FILM · 2009 · USA
Up
- Directed by
- Pete Docter
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Studio
- Pixar
460 archived facts 8 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. 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.
460 Interesting Facts About Up
Interesting Facts (46)
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It takes approximately 9 seconds for a skilled worker to fill and tie off a helium balloon. It would take just over 12.5 million balloons to lift a standard 1600 sq. ft house off the ground. Therefore, inflating the necessary number of balloons for Carl to complete his task would take roughly 3.5 years, assuming he worked constantly and did not stop to eat or rest.
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If Carl's house was approximately 1600 square feet, and the average house weighs between 60 and 100 pounds per square foot, it weighs 120,000 pounds. If the average helium balloon can carry.009 pounds (or 4.63 grams), it would take 12,658,392 balloons to lift his house off the ground. (20,622 balloons appear on the house when it first lifts off, only enough to lift 185.6 pounds.)
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Before the film's worldwide release date, Pixar granted a wish from 10-year-old Colby Curtin to see the movie before she died. Colby had been diagnosed with cancer and was too sick to go to a theater. A Pixar employee flew to the Curtins' house with a DVD of the finished film and screened it for her and her family. Curtin died seven hours later at 9:20 pm, shortly after seeing the movie.
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On May 26, 2009, Disney attached balloons to the roof of Edith Macefield's house in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, Washington. Edith fought building developers and her little house still stands in the center of a large development known as the Ballard Blocks. However, development on this film began a full two years prior to the incidents in Washington, so any similarities are purely coincidental.
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About halfway through the film, Carl and Russell are trying to put up a tent. Carl is surprised that Russell, with all his badges, never put up a tent before. When he asks Russell why he didn't ask his dad for help, Russell reveals (albeit indirectly) that his parents are divorced (during the conversation where Russell says, "Phyllis isn't my mom"). This is the first time in a Disney full-length animated feature where divorce is hinted at as a reason for a character having a single parent (most of Disney's single parents are assumed to be widowed).
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According to Pete Docter, Carl Fredricksen and Charles Muntz were designed to be mirrors of each other, right down to their names (Carl is a Germanic form of Charles). Both men have suffered a tremendous personal loss (for Carl, his wife Ellie, and Muntz, his good name and reputation), and both are obsessed with an object from their past (the house for Carl and Kevin for Muntz). The difference between the two men is that over the years, Muntz's obsession has made him bitter, paranoid to an extreme, and willing to resort to violence to get what he wants. In other words, Muntz represents what Carl would likely become had he not met Russell and Dug and learned to let go of his past.
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A subplot involving Carl keeping one of Kevin's eggs (which could reverse the aging process) from Charles Muntz was conceived in the early stages of production. Muntz would have already used a few of these eggs, explaining why he looks almost younger than Carl despite being several decades older. It would have also been emphasized that Muntz's obsession with Kevin comes mainly from wanting to obtain another egg. None of this was ever scripted due to it being (in director Pete Docter's words) "too bizarre"
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Before the film's worldwide premiere, Pixar granted 10-year-old Colby Curtin's wish to see the film before she died. Colby had been diagnosed with cancer and was too ill to go to a theater. A Pixar employee flew to the Curtins' home with a DVD of the finished film and screened it for her and her family. Curtin died shortly after watching the film, at 9:20 p.m. seven hours later.
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Apart from the villains, who are triangles, all the characters are based on circles and rectangles. Carl and Ellie are not only built from squares and circles; the objects around them, such as chairs and picture frames, are also based on their shapes. When the two appear in a photograph, the frame is a circle and a square.
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It was the first animated film to open the Cannes Film Festival and also the first 3D film to do so. When the film ended, the festival audience was completely silent. During a panel at the 2011 D23 Expo, executive producer John Lasseter said that the person who broke the silence by standing and applauding was actress Tilda Swinton.
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On May 26, 2009, Disney attached balloons to the roof of Edith Macefield's house in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Edith fought construction contractors, and her small house still stands at the center of a large development known as the Ballard Blocks. However, development of this film began a full two years before the events in Washington, so the similarities are purely coincidental.
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While playing in the abandoned house, Ellie travels to Paradise Falls; through her soda-bottle binoculars she spots a puppy, and then says they are passing through a storm full of lightning and hail. Carl pilots using the same window of the same house that opens onto Paradise Falls; along the way they pass through a storm, and the first living thing they encounter is a puppy.
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Russell's Wilderness Explorer sash has many jokes and tributes. The most obvious is the Luxo Jr. (1986) ball, which can also be seen on the floor of a girl's room as Carl's house passes by. One of the badges shows a hamburger with a candle in it. This is a nod to Merritt Bakery in Oakland, a favorite haunt of director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera, which makes cakes in that shape. Another badge is a tribute to 2D animation and shows a sheet of hole-punched paper of the kind 2D animators used to align their drawings correctly. There are also First Aid and Second Aid badges, which may be a reference to a short story on the Up website in which Russell struggles to put a bandage on Carl. Another badge depicts the multicolored pinwheel that is the "hang" icon of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Many of the badges are shown in the credits. In an additional tribute to Apple and Steve Jobs (Pixar's former CEO), Russell is seen trying to teach Carl how to use a computer. The typeface used for the numbers on Carl's alarm clock is "Chicago", one of the first typefaces designed for the Macintosh.
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When young Charles Muntz tells a large audience that he will return with the monster, everyone is wearing a hat. What the viewer cannot see, however, is that he is addressing a real "Sea of Hats" with no characters underneath them. This is a common method computer animators use to depict large crowds.
