FILM · 2009 · USA
Up
- Directed by
- Pete Docter
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Studio
- Pixar
94 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.
94 Interesting Facts About Up
Interesting Facts (20)
- #001
The film is responsible for bringing the once-obscure term "Cone of Shame" into popular usage. Its official name is an Elizabethan collar, or E-collar.
- #002
In the movie, Kevin the bird likes chocolate. In real life, birds get food poisoning from eating chocolate, so Kevin would have died from eating the chocolate.
- #003
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.
- #004
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.)
- #005
In the German dubbed version, Dug is distracted by a cat, not a squirrel, because cat (Katze) is a shorter word than squirrel (Eichhörnchen).
- #006
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.
- #007
The voice for young Ellie is the director's daughter Elie Docter.
- #008
Pete Docter, the director, provided most of Kevin's vocalizations.
- #009
Co-director Bob Peterson based Dug's voice on how he'd tend to speak to his own dogs.
- #010
When we first meet Carl as a child, the left side of his collar is sticking out of his vest while the right side of his collar is tucked into his vest. When we first meet Russell, the left side of his collar is tucked under his neckerchief and the right side is sticking out.
- #011
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.
- #012
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.
- #013
Carl notices that Russell has never pitched a tent despite all his badges; the fact that Russell does not ask his father for help implies that his parents are divorced. This is the first instance in a Disney animated film of divorce being shown as the cause of single parenthood.
- #014
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.
- #015
Carl never speaks directly to Ellie throughout the film; the only exception is when he talks to her while pointing out the baby-shaped cloud before a car tire bursts.
- #016
Nurse AJ is the first Pixar character with a bangs hairstyle.
- #017
Carl's square face and body emphasize how boxed in he has become in his life and his home.
- #018
Charles Muntz's dog Beta was inspired by Snots (a Rottweiler), Cousin Eddie's dog in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
- #019
Russell's name was initially conceived as Lewis, but it was changed to avoid confusion with the main character in Disney's Meet the Robinsons.
- #020
Contains a major spoiler — show
This is a rare instance of a Disney/Pixar film showing graphic violence when Carl whacks a construction worker with his cane and Muntz falls to his death.
Production Story (14)
- #021
Pete Docter, the director, provided most of Kevin's vocalizations.
- #022
Co-director Bob Peterson based Dug's voice on how he'd tend to speak to his own dogs.
- #023
On the official movie website, there is a video clip titled "Ditch 'Em". The same scene in the film has music playing, while the clip on the site has only voices and sound effects.
- #024
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.
- #025
Co-director and co-writer Bob Peterson stated that Dug's line "I have just met you, and I love you" was inspired by a quote from a small child he met when he was a camp counselor in the 1980s.
- #026
Even in storyboard form, the married life sequence that opens the film brought members of the production team to tears.
- #027
In the opening newsreel, Muntz is revealed to have lots of dogs and technology for them. When the dogs first appear in South America, the fact that their collars allow them to speak is an early clue as to who their master is before he appears.
- #028
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."
- #029
Was originally going to be titled "Up & Down", but was changed due to fear of negative feedback for the title.
- #030
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.
- #031
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.
- #032
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.
- #033
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.
- #034
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".
Behind the Scenes (5)
- #035
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.
- #036
The orange and white leaf blower Russel used to propel himself while hanging from some balloons was modeled after a real commercially available leaf blower, a Stihl model BG-50.
- #037
The rifle that Charles Muntz uses is an 1874 Sharps, a very popular model with buffalo hunters of the American Wild West, and the procedure he uses to load, aim, and fire the weapon is accurate. (His use of shot-shells in a long-range rifle, however, is questionable at best.)
- #038
A code title used during production was "Helium".
- #039
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.
Characters & Cast (10)
- #040
Carl never speaks (audibly) directly to Ellie throughout the movie. However, he talks to her when pointing out the baby-shaped cloud in the car before getting a flat tire. In the early scenes where they first meet, Ellie talks.
- #041
When Carl and Ellie are children, only Ellie speaks at length. Young Carl screams, gasps, and says "Wow" once. When Carl and Ellie are adults, only Carl speaks.
- #042
Russell is Pixar's first Japanese/Asian-American character voiced by an Asian-American actor, Jordan Nagai.
- #043
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).
- #044
Carl Fredricksen's face and gruff personality are based on Spencer Tracy and Walter Matthau.
- #045
Gamma is voiced by Jerome Ranft, who is the brother of the late Joe Ranft, who happened to voice a number of Pixar characters prior to his death in 2005 during the production of Cars (2006). Additionally Joe was also rumored to voice Gamma.
- #046
Bob Peterson wrote Dug's line "I have just met you and I love you" after being inspired by the words of a small child he met while working as a camp counselor in the 1980s.
- #047
Carl Fredricksen is 78 years old; Ed Asner was also 78 when he recorded his lines.
