7. Up

If we were just ranking openings, Up would not only be at the top of this list, it would probably rank pretty high in a list of best film openings of the 21st century. Up is a kind of messy film to try and sum up because it has so many disparate elements that, out of context, sound like they’re coming from multiple unrelated films rather than a singular cohesive work. But its opening, in which we watch married couple Carl and Ellie grow old together, could be a short film on its own. Ellie’s passing is the spark that ignites her husband’s grief-driven adventure to move their marital home, by way of thousands of balloons, to the remote Paradise Falls waterfall in South America, and the screenplay provides a masterclass in what it means for a character to “haunt the narrative.” The minutiae of how Carl treks toward his destination are entertaining and gave us some of the most memorable characters in Pixar history, like the speaking golden retriever Dug, so we can forgive it being a bit messy en route to its powerful finale in which Carl, with Ellie’s posthumous blessing, is able to move forward and past their old dreams. Ah, fuck, I got choked up thinking about it. Anyway, Up good. — KS