Production Story (46)
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It is the sixth animated film in which characters voiced by studio members are listed during the casting call of the main cast members outside the credits. This applies to co-director Bob Peterson as Dug and Alpha (a tritagonist and a secondary antagonist), director Pete Docter as Kevin (a tetartagonist), and Jerome Ranft as Gamma (a tertiary antagonist alongside Beta). The previous five were Lilo & Stitch (2002) with Chris Sanders as Stitch (a deuteragonist), Open Season (2006) with Cody Cameron as Mr. Weenie (a tritagonist), Meet the Robinsons (2007) with Stephen J. Anderson as Bowler Hat Guy (a secondary antagonist), Ratatouille (2007) with Lou Romano as Alfredo Linguini (a deuteragonist) and Peter Sohn (a supporting character), and Bolt (2008) with Mark Walton as Rhino the Hamster (a tetartagonist). The first of these also had a dog character voiced by such a person and featured voice actor Danny Mann credited outside the additional voices. It is also the last one of this kind released in the 2000s and the last not to be a follow-up film or a spinoff until Early Man (2018), nine years later.
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Carl and Russell travel to Paradise Falls far from society where extinct creatures live - at a cliff much like that of a similar story in 'The Lost World' (1925). It is also based on Angel Falls in Venezuela. They based the landscape on the mountain Roraima, which is situated on the border between Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. The mountain has a flat tabletop structure with very steep walls (they are called tepuis) which makes for a very otherworldly landscape. The Lost World was also based on the landscape around and on the tepuis.
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This film marks the debut of Jordan Nagai, who voices Russell. Originally, his older brother Hunter was auditioning for the part, and Nagai simply came along with him. About 400 children showed up for the auditions, but Nagai stood out because he would not stop talking, and they realized he had the same personality and mannerisms as they envisioned for Russell. Director Pete Docter later said that "as soon as Jordan's voice came on we started smiling because he is appealing and innocent and cute and different from what I was initially thinking."
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During pre-production of the film, director Pete Docter looked up to Disney veteran animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, and Joe Grant for inspiration. Docter stated that the film reflects the friendship he shared with these three talented animators before their deaths, as well as his desire to learn what they went through during their years working for Walt Disney.
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On May 26, 2009, Disney attached balloons to the roof of Edith Macefield's house in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, Washington. Edith fought building developers, and her little house still stands in the center of a large development known as the Ballard Blocks. However, development on this film began a full two years prior to the incidents in Washington, so any similarities are purely coincidental.
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All characters are based upon circles and rectangles, except for the villains, who are triangles. Not only are Carl and Ellie based on squares and circles, but objects around them are based on their shapes, like their chairs and picture frames. When they both appear in a photograph, the frame is a circle and a square.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Many possible endings were proposed for Charles Muntz. At first, the animators considered redeeming him by having him iron out his differences with Carl after their fight on the zeppelin. However, this ending was deemed too dull, as it would amount to both men simply standing and talking for a long time. In another scenario, Muntz's obsession with catching Kevin took him inside the dreaded labyrinth against his recommendation, where he would eventually get lost and die. As the animators wanted to keep the climax in the air, they considered having Muntz lured into Carl's house by Kevin and then dying as the house fell off the zeppelin with him still inside. However, they did not want to associate the house, which symbolized Ellie, with a violent death. Another potential ending had Muntz getting tangled in some balloons and being lifted away rather than falling. However, animators felt this was too ambiguous and did not give proper closure to the character. Ultimately, the directors decided that this was Carl's story, so Muntz's ending would be kept simple.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
A subplot involving Carl keeping one of Kevin's eggs (which could reverse the aging process) from Charles Muntz was conceived in the early stages of production. Muntz would have already used a few of these eggs, explaining why he looks almost younger than Carl despite being several decades older. It would have also been emphasized that Muntz's obsession with Kevin comes mainly from wanting to obtain another egg. None of this was ever scripted due to it being (in director Pete Docter's words) "too bizarre".
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Pete Docter based Up's flying-house fantasy on the idea of escaping from life when it becomes too irritating, an idea that grew out of his own difficulty with social situations while growing up.
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While Bob Peterson was away from Up for three months to co-direct Ratatouille, actor and writer Tom McCarthy joined Pete Docter on the story and created the character Russell.
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Docter briefly included magic fountain-of-youth eggs laid by the bird to explain the age gap between Muntz and Carl, but removed the subplot as too distracting, judging that audiences would forgive the minor inconsistency; The Station Agent by Tom McCarthy was the biggest single early influence on Up.
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Pete Docter said Up reflects his friendships with Disney veterans Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Joe Grant, all of whom died before the film's release, leading the film to be dedicated to them.
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Joe Grant approved the script of Up and offered advice before his death in 2005, reminding Pete Docter that the audience needed an "emotional bedrock" given how wacky the adventure would become.
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Pete Docter and Bob Peterson concluded that a child character would be the most effective way to help Carl stop being stuck in his ways in Up.
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Pete Docter cited Casablanca and A Christmas Carol as inspirations for Up, describing both as resurrection stories about men who lose something and regain purpose during their journey.
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Pete Docter and Rivera cited the Muppets, Hayao Miyazaki, Dumbo and Peter Pan as inspirations for Up, and also saw parallels to The Wizard of Oz while trying to keep Up from feeling too similar.
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Up director Pete Docter chose Venezuela as the film's setting after Ralph Eggleston showed him video of the tepui mountains in Canaima National Park.
