Great Day for...UP

Any of you with children will probably recognize the title of this post is also the title of a children’s book…if you don’t recognize, go to the library and rent it. It’s a pretty good book/ But has nothing really to do with this post...




I watched the movie Up this weekend. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I know this blog usually features artists and their work and I am trying my best to support those just starting, or those with great talent and stuff. But it’s my blog and I will do whatever I want…right? And I want to talk about the movie up!



Have you seen it? It is hands down the most amazing children’s movie I have ever seen. It’s amazing on so many levels. First the animation. It is incredible animation and color and such, but that is to be expected from Pixar. The true beauty was not in the animation but in the story line. It was very different from the good versus evil, hero versus villain of most children’s shows.

Yes, there was the “bad guy” but so much of it was his own personal struggle. He was battling his own demon of pride, old age and all sorts of other deeper things than just being a bad guy. The main character, battles himself as well. His entire life lay behind him and he is faced with a grim future. Until he learns to let go of that emotionally charged past and literally move past his past .

As I watched the movie I kept waiting for it to get cheesy and dumb like a kids movie. I kept waiting for smarmy remarks, and sarcastic play on words. But unlike the other children’s movies, it didn’t have that sort of humor, yet it was an exceedingly funny movie at times. More so however it was a touching movie of life’s struggle of internal angst, and of personal growth.

Two old old men coming to terms with where they have been and where life was now leading them. Generations expanded as a quirky neighbor kid came into play part way through the film. It had all the great components of a great movie, strong characters, cute animals, great scenery…

I could go on and on about it. But I wont. You really should watch it. I walked away from the TV screen a different person after watching. I was much more self aware this weekend, realizing my own demons and my own struggles and my own need to bloom. I had touched on this with artist Julie Behm’s feature. She had used the word “expand” as her word for the year. After reading her story I have chosen to use the word “blossom”. Maybe it was the interview, the blog post last week and the movie combined. I don’t know? I do know that for whatever reason I feel the petals unfolding.

And to quote Julie, who quoted Anais Nin: “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”