UP, Disney-Pixar’s first 3D animation release, is a comedy adventure about a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman — Carl Fredericksen — who ties loads of balloons to his house and flies away to South America.

Along the way, Fredericksen gains an unexpected partner, in the form of eight-year-old Russell, a stowaway.

Fredericksen and the boy then go on to form a unique friendship during their ­adventure.

Up is directed by Pete Docter of Monsters Inc fame and will be playing in local cinemas (both in 3D and standard format) from Aug 20.

The long history of Creative Media Award is linked to many such Pixar and Disney animation movies.

Among these are A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe, Cars, Ratatouille, Wall-E. and now, Up.

The decision to tie-up with these movies over the past 12 years, said Tan Chin Wee, joint general manager for the One Academy, is because they feature exceptional cutting-edge animation techniques and imaginative story-telling skills.

“Also, the movies always have good morals behind the stories, that our youths can learn from,” he said.

A Bug’s Life is about putting bullies in their place; Toy Story 2 and its predecessor tells us the importance of friendship; The Incredibles promotes family values; and Finding Nemo is about a father’s love and sacrifice for his offspring.

“On top of that, the movies also have outstanding animation that is an inspiration to graphics arts students to push their ­imagination and skills,” Tan said.

Pixar’s objective is to combine technology and world-class creative talent to develop its computer-animated films, coupling this with memorable characters and ­heartwarming stories that appeal to ­audiences of all ages.

“It has definitely achieved this goal and continues to reach new heights,” said Tan. “Disney-Pixar is one of the most outstanding animation houses in the world because it has developed its animation and story-telling standards to a fine art.”

At Disney-Pixar, each film goes through several stages of development — creating the story line, pre-production where technical challenges are addressed, production which is making the film, and post-production where the product is fine-tuned.

Pixar was formed in 1986 and was bought by the Walt Disney Co in 2006. — STEVEN PATRICK