Behind the Scenes (41)
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When a younger Charles Muntz speaks to a large audience that he will return with the beast alive, everyone is wearing a hat. What the viewer can't see, however, is that he is speaking to a literal "Sea of Hats" with no characters beneath them. This is a common method computer animators use to depict large crowds.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Carl and Russell's hometown at the end is Oakland, California. Oakland landmarks shown include the Fox Oakland Theatre (showing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)) and the iconic Fenton's Creamery. Fenton's is close to Pixar's headquarters in Emeryville, CA and frequented by its employees. Fenton's did not have to pay to have it in there; Disney and Pixar put it in the film for free.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
It is the third Pixar film to show blood briefly when Carl whacks one of the construction workers with his cane on the head, supposedly damaging his mailbox. Blood also appears on Kevin's leg through the bandage when she is injured. The first two are Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004), not counting A Bug's Life (1998), where it is only a small sample and not shown from someone getting hurt.
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In the DVD extra "The Many Endings of Muntz", Pete Docter and his team discussed how difficult it was to settle on the character's final fate.
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In 2004, Pete Docter and eleven other Pixar artists traveled by airplane, jeep and helicopter to reach Monte Roraima, where they spent three days and three nights painting, sketching and encountering wildlife including ants, mosquitoes, scorpions, frogs and snakes.
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Pete Docter said the real rocks and plants the team saw could not be used in Up because reality was so strange that audiences would not believe it.
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Pete Docter sought a stylized look for Up in which Carl's squarish head suggests his containment within his house, while Russell's rounded shape evokes a balloon; Docter said the effect worked better than the realistic humans of Toy Story, who suffered from the "uncanny valley".
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The human designs in Up drew on cartoonists Al Hirschfeld, Hank Ketcham and George Booth, and simulating realistic cloth on the caricatured characters proved harder than creating the 10,000 balloons that lift the house, prompting new programs for the cloth and for Kevin's iridescent feathers.
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To animate elderly characters in Up, Pixar animators studied their own parents or grandparents and watched footage of the Senior Olympics; the directors limited Carl's movements, barring him from turning his head more than 15–20 degrees without turning his torso or raising his arms high, though they wanted him to become more flexible and "action hero"-like near the film's end.
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For Up, a technical director calculated that Carl's house would need 23 million balloons to fly, but Pete Docter found that this number made the balloons appear as small dots. The balloons were instead made twice Carl's size.
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"Ellie's Theme" in Up is introduced when Ellie appears as a little kid and recurs in different versions, including a full orchestral arrangement during the sequence where Carl lifts his house with balloons; Michael Giacchino compared the film to opera because each character has a unique theme that changes at particular story moments.
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So was Paradise Falls inspired by Angel Falls in Venezuela? In fact, the landscape was modeled on Mount Roraima on the border of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. With its sheer walls and flat top (known as tepuis), this mountain looks as if it sprang from another planet. 'The Lost World' was also inspired by similar tepui landscapes.
Characters & Cast (212)
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Russell's appearance was based on Korean-American Pixar employee Peter Sohn, who was a storyboard artist on the film. The employees at Pixar draw each other during meetings for fun, and a cartoon of Sohn was used as the model for Russell. Sohn also voiced Russell in the video short George and A.J. (2009).
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It is Pixar's second film in which studio members are mentioned during the casting call of the main cast members outside the credits, which applies to Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, and Jerome Ranft, the voices of Dug, Alpha, Kevin, and Gamma respectively. The first was Ratatouille (2007) with Lou Romano.
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Film debut of Jordan Nagai, who voices Russell. Originally, his older brother Hunter was auditioning for the part, and Nagai simply came along with him. About 400 children had showed up for the auditions, but Nagai stood out because he would not stop talking, and they realized he had the same personality and mannerisms as they envisioned for Russell. Director Pete Docter later said that "as soon as Jordan's voice came on we started smiling because he is appealing and innocent and cute and different from what I was initially thinking."
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Contains a major spoiler — show
When Beta and Gamma start laughing at Alpha's squeaky voice, he suggests that they may be attempting to challenge his rank. Beta denies this but jokingly suggests that Dug would. Dug becomes the new Alpha at the end of the film after trapping Alpha using the Cone of Shame.
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Pete Docter chose an elderly man as Up's protagonist after drawing a grumpy old man with smiling balloons, and he and Tom McCarthy felt that the worldview of someone Carl's age would be a rich source of humor; Docter was not worried about an elderly lead in a children's film, saying children would relate to Carl as they do to their grandparents.
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Pete Docter felt Joe Grant's personality shaped Carl's deceased wife Ellie more than it shaped the grouchy main character, and the "emotional bedrock" Grant called for became Carl's mourning for his wife.
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Carl was based primarily on Spencer Tracy, Walter Matthau and James Whitmore, along with the grandparents of Pete Docter and his team, because Docter saw "something sweet about [those] grumpy old guys".
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For the role of Russell in Up, director Pete Docter held a nationwide casting call and auditioned 400 boys.
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Up was the first film for Jordan Nagai, who voiced Russell. His older brother Hunter originally auditioned for the role, and Nagai came along with him. About 400 children auditioned, but Nagai stood out because he wouldn't stop talking, and they realized he had the same personality and mannerisms they had in mind for Russell. Director Pete Docter later said, "As soon as Jordan's voice came in, we started smiling, because he's appealing, innocent, lovable and different from what I'd initially imagined."
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According to Pete Docter, Carl and Charles Muntz are mirror images of each other, down to their names. Both have suffered a great loss and become obsessed with the past; the difference is that Muntz's obsession makes him ruthless, while Carl learns to let go of the past thanks to Russell and Dug.
