[imdb Up]Why does Pixar feel it needs to inundate its trailers with the logos from its past films?  Jr. the Lamp is recognizable enough, we don’t need a list of Pixar’s credentials.  I’m such a child, as soon as I spy Jr., I wet my pants in excitement.  “What new savory delight does Pixar have in store?”  I do not need to be reminded of the company’s past hits.  Up, I firmly believe, can stand on its own merit, or trailer, as the case may be.

That being said, Up’s trailer does a great job of setting the story.  I’ve always found these sorts of adventure stories, where the characters are lost, especially in a balloon, a tad dull.  I guess I was more the swashbuckling type, rather than the explorer type.  However, in just two minutes, the trailer author manages to perfectly introduce us to these three unique characters.  I am always more interested in the story if the characters are awesome.  You could have a movie set in a barcode factory, where the characters draw lines all day, but if those characters are well fleshed out, I’ll sit through the whole film.

This trailer also nicely highlights the humor.  All of the little bits takes (“No,” and slamming the door; “Squirrel;” little boy dragged across the bad guy’s window) were neatly timed.  Those little takes, like when the GPS goes out the window, are more reminiscent of Looney Toons than early Disney.  There are some heavy vaudeville influences in the humor in the film.  I sense there will be some nice, unexpected laugh out loud moments in store.

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