Saturday night we loaded up the kids in the new car (did I mention we got a new car?) and headed off to the local drive in. The drive in affords many pluses, the kids are both free, adults are only 7 dollars, we can bring the baby, and I’m reminded of when I would frequent a drive in as a small boy. Of course, the sound leaves quite a bit to be desired and, inevitably, there is a car load of 10-19 year olds who are out of control, but it’s generally a decent experience.

That’s a long winded way of saying I saw Up this weekend. I’ll just say right off the bat that the movie was excellent. I hadn’t really expected anything less, however, after the movie was over I started to consider why it is that Pixar films are so good.

That consideration led to a much longer string of thoughts than I had originally intended. What I wrote, strictly speaking, is not a review of Up, so much as a consideration of the way villainous characters are deployed in the various Pixar films. That being the case, I have posted the needlessly verbose examination in the newly formed Essays section of the ol’ NR.

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Mos Def — May-December