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All the dogs except Dug are named after letters of the Greek alphabet. When Dug puts Alpha in the Cone of Shame, the other dogs begin calling him Alpha. Dug and Alpha are voiced by the same actor. Alpha, Beta and Gamma are a reference to the working classes in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World.
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Christopher Plummer is the eighth Academy Award winner to voice a Disney villain. The previous ones: George Sanders (Shere Khan), Peter Ustinov (Prince John), Geraldine Page (Madame Medusa), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade), George C. Scott (Percival C. McLeach), Jeremy Irons (Scar) and Kevin Spacey (Hopper).
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Up was the sixth animated film in which studio employees voiced the main characters and were listed in the cast outside the credits. The previous ones: Lilo & Stitch (2002), Open Season (2006), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Ratatouille (2007) and Bolt (2008). It was also the last film of this kind in the 2000s and, until Early Man in 2018, the only production of this kind that was not a sequel or a spin-off.
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On May 26, 2009, Disney tied balloons to the roof of Edith Macefield's house in Seattle. Edith had resisted construction developers, and her house still stands in the middle of Ballard Blocks. However, the film's development began two years before these events; the similarities are entirely coincidental.
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Many endings were considered for Charles Muntz: reconciling with Carl, getting lost in a maze while chasing Kevin, dying by falling from the house's zeppelin, or getting tangled in balloons and rising into the air. However, the directors decided it was Carl's story and kept Muntz's ending simple.
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Before the film's world premiere, Pixar fulfilled the last wish of 10-year-old cancer patient Colby Curtin. An employee flew to the Curtin family's home with a DVD of the finished film and screened it for Colby and her family. Colby passed away shortly after watching the film, at 9:20 PM.
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This is the first film of Jordan Nagai, who voices Russell. Nagai had come along when his older brother Hunter attended the auditions. Out of roughly 400 children, Nagai stood out because he never stopped talking, and the production team realized he had the personality they had envisioned for Russell.
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On May 26, 2009, Disney tied balloons to the roof of Edith Macefield's house in Seattle. Edith had fought against construction developers, and her house still stands in the middle of a large shopping center. However, since production on the film began two years before these events, the similarities are purely coincidental.
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Many endings were considered for Charles Muntz. At first the animators tried to redeem him, but this was found too boring. In another scenario, Muntz would die lost in the labyrinth due to his obsession with catching Kevin. It was also considered that he would be lured by Kevin to Carl's house and die when the house fell, but they did not want to associate the house, which symbolizes Ellie, with violence. The idea of Muntz becoming tangled in the balloons and rising into the air was also found unclear. In the end, the directors decided that this was Carl's story, and Muntz's end was kept simple.
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When the dogs attack Russell with airplanes, the aerial battle turns into a literal 'dogfight.' The dogs address each other as 'Grey Leader,' 'Grey One,' 'Grey Two' and so on; this is a nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and also a humorous reference to the myth that dogs cannot see colors. When Russell distracts them, the airplanes' formation breaks apart like Darth Vader's squadron in Han Solo's attack on the Death Star. The sound of the weapons also resembles the blasts of an X-Wing fighter.
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According to Pete Docter, Carl Fredricksen and Charles Muntz were designed as mirror images of each other, right down to their names (Carl is the Germanic form of Charles). Both have suffered a great personal loss (Ellie for Carl, his reputation for Muntz) and are obsessed with an object from their past (the house for Carl, Kevin for Muntz). The difference is that Muntz's obsession has made him bitter, paranoid and prone to violence; Muntz represents the person Carl would have become if he had not met Russell and Dug and learned to let go of the past.
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Russell's Wilderness Explorer sash contains many jokes and tributes. The most prominent is the Luxo Jr. ball seen on the floor as a girl watches Carl's house float past her room. One badge features a hamburger with a candle, a nod to Merritt Bakery in Oakland, a frequent haunt of director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera. Another badge is a tribute to the hole-punched paper that 2D animators used to align their drawings. There are also First Aid and Second Aid badges, which may refer to a short on the Up website in which Russell struggles to put a bandage on Carl. One badge depicts the multicolored pinwheel that is the 'wait' icon of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Many of the badges are shown in the credits. Another tribute to Apple and Steve Jobs is Russell trying to teach Carl how to use a computer. The font of the numbers on Carl's alarm clock is 'Chicago', one of the first typefaces designed for the Macintosh.
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While playing in the abandoned house, Ellie goes to Paradise Falls; through her soda-bottle binoculars she sees a puppy, and then says they are about to enter a storm with lightning and hail. Carl flies the same house to Paradise Falls using the same window; along the way they pass through a storm, and the first living creature they encounter is a puppy.
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A subplot involving Carl hiding one of Charles Muntz's eggs that could reverse Kevin's aging process was considered in the early stages of production. Muntz would have used several of these eggs, explaining why he looks almost younger despite being decades older than Carl. It would also have been emphasized that Muntz's obsession with Kevin stemmed mainly from obtaining another egg. None of this was written into the script because, in director Pete Docter's words, it was 'too weird'.
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When young Charles Muntz says he will bring the monster back alive to a large crowd, everyone is wearing a hat. But what the audience cannot see is that he is actually addressing a 'Sea of Hats' with no characters beneath them. This is a common method computer animators use to animate large crowds.
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Carl and Russell's journey ends in Oakland, California. Among the city's landmarks are the Fox Oakland Theater (showing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) and the iconic Fenton's Creamery. Fenton's is a frequent spot for employees because it is close to Pixar's headquarters in Emeryville; Disney and Pixar included the establishment in the film for free.
