Up ****

A delightful, touching, and at times thrilling ride, "Up" tells the story of the improbable South American adventure of an irascible old retiree, Karl Frederickson (voiced by Ed Asner), and his stow-away sidekick, Russell (Jordan Nagai) who was hiding under Karl's porch when the house was lifted by thousands of balloons. Karl is fulfilling an old dream, expertly told without a word of dialogue, which is something of a Pixar specialty. (Remember the long pantomime sequences in "WALL-E"?) Young Russell wants to complete his Wilderness Scout badge for helping the elderly. So between them we have a cross-generational interchange that ultimately brings both what they really wanted. The movie is available in 3D, one of a host this year, which truly adds to the experience, especially in some daring moves in flying machines in the clouds.

Rated PG. 96 minutes. Pete Docter - Director / Writer (screenplay) (story), Bob Peterson - Co-Director / Writer (screenplay) (story), Thomas McCarthy - Writer (story), Jonas Rivera - Producer, Michael Giacchino - Composer, Ricky Nierva - Production Designer. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures.

Principal voices: Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, John Ratzenberger, Delroy Lindo, and Jordan Nagai.