Pixar.

We are growing up in the times when cartoons no longer mean, The Lion King or Mulan.

Instead, we have animation films, like Up, Wall-E, Ratatouille etc. Everyone agrees (well, everybody I know, at least) that Pixar films are classic – they are the animation films that stick by you for a extremely really long time. Plus, they make you feel really good.

I remember, Finding Nemo came out in 2003, and I was in junior college during that time. Finding Nemo got us all into a nemo-crazy period, when we would grab each other’s belongings and start saying, “Mo-ine, Mooo-ine.” You know, the really classic “mine” phrase that sounded part French. We still do that from time to time, at least RL and I do. It reminds me of the good old days when we get all gooey at really cute things.

Actually, I still do get really gooey and squeal-ly at cute things. My friends commented that I could not stop squealing at Remy the rat when we were watching Ratatouille. I squealed through Wall-E and nearly drove my friends up the wall. When I was watching Partly Cloudy (a short film that Pixar traditionally plays before every Pixar full length movie), I squealed at the sight of adorable babies, kittens and puppies. The boyfriend was really very amused.

You get the gist, don’t you.

My sister adores Toy Story, she can watch that over and over and over again. I can watch Ratatouille over and over and over and over and over again. That is the impact that Pixar has left on us, the storylines could be entirely out of the world, but because they are animation films, we go along for the amazing ride and we are never disappointed.

Warning: Stop reading, do not click – if you don’t want to read spoilers to the movie, Up

Up is, one of the best movies I have ever watched. I cried, at the start, the middle and the ending. I was so touched by Carl’s and Ellie’s love story, I wish, my love story would be similar to theirs. I cried, when Carl came to replace Russell’s busy working father as a parent/guardian to pin the badge for his wilderness adventurer’s promotion. I cried, when Carl pinned his trusty soda bottle cap’s badge that Ellie pinned onto him when they were kids, onto Russell’s badge collection, certifying him as the ultimate wilderness adventurer going up and above everything to serve. I cried, when Carl lost his house, his last physical piece of memory of Ellie, who wanted to make their home at Paradise Falls.

I laughed everytime when Russell fed Kevin chocolate, and Kevin would shower tender loving care to Russell and Carl, even though Carl kept chasing Kevin away. I loved every single minute of the kid teaching the old man lessons, when Carl cared more for his house than Kevin, when Dug obstinately chose Carl as his master and stuck by him through thick and thin, when Russell chose to fly off into the skies with balloons attached to his body, in chase of the airship to save Kevin.

I really really loved the movie, Up. It teaches us so many things, friendship, the love for animals, friends and loved ones. It taught me so many things in just a short span of 96 minutes. It was entertaining, and enlightening.

I wonder if other movie goers would feel as affected as I do. The impact was pretty strong, and hard.

A friend once mentioned, Pixar movies are the only animation films that are worth a buy. I thought about it hard, and realised that as much as I enjoyed their movies, I was never convinced enough to purchase the DVDs. After tonight, when the DVDs are launched come 10 November 2009, I’ll be the first in line to get the Limited Edition, that’s if I can find it in Singapore. If not, Amazon would be my next best friend.

To sum it all up, here’s a video – Partly Cloudy, Pixar’s short film in accompaniment to Up. Enjoy, and don’t squeal too loudly!