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Russell's appearance is based on Peter Sohn, a Korean-origin Pixar employee who was a storyboard artist on the film. Employees at Pixar who draw caricatures of each other for fun used a caricature of Sohn as the model for Russell. Sohn also voiced Russell in the short film George and A.J. (2009).
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In the renovated photo album, a picture of the couple looking over their shoulders in the car (with Carl in the driver's seat) is a recreation of a famous ghost photograph. In the original photo, a man poses with his new car while the ghostly image of his mother appears in the passenger seat.
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Charles Muntz is the sixth Disney villain to die by falling in an animated film (the previous ones: the Evil Queen, Ratigan, McLeach, Gaston and Frollo). He is also the first Pixar villain to do so. Although the cat Lucifer in Cinderella appears to fall, he is alive in the sequel; Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty falls but is first wounded by a sword; Clayton in Tarzan dies hanging from vines; and Queen Narissa in Enchanted falls in the live-action section.
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If Carl's house were about 150 square meters and weighed 60-100 kilos per square meter, the total weight would come to 54,431 kilos. Since an average helium balloon can lift 4.63 grams, it would take 12,658,392 balloons to lift the house. (The 20,622 balloons seen during the first takeoff are only enough to lift 84 kilos.)
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Director Pete Docter looked to Disney senior animators Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Joe Grant for inspiration during pre-production. The film reflects the friendship Docter shared with these three talented animators before their deaths and his desire to learn about the years they worked for Walt Disney.
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All the dogs except Dug are named after letters of the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.), which relates to the ranks within the dog pack. When Dug puts Alpha in the Cone of Shame, the other dogs begin calling Dug Alpha. Dug and Alpha are both voiced by the same actor, Bob Peterson. Alpha, Beta and Gamma also refer to the working classes in Aldous Huxley's novel Brave New World. Muntz's 'chef' is a dog named Epsilon, and the third dog is Omega (named only in the credits, voiced by Josh Cooley).
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It takes a skilled worker about 9 seconds to fill and tie a helium balloon. Lifting a standard 1,600-square-meter house off the ground requires more than 12.5 million balloons. Inflating the balloons needed for Carl's task would take about 3.5 years of continuous work without eating or resting.
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It is the third Pixar film in which blood is briefly seen: Carl hits one of the construction workers with his cane and damages the mailbox. Also, when Kevin is injured, blood seeps through the bandage on his leg. The first two films are Finding Nemo (2003) and The Incredibles (2004); A Bug's Life (1998) does not count because there is only a small sample/an unseen injury there.
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The 'Shady Oaks Retirement Home' seen in the brochure is probably a reference to the Touchstone Television series The Golden Girls (1985). That series is also a Walt Disney Company production about the elderly. Dorothy and her mother Sophia frequently mentioned the questionable retirement home called 'Shady Pines'.
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On the DVD cover and in advertisements, the dogs appear to be flying Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter planes. Built in the early 1930s, the US Navy airships Akron (ZRS-4) and Macon (ZRS-5) were actually designed to carry and launch these fighter planes; an elaborate 'trapez' system was used to launch and recover the aircraft in mid-air. Although the system worked well, both airships were lost at sea in severe storms: Akron off the coast of New Jersey in 1933, and Macon two years later off Big Sur, California. The Navy later abandoned the technology, so it was never used in actual combat operations.
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Christopher Plummer is the eighth Academy Award winner to voice a Disney villain. The previous ones: George Sanders (Shere Khan, The Jungle Book, 1967), Sir Peter Ustinov (Prince John, Robin Hood, 1973), Geraldine Page (Madame Medusa, The Rescuers, 1977), Jack Albertson (Amos Slade, The Fox and the Hound, 1981), George C. Scott (Percival C. McLeach, The Rescuers Down Under, 1990), Jeremy Irons (Scar, The Lion King, 1994), Kevin Spacey (Hopper, A Bug's Life, 1998).
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Up is the first Pixar film since The Incredibles (2004) in which the Luxo Jr. ball appears. But in The Incredibles, the ball appears only in the short film Jack-Jack Attack and in an alternate opening. Up, meanwhile, is the first feature film since Finding Nemo (2003) in which the ball appears.
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Carl becomes grumpy after losing his wife, and regains his former cheerfulness at the end of the film. Christopher Plummer, who voices Muntz, had played Captain Von Trapp, who undergoes a similar transformation in The Sound of Music (1965): Von Trapp, who grows cold after the death of his first wife, softens at his children's singing.
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Up is the first Pixar film not to win the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. While Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille and WALL·E won the award, Up lost to Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). Moreover, this is the first Pixar film to lose the award to a film that was not nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
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Carl and Russell travel to Paradise Falls, far from society, where extinct creatures live. This cliff recalls the story in the film 'The Lost World' (1925). The landscape is based on Mount Roraima on the border of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana; with its flat tabletop structure and steep walls (tepui), it resembles another world. The Lost World was also inspired by the landscape around the tepuis.
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Up is the sixth animated film to feature characters in the main cast voiced by studio employees. Co-director Bob Peterson voiced Dug and Alpha, director Pete Docter voiced Kevin, and Jerome Ranft voiced Gamma. The previous five films: Lilo & Stitch (2002), Open Season (2006), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Ratatouille (2007) and Bolt (2008). Up is also the last example of its kind in the 2000s and the last production that was not a sequel or spin-off until Early Man (2018), nine years later.
