If you’re anything like me, you’re a big fan of Pixar movies. (Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo are among my all-time favs.) There’s just something incredible about how they develop characters and tell stories, and they always include touching moments of friendship (with forgiveness often being a major theme). Seriously, how amazing and unexpected is it that we’ve learned life lessons from toys, bugs, monsters, fish, super heroes, cars and rats. (I intentionally left “robots” off that list because I still haven’t seen Wall-E.)

The newest sure-to-become-an-instant-classic from Pixar is called Up, and it’s scheduled to come out at the beginning of this summer (May 29, 2009). So far, it looks, well…different. But honestly, didn’t talking cars, gentle monsters and a family of clumsy super heroes all seem a bit different at first too?

According to Pixar’s website, Up is about a man named Carl Fredricksen who “spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.” The movie promises to “take audiences on a thrilling journey where the unlikely pair encounter wild terrain, unexpected villains and jungle creatures.”

Just like with all the other Pixar movies, I have no idea what to expect, but I think it’s safe to assume Carl and Russell are the next unlikely duo whose friendship will teach me lessons I never realized I needed to learn, and after getting to know them and learning from them, I’ll know that I’m somehow better for it.

Here’s the trailer:

Feel free to share your thoughts on all-things Pixar, explain why one of their movies in particualr is your favorite, and if you’ve never heard about the lunch meeting where the ideas for all the current Pixar movies were born – from Toy Story (1995) to Wall-E (2008) – do a google search for “pixar’s legendary lunch meeting.” It’s an amazing story of creativity and collaboration.

Update: I went to see Wall-E tonight and really liked it.