The message of the film is one of enlightenment, revolution even. It's the first animated film ever to make the esteemed gala slot on the festival's first evening. So coming almost six-and-a-half decades after "Bambi," it is a courageous move for the festival, which was created in 1939, as well as a sign of respect for animated films. It's also about the cineastes in Cannes trying to make a fresh impression. For decades, film buffs have looked down their noses at the animation genre -- they saw it as artistically inferior. Until 2001, that is, when "Shrek" was accepted at Cannes. This week's message: no hard feelings!

In fact, "Up" was perfect for Cannes' opening night because the story it tells also has considerable symbolic value. The movie, produced by U.S. entertainment factory Disney/Pixar, is about an imaginative but ornery old man who barricades himself into his house. As a result, none of his dreams have ever come true -- until the old man and his crooked house miraculously take off heavenward, and onto a series of fantastic adventures.

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