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Easter Eggs & References (41)
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Several interesting parallels exist between the villain Charles Muntz and Charles A. Lindbergh include: Both are named Charles, both were lauded adventurers who became persona non grata, disappearing from public sight after being publicly ridiculed, and both were aviators who captained airships named "The Spirit of _________."
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Pixar is known, at least among devoted Pixar fans, for referring to a character from their next movie in their most recent one. A stuffed Lotso bear from Toy Story 3 (2010) appears, along with the ball from Luxo Jr. (1986) and the plane from Toy Story (1995), in the room of a little girl Carl passes when his house first takes off.
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On the DVD cover and in commercials, the dogs appear to be flying Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk fighter planes. The U.S. Navy airships Akron (ZRS-4) and Macon (ZRS-5), built and flown in the early 1930s, were actually designed to carry and launch these fighters, using an elaborate "trapeze" to launch and retrieve the planes in mid-flight. Although the system worked well, both airships were lost at sea in severe storms; the Akron in 1933 off the New Jersey coast, and the Macon two years later off Big Sur, California. The Navy then abandoned the technology, so it was never used in actual combat operations.
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The first Pixar film with the Luxo Jr. ball since The Incredibles (2004). Although, in The Incredibles (2004), it only appears in the short film, Jack Jack Attack, and it appears in an Alternate Opening of The Incredibles (2004). Up is on the other hand the first movie with the Pixar ball since Finding Nemo (2003).
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The Shady Oaks Retirement Village, seen in the leaflet, is likely to be an in-joke reference to the Touchstone Television series The Golden Girls (1985), another Walt Disney Company title dealing with older people. Dorothy and her mother, Sophia, always discussed the dubious retirement home called Shady Pines.
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When Ellie plays in the abandoned house, she goes to Paradise Falls; she sees a puppy through her soda binoculars and then says they're going through a storm with lightning and hail. Carl pilots the same house using the same window to Paradise Falls; along the way, they fly through a storm, and the first living thing they encounter is a puppy.
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The villain Charles Muntz has a similar name to Charles Mintz, the Universal Pictures executive who in 1928 stole Walt Disney's production rights to his highly successful "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" cartoon series. This led Walt Disney to create Mickey Mouse, who soon eclipsed Oswald in popularity.
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Russell's Wilderness Explorer sash has several in-jokes and tributes. The most obvious is a Luxo Jr. (1986) ball, which can also be seen on the floor of a girl's room watching Carl's house float by. One badge has a hamburger with a candle in it. This is a nod to Merritt Bakery in Oakland - which creates cakes in that shape - a favorite hangout of director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera. Another badge is a tribute to 2-D animation, showing a perforated paper that 2D animators use to line up their drawings correctly. He also has badges for First Aid and Second Aid, which may reference a short on the Up website where Russell struggles to apply bandages to Carl. Yet another badge depicts a multicolored pinwheel - the "hang" icon of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Several of the badges are shown in the credits. An additional tribute to Apple and Steve Jobs (former CEO of Pixar) shows Russell trying to teach Carl how to use a computer. The font used for the numbers on Carl's alarm clock is the "Chicago" font, one of the first fonts designed for the Macintosh.
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Pixar is known (at least by devoted Pixar fans) for referring to a character in their next movie to come out in their most recent one. A stuffed Lotso bear (from Toy Story 3 (2010)) appears (along with the ball from Luxo Jr. (1986) and the plane from Toy Story (1995)) in the room of a little girl Carl passes when his house first takes off.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Carl becomes a grumpy man after his wife dies, only to return to his cheerful self again near the film's end. Christopher Plummer, who voices Muntz, played a similar character, Captain Georg Von Trapp, in The Sound of Music (1965). Captain Von Trapp is cold and grumpy after the death of his first wife but begins to warm up after hearing his children sing together.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Up has some story similarities to the film *Batteries Not Included, including property due for demolition, older adults, and the property eventually being sandwiched between skyscrapers. *Batteries Not Included was co-written by Brad Bird, one of Pixar's most successful writers/directors.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
If you pay attention during the opening, there are crafting supplies, including tape and various crayons, on Ellie's bedside table while she is in the hospital. This alludes to her having worked on their adventure book. There's also Carl catching his balloon cart as it almost floats away.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
All of the dogs except for Dug are named after letters of the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.), although this could relate to rankings in a dog pack, where the lead male is known as the Alpha, then Beta, and so on. This is supported by the fact that when Dug puts Alpha in the Cone of Shame, all the other dogs begin referring to Dug as Alpha. The voices of both Dug and Alpha are performed by the same actor, Bob Peterson. The three main dog characters, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, named from the Ancient Greek alphabet, also reference three classes of workers in Aldous Huxley's novel 'Brave New World' It is also worth noting that Muntz' "chef" is a dog named Epsilon, another class of worker from 'Brave New World,' and that the third dog piloting the small planes alongside Beta and Gamma is named Omega (whose name is never used anywhere in the film itself, being only used in the Credits, voiced by Josh Cooley).
