Up (2009)
Growing Up
However many hearts the film Up has touched over the years, remains a mystery nobody will ever need to uncover. The fact of the matter is, like Hayao Miyazaki’s animations, Pixar studios adds another oeuvre to its long list of accomplishments. Like its characters, the film feels bubbly, constantly bouncing about in the cotton clouds, ignoring the limits of imagination. It is a film about adventure, and also a film about courage, because we all need courage for our crazy endeavours. A couple thousand balloons will only bring you so far, and the rest of the journey to the peak will require more character than ordinary people can dish out.
We are introduced to a younger version of Carl Fredrickson, timid and idolizing the celebrity explorer Charles Muntz. The short cartoon prelude also features Ellie, outgoing and kindred, very much the opposite of Carl. Together, they dream of adventures into places beyond imagination, and whenever the opportunity to live out these dreams came, something random would dash away at it. These random events persisted, until Ellie’s unfortunate passing.
The prelude is straight to the point but also an eloquent wrap of various emotions; the experiences of one’s whole life, including happiness and sorrow, made available despite the cartoon portrayal.
Even after Ellie’s passing, Carl, now a boring geezer, still frantically holds onto the memory of his wife. All this while the world around him is changing, literally. He is quick to refuse to be another piece in the suited men’s skyscraper project, despite the hefty sum offered. He is even quicker to extinguish the eager Russel, an admittedly annoying chub insistent on earning his “Assisting the Elderly” merit badge. God forbid he should ever be classified as “elderly”, the looming threat of Shady Oaks retirement increasingly evident on his front porch. Not many animated films are willing to lend the spotlight to our elderlies, especially in Carl’s obstinate case. Our heroes are almost always someone young, vibrant and ambitious, preferably without back problems. Father Time continues his journey, and soon, Carl is officially deemed an artefact. So without a shred of care, much less for the immigration customs, Up is Carl’s journey on a house hoisted by balloons to Paradise Falls.
Well no, Up does not entirely revolve around his dream of making it to Paradise Falls. The film covers other characters as well, not just Carl. Russel is reminiscent of who we used to be, before the steady and inevitable path towards adulthood, especially to the now elderly Carl. The others, namely Dug and Kevin, manage to draw the audience’s attention through their adorable nature.
There is quite literally nothing that could explain the events surrounding Paradise Falls. Compare Up to any adventure film, the algorithm for it is quite similar. Think King Kong or The Wizard of Oz. The main characters need a reason to escape their mundane world, and into a new one — cue in the dirigibles, the biplane dogfights, the canine chefs straight out of Wallace and Gromit. Almost like a metaphor, the events are a blend of realism and the bizarre, sometimes grounded like reality, and sometimes bubbling around in the whimsical clouds of imagination. There is an even bigger metaphor behind all this.
Adult audience could probably tell that Carl’s house means more than just a bunch of wooden planks and bricks to him. It is where Ellie and him grew old, gradually becoming a metaphor for Ellie herself. Grumpy old men guarding their wives/homes are common. Better yet, Carl is Nebbercracker — the old widower from Monster House. As we age, we begin to understand the financial responsibility that comes, all while creating our own family. The most painful moment in adulthood is realizing the difference between dreams and goals, just the same as Ellie’s scrapbook is deafeningly empty in terms of her dreams. The constant tug-of-war we experience in our lives can leave room for many unfulfilled paths, something older people (like Carl) can agree with all too well.
Alongside Russel, Up focuses on one’s journey into adventure, and another’s hunger for company. The chubby boy is clearly motivated to earn his last badge, which would suggest that there is a reason for all his free time. It may seem ridiculous, but the boy with the absent father and the grandpa with the absent wife form a bond, offering each other support oin the Venezuela mesa country.
Pixar tends to be very good at pulling on its audience’s heartstrings. We can always expect a character to make us go aww and then some mild heartbreak leading to the climax. It’s the generic rubric, but devastatingly effective. Think WALL-E and Toy Story. Cartoons are not uniquely designed for children, though Pixar’s greatest gift in filmmaking is not necessarily its cuteness. Often, Up will realize adult realities to children and geriatric escapades to everyone. Until the next instalment, we will continue to savour the studio’s existing works.
