Up (2009)
- To accurately portray their role in Up, Ed Asner spent weeks conducting hands-on research and rehearsing directly with director Pete Docter.
- Despite initial studio skepticism, Up went on to gross over $735,100,000 worldwide.
Up is a 2009 American animated film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and directed by Pete Docter. The film follows Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman who fulfills a lifelong dream of adventure by tying thousands of balloons to his house and flying it to Paradise Falls in South America โ a destination he and his late wife Ellie had always dreamed of visiting. His journey is complicated by the unexpected presence of Russell, an overly enthusiastic eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer scout who was on Carl's porch when the house took flight.
Up is perhaps best known for its opening montage, a wordless four-minute sequence depicting Carl and Ellie's entire life together โ from their childhood meeting through their marriage, shared dreams, quiet disappointments, and Ellie's eventual death. This sequence, set to Michael Giacchino's achingly beautiful score, is widely regarded as one of the most emotionally powerful scenes in animation history and has been credited with making entire audiences cry within the first ten minutes of a children's film. The film was the first Pixar production and the first animated film to be presented in 3D at the Cannes Film Festival, where it served as the opening night selection.
Up earned $735 million worldwide and won two Academy Awards, including Best Animated Feature Film. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, becoming only the second animated film in history to receive that honor after Beauty and the Beast in 1991. Ed Asner's vocal performance as the gruff but tender-hearted Carl gave the character a warmth that anchored the film's more fantastical elements.