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Contains a major spoiler — show
When the dogs start attacking Russell with airplanes at the end, this aerial fight literally becomes a 'dogfight'. Also, the dogs refer to each other with "Grey Leader", "Grey One", "Grey Two", etc. This is a nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), where pilots referred to each other with Red Leader, Red One, etc., and it also jokingly refers to the myth that dogs cannot see colors, only black, white and shades of gray. Also, when Russell distracts the dogs and their planes start to scramble, their formation breaks just like Darth Vader's squadron when they were attacked by Han Solo in the Death Star. Lastly, when the dogs start shooting, their guns sound like the blasts from an X-Wing fighter.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Inside the newly-updated photo album, one of the pictures of the couple is of them in a car, looking over their shoulders (Carl in the driver's seat). The pose they are in, as well as the car is a recreation of a famous ghost photo. In the picture, the man was posing for his brand new car, and in the passenger seat was the ghostly image of his mother.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
When the dogs start attacking Russell with airplanes at the end, this aerial fight literally becomes a 'dogfight'. Also, the dogs refer to each other with "Grey Leader", "Grey One", "Grey Two", etc. This is a nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (where pilots referred to each other with Red Leader, Red One, etc.), and it also jokingly refers to the myth that dogs cannot see colors, only black, white and shades of gray. Also when Russell distracts the dogs and their planes start to scramble, their formation breaks just like Darth Vader's squadron when they were attacked by Han Solo in the Death Star. Lastly, when the dogs start shooting, their guns sound like the blasts from an X-Wing fighter.
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Pixar is known (at least among devoted Pixar fans) for having a character in one film reference a character who will appear in its next film. A stuffed Lotso bear (from Toy Story 3 (2010)) appears in the bedroom of a little girl Carl passes when his house first lifts off (along with the ball from Luxo Jr. (1986) and the plane from Toy Story (1995)).
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When the dogs finally attack Russell with airplanes, the aerial battle literally turns into a dogfight. The dogs also address each other as "Grey Leader," "Grey One," "Grey Two" and so on. This is a joking nod to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) (where the pilots refer to each other as Red Leader, Red One, etc.) and to the myth that dogs cannot see colors and only see shades of black, white and gray. Also, when Russell distracts the dogs and they start confusing the planes, their formation breaks apart, just like Darth Vader's squadron when Han Solo attacks in the Death Star. Finally, when the dogs start firing, their weapons sound like the explosion of an X-Wing fighter.
Deeper Meaning (50)
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All characters are based on circles and rectangles, except for the villains, who are based on triangles. Not only are Carl and Ellie based on squares and circles, but objects around them are also based on their shapes, such as their chairs and picture frames. When they both appear in a photograph, the frame is a circle and a square.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
About halfway through the film, Carl and Russell are trying to put up a tent. Carl is surprised that Russell, with all his badges, has never put up a tent before. When he asks Russell why he didn't ask his dad for help, Russell reveals, albeit indirectly, that his parents are divorced (during the conversation where Russell says, "Phyllis isn't my mom"). This is the first time in a Disney full-length animated feature that divorce is hinted at as a reason for a character having a single parent (most of Disney's single parents are assumed to be widowed).
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Contains a major spoiler — show
According to Pete Docter, Carl Fredricksen and Charles Muntz were designed to be mirrors of each other, right down to their names (Carl is a Germanic form of Charles). Both men have suffered a tremendous personal loss (for Carl, his wife Ellie, and for Muntz, his good name and reputation), and both are obsessed with an object from their past (the house for Carl and Kevin for Muntz). The difference between the two men is that over the years, Muntz's obsession has made him bitter, extremely paranoid, and willing to resort to violence to get what he wants. In other words, Muntz represents what Carl would likely become had he not met Russell and Dug and learned to let go of his past.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Charles Muntz is the sixth Disney villain to fall to his death in an animated movie (following the Wicked Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective (1986), McLeach in The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)). He is the first Pixar villain to do so. It's also noteworthy that Lucifer the cat in Cinderella (1950) fell to his apparent death but was alive and well in the direct-to-video sequel; Malificent in Sleeping Beauty (1959) falls as well, but only after being mortally wounded with a sword, and Clayton in Tarzan (1999) falls after fighting Tarzan but dies by being hanged by vines. Furthermore, Queen Narissa from Enchanted (2007) also falls to her death, but while she is animated, this occurs in the live-action portion of the story.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Many possible endings were proposed for Charles Muntz. At first, the animators considered redeeming him by having him iron out his differences with Carl after their fight on the zeppelin. However, this ending was deemed too dull, as it would amount to both men simply standing and talking for a long time. In another scenario, Muntz's obsession with catching Kevin took him inside the dreaded labyrinth against his recommendation, where he would eventually get lost and die. As the animators wanted to keep the climax in the air, they considered having Muntz lured into Carl's house by Kevin and then dying as the house fell off the zeppelin with him still inside. However, they did not want to associate the house, which symbolized Ellie, with a violent death. Another potential ending had Muntz getting tangled into some balloons and getting lifted away rather than falling. However, animators felt this was too ambiguous and did not give proper closure to the character. Ultimately, the directors decided that this was Carl's story, so Muntz's ending would be kept simple.
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East Asian Americans have positively noted that Up marked Pixar's first casting of an East Asian lead character, in contrast to the common practice of casting non-East Asians in East Asian parts, and that the role of an "all-American" boy carried none of the stereotypes typically seen with East Asian characters, such as martial arts.
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Pete Docter described Carl's relationship with Russell as reflecting that Carl is not really ready for the whirlwind that a kid is, as few people are.
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Several possible endings were proposed for Charles Muntz. At first the animators considered saving him by having him reconcile with Carl after their fight aboard the airship. But this ending seemed too boring, because it would have the two men standing and talking for a long time. In another scenario, Muntz's obsession with capturing Kevin led him into the terrifying labyrinth despite her advice, and he would ultimately get lost there and die. Because the animators wanted to keep the climax in the air, they considered having Muntz be pulled by Kevin to Carl's house and then fall from the airship to his death with himself inside. But they did not want to associate the house, which symbolizes Ellie, with a violent death. Another potential ending had Muntz become tangled in some balloons and rise into the air rather than fall. But the animators felt this was too ambiguous and did not give the character a proper closure. Ultimately the directors decided that this was Carl's story, so Muntz's ending needed to be kept simple.
