I read recently that Pixar is 10 for 10 — their last ten releases have opened number one at the box office, and their new offering Up is no exception. Noah took me to see this movie for Father’s Day, and I enjoyed it, although I was a bit surprised by it. The trend in animated movies for kids is to sprinkle just enough humor for the adults into the mix that they enjoy it too, so that they have a reason to come back for the next one. I’m trying not to be too cynical about that, but you cannot ignore the fact that the kids aren’t the ones paying for the tickets.

I think this trend may have been taken too far. That is, these are no longer kids movies with a few adult themes, they are adult movies with flashy graphics for the kids. The entire first act of Up is essentially a flashback, with very limited dialogue, telling the poignant back story of Carl, the hapless curmudgeon who turns his house into a makeshift dirigible, and his wife Ellie. The story is touching and overall very sad, and I’m not afraid to admit I shed a tear watching it. Pixar does fine work. Last year’s WALL-E was very similar in its liberal use of adult themes and limited dialogue. It was also very good, and deserved the Oscar it won for best animated film.

But I believe it is increasingly becoming a stretch to call these kids movies. Someone could remake Schindler’s List as an animated film, with enough eye candy to hold a kid’s attention for ninety minutes, but that doesn’t make it a children’s movie. I’m not trying to be critical of Pixar’s stories, just their marketing. Pixar makes great movies, they just aren’t always what they seem.