Carl, a 78-year old widower who one day decides to tie a monstrous number of balloons to his house and fly to Paradise Falls (to fulfill his promise to lola Ellie that they were to build their house over Paradise Falls) as he escapes the hands of the people who wanted him to leave their (his and ellie's) house and stay in the shelter for the elderly. he was unaware that russell, an 8-year old wilderness scout (who so wanted to be senior wilderness master), came along.
it's a disney animation, so suspension of disbelief was used a lot. regardless of the non-realistic things i saw, i came to enjoy the movie and be UPlifted
and i was not disappointed. although i cried even as the movie was just starting,
(lolo carl's eyes were simply too expressive for the crybaby me to ignore, i felt his guilt for not keeping his promise to lola ellie while she was still alive) i went home feeling waaay better
.
what lolo carl and lola ellie shared is something i do not yearn to personally experience, but i was touched by the self-lessness and the simplicity of the adventure they shared, no matter how ordinary it seemed especially for lolo carl, but for lola ellie, it was one adventure she enjoyed (their marriage) even without reaching paradise falls.
my favorite part of the movie is that sequence where lolo carl decides to let go of all the stuff in the house so the ballons, already depleted because of the many sidetrips (and misadventures with the embattled explorer and his minions of talking canines), could manage to lift the house UP so he can rescue his young friend Russell. imagine unloading yourself. it really feels good. (hehe, my toilet humor gets the better of me and i suddenly think of other things, yak! hehe)
seriously, no matter how cliche the theme of the movie is, sometimes, we need to be constantly reminded of the simple things that can allow us to live light--learning to let go and getting rid of the unnecessary loads we put upon ourselves. of course the operative word is UNNECESSARY. we're not saying that you rid yourself of any concerns and become completely indifferent but we can always learn a thing or two from living light. detachment is one of the many things we should have with just the right mix. the non-practice of detachment (let's say too much attachment), weighs you down while too much detachment might put your emotions in coma and you end up lonely and constantly wanting, for having detached yourselves too much.
another beautiful thing i love about the film is how it makes the characters alive and almost human, even if they are just animated images, they were able to strike a chord with the viewers, well at least for the iyakin viewers. hehe. if i were to rate this film with boxes of tissues, i'd give it a three for making me cry at the start and at some point towards the end.
so if you're feeling a bit weighed down by a lot of things, just think about this, once you've hit rock bottom, there is no other way but UP, unless you decide to dig deeper down the earth layers and bury yourself in your self-made pits.
09.09.09 - ten days na lang anniversary ko na rito....nyahahaha!