- #048
Gamma was voiced by Jerome Ranft, the brother of Joe Ranft, who died in 2005; Joe was also said to have been intended for the role.
- #049
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.
Easter Eggs & References (35)
- #050
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 _________."
- #051
The abandoned house where Carl and Ellie first meet as children is the very same home where they settle during their marriage and that Carl later takes to Paradise Falls.
- #052
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.
- #053
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.
- #054
The round red lamps on the dogs' leads, through which they talk, may be a reference to HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
- #055
When we first meet Carl as a child, the left side of his collar is sticking out of his vest while the right side of his collar is tucked into his vest. When we first meet Russell, the left side of his collar is tucked under his neckerchief and the right side is sticking out.
- #056
When Carl is interrupted by Russell knocking at the door, he is watching a home shopping channel. This particular program has become a well-known blooper video of a pitchman describing a picture of a horse, except the picture is of a moth.
- #057
One of Carl's brochures for Paradise Falls has an image based on the Sunny Miami figurine from Knick Knack (1989).
- #058
Carl's summons notice has the number 94070, which is the ZIP Code of San Carlos, where producer Bradford Lewis was once the mayor.
- #059
When Carl and Ellie go picnicking, their destination is a spot under the same tree from A Bug's Life (1998).
- #060
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.
- #061
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.
- #062
When Carl's house first takes off and when the camera zooms out from the parking lot at the end, Pixar's trademark Pizza Planet truck, introduced in Toy Story (1995), can be seen.
- #063
The term 'A113' is the number of the courtroom, and can be found on the gold sign Carl sits next to while waiting to be called (Courtroom A113). A113 is a frequent Pixar in-joke based on one of the room numbers for the animation program at Cal Arts.
- #064
In the famous married-life montage, Ellie is seen painting the baby's room. What she is painting is a scene from Partly Cloudy (2009), a Pixar short that was shown before this film in several theaters.
- #065
The exotic bird Russell names 'Kevin' is named after Kevin Spacey who voiced Hopper in A Bug's Life (1998).
- #066
One of the construction machines reads L 415-72, which is art director Lou Romano's birthday.
- #067
Carl wears the same grape soda pin that was featured in the Buzz Lightyear commercial in Toy Story (1995).
- #068
Dug's 'point' pose, where his entire tail, back, and head are in a perfectly straight line, is an homage to the identical pose that Mickey's dog Pluto often makes. Dug also has a color scheme similar to Pluto's.
- #069
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.
- #070
Beta, Charles Muntz's dog, is based on and modeled after Cousin Eddie's dog Snots in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989); both are Rottweilers.
- #071
The iconic, slightly out-of-perspective drawing of the house sitting by the falls is a homage to the style of Mary Blair, the artist credited with bringing the modern art look to Disney animation.
- #072
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.
- #073
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.
- #074
Contains a major spoiler — show
The victory music that plays in UP when Dug outwits Alpha and puts the cone of shame on him sounds like the victory music in Finding Nemo (2003) when Nigel outwits the seagulls and makes them get their beaks stuck in the sail of a yacht.
- #075
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.
- #076
Contains a major spoiler — show
When Russell flies past the airship using his balloons and the leaf-blower, we briefly see several of Charles Muntz's dogs playing poker at a card table. This is a tribute to the famous "Dogs Playing Poker" series of paintings by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.
- #077
Contains a major spoiler — show
WILHELM SCREAM: As the dogs fall off the cliff into the river below while chasing Carl, Russell, Kevin, and Dug.
- #078
Contains a major spoiler — show
In the credits, Carl can be seen taking Russell to see Star Wars (presumably Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)). Disney would eventually buy the whole Star Wars franchise as part of Lucasfilm, Ltd. in 2012.
- #079
Contains a major spoiler — show
Russell says he found the "snipe" under Carl's house and remarks that "this snipe had a long tail and looked more like a large mouse." Later, Dug hides under Carl's porch.
- #080
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.
- #081
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.
- #082
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).
- #083
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.
- #084
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.
Deeper Meaning (6)
- #085
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.
- #086
Note how Carl's face and indeed body are very square in design. This is to emphasize how boxed in he was in life and in his home.
- #087
When Beta and Gamma laugh at Alpha's squeaky voice, Alpha implies that they are challenging his rank. Beta denies it but says Dug could do it. At the end of the film Dug puts Alpha in the Cone of Shame and becomes the new Alpha.
- #088
Contains a major spoiler — show
All of Charles Muntz's dogs have their tails docked, except for Dug. The docked dogs are all obedient, but only Dug shows love and kindness.
- #089
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).
- #090
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.
Career & Awards (2)
- #091
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).
- #092
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.
Life & Family (2)
- #093
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.
- #094
Edward Asner (Carl) and Christopher Plummer (Charles) are less than a month apart in age. Asner was born November 15, 1929 and Plummer was born December 13, 1929. Both men died in 2021, seven months apart, both at the age of 91.
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