Off we go into the wild blue yonder --- literally --- with "Up" (Disney/Pixar), the 10th collaboration of the two animation giants and another instant classic. This soaring achievement (no pun intended) is a celebration of life, at turns action-packed, poignant, sublime and very, very funny.

"Up" weaves three story lines together, each a reflection on loss and gain. At the heart of the film is Carl Fredericksen (voice of Ed Asner), a grumpy 78-year-old balloon salesman who keenly feels the absence of his beloved wife and soul mate, Ellie. A touching back story tells how they met as kids, shared a love of adventure, and always dreamed of visiting South America. Their devotion to each other, set to music, is a winning portrayal of marriage, dealing tenderly with issues rarely tackled by American animators, including the loss of a child and a spouse, and the debilitating effects of old age.

Their childhood idol is Charles F. Muntz (voice of Christopher Plummer), a daredevil explorer whose mantra "Adventure is out there!" becomes a life's purpose to Carl and Ellie. Muntz collects treasures and relics as he flies around the world in a Hindenburg-like airship. His fall from grace, when no one believes his story of an exotic 13-foot-tall bird living in the jungles of Venezuela, is a blow to the young adventurers.

Carl's modern-day counterpart is Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai), an 8-year-old "Junior Wilderness Explorer," anxious to earn his last Scouting-type badge by "assisting the elderly." He badgers Carl, now alone and under siege from developers who surround his falling-down house. Behind Russell's jabbering earnestness is a desire for attention and anxiety over the absent father figure in his life. Carl eventually warms to the boy, seeing in him his own unfulfilled dreams.

Things really do take off (again, no pun intended) when Carl, threatened with eviction, attaches hundreds of colorful balloons to his home and zooms into the clouds, steering the house (via a clothesline "sail") to the south. With Ellie smiling from a photo on the wall, Carl vows to land their house on the tabletop mountains of Venezuela. Russell is an unexpected stowaway who is consumed by the thrilling turn of events.

What ensues is entirely implausible but in every way enchanting as man and boy battle the elements (a storm sequence could frighten young ones) on their way to South America. Landing short of their destination, the aptly named Paradise Falls, they resort to practicality as explorers do, dragging the floating house on foot through the jungle.

Along the way they encounter the mythical bird of Muntz's dreams, a colorful cross between a macaw and an ostrich that loves chocolate and is christened Kevin. A cute-as-a-button dog named Dug rounds out the ragtag group; Dug "talks" by way of a sophisticated electronic collar. Dug's fellow canines, however, also equipped with collars, are not so benign.

As you may imagine, Carl and his young friend have the adventure of a lifetime, but be aware that in addition to the somber themes mentioned above, albeit delicately handled, some of the action is fairly intense, and there's little doubt that the pack of vicious dogs means business.

Still, directed and co-written by Pete Docter ("Monsters, Inc."), "Up" is in every way uplifting (no pun intended --- honest!), a surprising display of human spirit and perseverance that will have every boy and girl look with renewed admiration at the senior citizens in their midst --- and vice versa.

The film contains some serious thematic material and a few scenes of intense peril that may disturb small children. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-I --- general patronage. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG --- parental guidance suggested.

Dance Flick (Paramount)
Flat-footed genre satire with a minimal plot about the unlikely romance between a would-be ballerina (Shoshana Bush) and a street dancer (Damon Wayans, Jr.). Stumbles far outnumber leaps in director and co-writer Damien Dante Wayans' rambling sendup, and a few of the gags are patently vulgar. Much sexual and some scatological humor, one use of the F-word, frequent crude and crass language, and occasional comic violence. (L, PG-13)

Drag Me to Hell (Universal)
Intentionally over-the-top horror tale in which a Los Angeles loan officer (Alison Lohman) is cursed to death and damnation by a woman (Lorna Raver) on whose home her bank is foreclosing and, with the reluctant support of her skeptical boyfriend (Justin Long), enlists the aid of a fortuneteller (Dileep Rao) in her increasingly frantic efforts to undo the spell. Gross-out sight gags abound in director and co-writer Sam Raimi's canny shockfest, but bloodletting is generally minimal and the occult elements, like the dubious premise that one person can consign another to Hades, need not be taken seriously. Some hand-to-hand violence, a premarital situation, a couple of uses of profanity and of the S-word, and a few crass terms. (A-III, PG-13)

Easy Virtue (Sony Classics)
Glossy but ho-hum retread of an early Noel Coward play (1924), adapted by director and co-writer Stephen Elliott, wherein a landed young Englishman (Ben Barnes) brings home his vivacious new bride, a glamorous American widow (likable Jessica Biel) with a "past," who clashes with her husband's stodgy mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) and sisters, though winning the admiration of his more bohemian father (Colin Firth). The colorful period and background tunes are enjoyable, but performances are generally flat and the dated and unconvincing story is further sabotaged by a couple of morally problematic plot additions. Unconventional view of marriage, divorce, assisted suicide, nongraphic sexual marital encounters, brief rear and partial nudity, some crass language and heavy smoking. (O, PG-13)

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (Fox)
Enjoyable sequel, again directed by Shawn Levy, has the ex-Museum of Natural History night guard (Ben Stiller) traveling to Washington to rescue his formerly inanimate friends --- the museum's display figures (Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan) --- from being archived in the Smithsonian. With the help of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) and General Custer (Bill Hader), they must ward off Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah (funny Hank Azaria), Ivan the Terrible (Christopher Guest), Napoleon Bonaparte (Alain Chabat) and Al Capone (Jon Bernthal). Kids will love the gags (the humor stays clean) and excellent special effects, and adults will appreciate the wit of some of the D.C. museum's most iconic paintings and sculptures springing to life. (A-I, PG)

Terminator Salvation (Warner Bros.)
Explosively violent sci-fi action sequel in which the prophesied victor (Christian Bale) in humanity's post-apocalyptic struggle against a race of murderous supermachines must locate the teen (Anton Yelchin) who will someday travel back in time to become his father while determining whether a bewildered visitor from the past (Sam Worthington) is friend or foe. A few undeveloped philosophical observations are drowned out, in director McG's time-twisting, special-effects extravaganza, by the roar of unremitting battle. Intense and pervasive combat, some gore, and half a dozen crude or crass terms. (L, PG-13)

Joe McAleer is a guest reviewer for the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. More reviews are available online at www.usccb.org/movies.