DVD Review: Albert Up, Up And Away!

Albert Up, Up And Away! is an animated movie based on the children’s book by Danish writer Ole Lund Kirkegaard. It’s about a young boy named Albert who dreams of being the pilot of a hot air balloon. The opening shot follows a red balloon (of course making me think of a certain short film from 1956), which drifts to the statue of the town’s hot air balloon captain. Almost from the moment of Albert’s birth, he seems to cause mischief, leading to the destruction of the statue. One townsperson exclaims, “The boy must supply us with a new one.” Odd demand to make of an infant, right? But this film has an odd, whimsical tone, and it’s not long before Albert wants to make it up to the town. After all, he realizes the people of the town dislike him because of the mishap with the statue. So he announces that he will become a hot air balloon captain and travel the world. The townspeople applaud his decision (more because they’ll be getting rid of the boy than because they’ll gain a new statue).

The movie then follows his adventures as he pursues that dream, accompanied (somewhat reluctantly) by his best friend Egon, who is more interested in piracy than balloons. The boys become involved with a trio of bumbling crooks who plan to steal a diamond. Add a couple of bumbling cops as well, and a funny psychic who threatens her own crystal ball (“you’ll end up as a disco ball”), and you have a decent children’s film. It is aimed at younger kids, and should appeal to their sense of adventure. There are also some fart jokes, which will basically only be funny to children.

Early on the film relies on a somewhat weak device to show the passage of time and to supply exposition. We see a photo album while hearing voice over by Albert’s parents saying things like, “Amazing how fast he grew” and “But Albert was never friends with Palle, was he?” But the animation has a really nice look, particularly the landscapes. And I love the use of the word “cheeky,” a word we don’t hear often enough. I particularly like when a policeman asks a woman to describe the boys, and she responds, “They looked cheeky.”

Albert Up, Up And Away! was directed by Karsten Kiilerich (who also wrote the screenplay), and is scheduled to be released on DVD on April 19, 2016 through Shout! Factory. The DVD includes the film’s trailer.