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According to Pete Docter, Carl Fredricksen and Charles Muntz were designed to mirror each other right down to their names (Carl is the Germanic form of Charles). Both men suffered an immense personal loss (Carl his wife Ellie, and Muntz his good name and reputation), and both are fixated on an object from their past (the house for Carl and Kevin for Muntz). The difference between the two men is that over the years Muntz's obsession made him harsh, extremely paranoid and willing to resort to violence to get what he wants. In other words, Muntz represents what Carl would probably have become had he never met Russell and Dug and never learned to let go of his past.
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A subplot involving Carl hiding one of Kevin's eggs (which could reverse the aging process) from Charles Muntz was devised in the early stages of production. Muntz would already have used several of these eggs, explaining why he looks almost younger than Carl despite being decades older. It would also have been emphasized that Muntz's obsession with Kevin stems mainly from his desire to obtain another egg. None of this was scripted because, in director Pete Docter's words, it was "too bizarre".
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All the characters are based on circles and rectangles, while the villains are made of triangles. Carl and Ellie are not only composed of squares and circles; the objects around them (chairs, picture frames) are also designed to match these shapes. In a photo of them together, the frame consists of a circle and a square.
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The aerial battle in which the dogs attack Russell with airplanes turns into a literal 'dogfight.' The dogs address each other with names like 'Grey Leader' and 'Grey One'; this is a reference to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and also a humorous nod to the myth that dogs cannot see colors. With Russell's distraction, the formation of their planes resembles the breaking up of Darth Vader's squadron during Han Solo's Death Star attack. The weapon sounds also resemble X-Wing explosions.
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Russell's Wilderness Explorer sash contains many inside jokes and tributes. The most obvious is the Luxo Jr. (1986) ball, which can also be seen on the floor of the room of a girl watching Carl's house float by. On one badge there is a hamburger with a candle in it; this is a nod to Merritt Bakery in Oakland, the favorite spot of director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera. Another badge is dedicated to 2D animation, a tribute to the perforated paper used by 2D animators. There are also First Aid and Second Aid badges; this may refer to a short on the Up website in which Russell struggles to put a bandage on Carl. Another badge depicts the multicolored pinwheel that is the 'wait' icon of Apple's Mac OS X operating system. Many of the badges are shown in the credits. An additional tribute to Apple and Steve Jobs is Russell trying to teach Carl how to use a computer. The font used for the numbers on Carl's alarm clock is 'Chicago,' one of the first fonts designed for the Macintosh.
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While playing in the abandoned house, Ellie travels to Paradise Falls; with her soda-bottle binoculars she sees a puppy, and then says they are about to enter a storm with lightning and hail. Carl flies the same house to Paradise Falls using the same window; on the way they pass through a storm, and the first living creature they encounter is a puppy.
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In the newly updated photo album, a picture of the couple shows them looking back over their shoulders in a car (Carl in the driver's seat). Their pose and the car are a re-creation of a famous ghost photograph. In the photo, the man was posing with his new car, and the ghostly image of his mother was in the passenger seat.
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Charles Muntz is the sixth Disney villain to die by falling in an animated film (after the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective, McLeach in The Rescuers Down Under, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast and Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame). He is the first Pixar villain to do so. It should also be noted that Lucifer the cat in Cinderella falls to his death but is alive in the sequel; Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty falls after being wounded by a sword; Clayton in Tarzan dies after fighting Tarzan, hanging himself in the vines; and Queen Narissa in Enchanted, although animated, dies by falling in the live-action part of the film.
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Career & Awards (21)
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Christopher Plummer is the eighth Academy Award winner to provide the voice of a Disney villain, after: George Sanders as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book (1967); Sir Peter Ustinov as Prince John in Robin Hood (1973); Geraldine Page as Madame Medusa in The Rescuers (1977); Jack Albertson as Amos Slade in The Fox and the Hound (1981); George C. Scott as Percival C. McLeach in The Rescuers Down Under (1990); Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King (1994); and Kevin Spacey as Hopper in A Bug's Life (1998).
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The first Pixar film to not win the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films. Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), and WALL·E (2008) all won, but this lost to the animated sci-fi film Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). This is also the first film to lose the award to a film that wasn't nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
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The very first animated film, as well as the first 3-D film, ever to open the Cannes Film Festival. When the film was over, the festival audience remained completely silent. During a panel at the 2011 D23 Expo, executive producer John Lasseter said that it was actress Tilda Swinton who broke the silence by applauding and leading the audience in a standing ovation.
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Life & Family (3)
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Before the film's worldwide release, Pixar granted a wish from 10-year-old Colby Curtin to see the movie before she died. Colby had been diagnosed with cancer and was too sick to go to a theater. A Pixar employee flew to the Curtins' house with a DVD of the finished film and screened it for her and her family. Curtin died seven hours later at 9:20 pm, shortly after seeing the movie.
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About halfway through the film, Carl and Russell try to pitch a tent. Carl is surprised that Russell has never pitched a tent before, despite all his badges. When he asks Russell why he didn't ask his father for help, Russell (indirectly) reveals that his parents are divorced (during the exchange in which Russell says "Phyllis isn't my mom"). This is the first time in a Disney feature-length animated film that divorce is implied as the reason a character has a single parent (most of Disney's single parents are assumed to be widowed).
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