Cannes - A 3-D comedy about a cranky old man who ties helium balloons to his house in the hope of fulfilling a boyhood dream of flying to South America made cinematic history Wednesday when it became first animated movie to open Cannes Film Festival.
British actress Tilda Swinton arrives for the Gala screening of Pixar's animation film 'Up' running out of competition in the 62nd edition of the Cannes film festival in Cannes, France, 13 May 2009. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO
Ballerinas lined the festival's famous red carpet and balloons floated along the boulevard cutting through the Cote d''Azur resort's beachfront, as some of the biggest names in the motion picture business gathered to see the film titled Up from US director Pete Docter launch the 62nd festival.
'To see animation respected at the world's premier film festival. To be given opening night ... you pinch yourself. You just can't believe it,' Up producer John Lasseter told a news conference marking the film's screening in Cannes.
To enjoy the full effect of the movie, which takes moviegoers on what is at times both an emotional and funny voyage for the grouchy widower Carl Fredricksen, those attending the gala premiere in Cannes were given 3-D glasses.
As his journey gets underway, Carl discovers he has an 8-year-old stowaway on board who is determined to secure a Boy Scout badge for helping a pensioner.
But apart from celebrating innovation in movie making, Up also kicks off a 12-day movie marathon with leading French actress Isabelle Huppert chairing this year's jury.
'I don't think we are here to judge,' Huppert told the glittering opening night event. 'I think we are here to love films - and to see what we love more than others.'
However, with films from several of the world's leading directors part of the festival's main lineup, the 20-movie race for Cannes' top honours has already been billed as a battle between the some of the biggest names in movie making.
This includes new movies from America's Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee as well as Spain's Pedro Almodovar, Britain's Ken Loach, New Zealand's Jane Campion and Denmark's Lars von Trier.
But held against the backdrop of global economic uncertainty, the movie business it is likely to find this year's festival rather short of its normal round of high-voltage glamour and glitz.
With the economic crisis having cut a swathe through the world film industry over the last year, filmmakers from Hollywood through to Bollywood have faced cost-cutting, studio layoffs and an ever more cautious army of producers and movie financiers.
Already signs have emerged that the movie business has scaled back plans for the lavish parties and extravagant promotional events that have always been a feature of the festival.
Hollywood's traditional glamour offensive in Cannes might also be rather muted this year as the US movie industry has tightened its belt and a comparatively small number of American films have been selected for the festival.
That said, however, a cache of stars is heading to the French Mediterranean town for his year's festival, including Penelope Cruz, Gerard Depardieu, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.
A large slew of Asian movies are also to screen in this year's festival, such as Philippine director Brillante Medoza's Kinatay which tells the tale of gang of hit men and Chun Feng Chen Zui De Ye Wan (Spring Fever) by Chinese director Lou Ye about an erotic threesome.
Marking out the growing international interest in Palestinian cinema, Nazareth-born director Elia Suleiman's The Time That Remains has also been selected for the main competition. The film looks at the life of a Palestinian family over about seven decades.
But the programme for the 62nd Cannes festival tilts towards a heavy dose of horror and violence, including Tarantino's ultra- violent Inglourious Basterds about a group of bloodthirsty Nazi hunters.
Leading Korean director Park Chan Wook also returns to Cannes this year with his priest-turned-vampire film Bak-Jwi (Thirst), which has already been racing up the movie charts in his home country.
The gentler side of this year's Cannes programme is likely to be provided by Almodovar's Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces) and Campion's Bright Star with Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish as John Keats and his lover Fanny Brawne.
Oscar-winning Almodovar's drama set in the wake of the death of a movie producer forms part of an impressive contingent of European movies that have been lined up for the festival.
This also includes veteran Italian director Marco Bellocchio's Vincere about Mussolini's wife.
Social realism over the coming days at Cannes is likely to come from British director Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank about a teenager facing up to a parent's new lover and France's Jacques Audiard, Un Prophete (A Prophet).
Audiard's movie is about a young man's coming of age in a prison ruled by a Corsican gang leader.
The Cannes festival runs through May 24.
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