Up (2009): Time for Adventure

After spinning the wheel of Disney movie choices, it eventually landed on Up, which seems to be a classic in some viewers' eyes. Personally, I have not seen this movie since it first came out, which was about 13 years ago, and I honestly did not favor this film at all. As a 9 year-old, one would think that a little kid would love this movie because of the vibrant colors, dogs, balloons, and, of course, endless adventure, but I just cannot remember what I did not like about this movie. 13 years later, though, time has given me the chance to relive Up, and perhaps my opinion will change this time around!

Starting out, we are introduced to our main character, Carl Fredricksen, as a child who is heavily invested with adventure, especially Charles Muntz's plans for Paradise Falls, who (spoiler alert!) is the villain all along. He then meets Ellie who shares the same interest and hobby as him. Like everyone else, I immediately fell in love with Ellie's character -- she seems like such a precious, although outspoken, child who easily takes a quiet boy she doesn't know under her wing when he wanders into her mini adventure club in an abandoned house. She even trusts him enough to show him her valued adventure book!

And from then on, they lived their lives to the fullest by getting married, remodeling that same abandoned house to fit their lifestyles, and really just enjoying life together until the end...except for their dream adventure to Paradise Falls in South America. What truly put me in the feels was when Mr. Fredricksen bought plane tickets to South America, but Ellie ended up passing away before they could go on their dream adventure together. Since then, life for Mr. Fredricksen has not been the same as he grows grumpier and holds onto the past with a tight fist. 

From refusing to give up his house for industrial advancements to isolating himself from outside help, Mr. Fredricksen seemingly appears to seek emotional refuge in his old house alone as he tries to relive the memories of the past, or rather, keeping the memory of his deceased wife alive in the present. 

Then, rolls in his grand idea -- lifting his beloved house with thousands of balloons and taking his own adventure into his own hands to accomplish his dream in honor of Ellie. Although, poor Russell, a young wilderness explorer, gets wrapped up into a flying mess with Mr. Fredricksen, all because he wanted to assist the elderly and get his final badge as a scout. I'm not sure if all those balloons would realistically be able to lift an entire house, but for Disney's sake, I'll believe it for now. 

Obviously, we know that Mr. Fredricksen adored Ellie, but his love for her is very apparent throughout the movie. Naming their house after her, ensuring all their belongings are undamaged rather than steering the house from the danger of a thunderstorm, and even giving up Kevin, the tall bird, for the safety of the house from a fire, which was caused by Charles Muntz himself. 

While Up heavily focused on the desire for adventure, it also primarily focused on Mr. Fredricksen's character development. Thanks to Ellie, once again, and her Adventure Book, which displayed pictures of her and Carl living happily together, she leaves a message for her dear husband, much to his own surprise, thanking him for living an adventure with her, as well as telling him to start his own adventure. All in all, Ellie believed her love with Carl was their own little adventure, but now, she wants him to seek his own rather than the dream one they wanted together. As a result, she sets him free of his regret and of the past, which can be shown once he says, "it's just a house" and not "Ellie". 

In fact, beforehand, he didn't want anything to change in his house and relied on everything staying the same, even before Ellie had passed. However, now, stuck in a conflict of his own, Carl's throwing everything out of the house in order to make it lighter and eventually lift off of the ground once again to save Kevin and Russell. Not only does this represent his changed attitude toward the other characters, like Russell, Kevin, and even Dug, but it also serves as a turning point in his outlook on life as a whole.

From being a grumpy old man to becoming an old "Indiana Jones" and then back to being a friendlier old man to the world, Up has truly given every chance of adventure for Mr. Fredricksen, especially at his age, and even to the point where he was able to keep his childhood favorite blimp, The Spirit of Adventure, and remain friends with Russell and their new dog, Dug.

While I originally did not favor this Disney film when it was first released back in 2009, I do have to say that after re-watching it as a 21 year-old, the movie has excellent selling points that kept me intrigued and itching to watch more. Not only did Up heavily tug on the heart strings, but the film also inspired me, probably like most viewers, to go out there and start my own dream adventure without looking back. Essentially, live on without regret from the past and you'll be happier than ever, is what Ellie and Mr. Fredricksen would want for us.