Although we're nowhere near the South of France, it doesn't mean we're going to just sit out Cannes. Reviews of the opening night film, Up, is already trickling everywhere, so we'll round up the reactions of the other press folks who are there.
For Pixar's latest film, looks like the reaction is a definite positive. But that's predictable, isn't it?
Also, check out this 40 minute video of the press conference with director Pete Docter, co-director Bob Peterson, producer Jonas Rivera and Pixar head John Lasseter.
"Unlike so many animated films, it's not all about sensory bombardment and volume. As Pixar's process is increasingly analyzed, the more one appreciates the care that goes into the writing. The underlying carpentry here is so strong, it seems it would be hard to go too far wrong in the execution." - Todd McCarthy, Variety
"It's also the ideal choice to serve as the first animated feature ever to open the Festival de Cannes, considering the way it also pays fond homage to cinema's past, touching upon the works of Chaplin and Hitchcock, not to mention aspects of It's a Wonderful Life, The Wizard of Oz and, more recently, About Schmidt." - Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter
"This is a wonderful film. It tells a story. The characters are as believable as any characters can be who spend much of their time floating above the rain forests of Venezuela. They have tempers, problems, and obsessions. They are cute and goofy, but they aren't cute in the treacly way of little cartoon animals. They're cute in the human way of the animation master Hayao Miyazaki." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"The overall look of the film, with its breathtaking aerial views of South American landscapes and its symbolic interplay of squares and circles, puts every other animation studio to shame. My concern now, in fact, is that Cannes ’09 has begun on such a high note that what follows will seem gravely disappointing by comparison." - Mike D'Angelo, The A.V. Club
"Extending the patented Pixar mix of humor and heart, Up is the studio's most deeply emotional and affecting work." - Richard Corliss, TIME
"Quite emotional at times, some viewers had to wipe tears from beneath their 3-D glasses today while experiencing the emotional story of an aging man and a young boy who set out on a dramatic adventure together." - Eugene Hernandez, indieWIRE
"Up is a more more classic piece of entertainment, which cleaves to the Pixar template of being beautifully rendered, emotional and laugh-out-loud adult funny, all the while capturing the naïve charm of old-school Disney." - Damon Wise, Empire Magazine
"A highpoint of ingenuity and storytelling in the Pixar canon and indeed the animated form, this is a fitting opening to this year's Cannes Film Festival; indeed it will be hard for any other film there to match the storytelling genius and gorgeous 3D imagery which Docter and his team have achieved." - Mike Goodridge, Screen Daily
