Kane Mann - Research Narrative Project & Stop-Mo

What social and moral purposes are evident within Disney Pixar’s ‘Up’?

 Produced by Pixar Animation Studios, ‘Up’ is a highly successful 3D animated film. The movie opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival following it’s release and has since been praised for potentially being one of the best animated films ever made. The creators of ‘Up’ really knew how to add emotive effect to the film, and made the audience strongly connect with the characters. I have chosen this movie due to its clear indications of social and moral purpose, along with some less obvious messages that viewers can learn from. It also has a very interesting and unique story, along with some exciting characters.

One of the main parts of the story in ‘Up’ is Carl’s dream to travel to Paradise Falls and live there. This is his aim throughout much of the film, as it was his and his wife’s dream. ‘Carl has not forgotten his promise to Ellie to go to Paradise Falls. She wanted to move their house there and that’s what Carl has done’ (Bazaldua, 2010). Initially, Russel appears as a burden and an obstacle in the way of this lifelong ambition. Despite this, Carl ultimately accepts that Russel is along for the ride, and this marks the start of an unexpectedly beautiful friendship. ‘Carl thought he’d be alone on this trip but he eventually lets Russel inside the house, and into his life’ (Bazaldua, 2010). However, due to Carl’s commitment to his Paradise Falls dream, he becomes blind to what really matters and consequently must learn what, and who, is truly important in his life. After the loss of his wife, Ellie, he felt alone and lost. During his subsequent search to find happiness he thinks that it will come to him when he reaches Paradise Falls, and he can then live happily ever after. However, it surprisingly doesn’t work out that way, and instead Carl realises there’s no home without other people to share it with and to love. It seems like the writers wanted to spread a meaningful message to the viewers with this film, especially in parts like this. Carl also discovers he has a moral obligation to go back and help his friends. This shows that he has possibly found the fulfilment he was desperately searching for in his acquaintances, but he just hadn’t realised it before. ‘He realises adventure is not in the places that you visit but the friends you make’ (Bazaldua, 2010). This already shows evidence of a powerful moral purpose in the film, even before looking into any deeper messages.

When the villain of the movie, Charles Muntz, first makes his appearance he seems like a good and genuine character. However, Charles’ pride soon gets the better of him and a conflict is spawned between him and Carl. This feud shows possible symbolism of Carl’s inner conflict within his own thoughts and beliefs; Charles representing his stubborn urge to travel to Paradise Falls, fighting with what he subconsciously knows is right. This makes sense due to Muntz being the root of Carl’s ambition to travel to Paradise Falls in the first place as his idol, but when he turns out to be a horrible person this could be the first stage of Carls’ change of heart. A social purpose is displayed in this, showing that it’s often the big challenges and unexpected realities we face in life that change us and make us realise what really matters.

Another significant point that needs mentioning is the unusual relationship between Carl and Russel. Even though they are relatively similar in ambition, and both share a passion for adventure, they still have a significant age gap. In the real world it is rare to see a friendship like this, but in the film it works well. Carl’s age could also be part of another intentional message from the creators, showing that it’s never too late to start a new adventure, and you’re never too old to achieve your dreams. In addition to this, they could also be portraying the fact that the loss of Carl’s beloved wife, Ellie, shouldn’t have to make him feel like his life is also over. Instead of sitting in and feeling sorry for himself he goes on an incredible adventure, which doesn’t necessarily go to plan but still ends in a beautiful and better way. Another point you can take from this is the way that Carl rejects Russel at first, and doesn’t want him there, but eventually sees that a friend is exactly what he needed. His house only feels like a home when it is filled with love, as it was with Ellie, and then with his newly found friends. However, in Carl’s solo scenes wherever he goes with his house he never finds happiness being there alone. ‘as much as we barbarise other people around us, we’d be miserable without them’ (Ed Asner "Carl" Interview for "Up" Disney Pixar, 2009). This exclamation from Ed Asner, the voice actor for ‘Carl’, shows wisdom and truth. I think it also displays to us that the actors and creators were putting their own heart and knowledge into the film to create these meaningful social and moral purposes we can see.

A slightly more subtle message I have interpreted from ‘up’ is to do with the balloons. The balloons could be symbolising another aspect of life and showing how easily we can break as people. Carl’s house is everything to him and represents everything he loves and ever has loved. However, the only thing supporting it throughout most of the film is the big bunch of balloons, which are individually very fragile, like humans. If too many of these balloons pop, then his life comes crashing down and is lost. You could compare this to our own lives, where if too much pressure is felt we can no longer support ourselves; we have our own ‘mental balloons’ inside our minds which hold us up. This is possibly a far fetched point, but definitely relevant.

When comparing the narrative of ‘Up’ to another animated film, you can see many significant similarities along with obvious differences. ‘Despicable Me’, produced by Illumination entertainment has some very similar ideas and purposes. The main character, ‘Gru’, starts off as a selfish, ignorant supervillain, who only cares about benefiting himself. However, he eventually forms a bond with three young children who slowly change him for the better. This is like a reflection of the relationship seen in ‘Up’ between Carl and Russel. In both, the main character is reluctant to accept the younger characters into their life, but after time they do and start appreciating the company and friendship of these people. As well as this, in both films the younger characters start to have a prominent effect on their personalities, and change their way of thinking. I think that the creators of ‘Up’ were more focused on creating a meaningful story than those of ‘Despicable Me’, but the similarities are still there. Both films show signs of a strong moral purpose, showing that you should care for those who care for you, and be selfless.

Overall, ‘Up’ portrays strong examples of social and moral purpose, teaching viewers to value the people around them. One of the biggest points you can take from the story is that it’s the people that matter in life, not the superficial objects. Furthermore, as Carl discovers on his adventure, it’s what happens inside a house that make it a home, not what’s on the outside; even if you’ve landed your house at Paradise Falls. The film displays a large transformation of personality, as Carl’s social and moral obligations change from prioritising himself to prioritising others; he realises they’re what bring him happiness. However, there are multiple messages you can take from ‘Up’, and it can be interpreted in many ways. When asked what the moral of the story is, Ed Asner also said it is ‘to not necessarily live in the past, be open to the present, and anticipate the future’ (Ed Asner "Carl" Interview for "Up" Disney Pixar, 2009). I think this is a great way to summarise the social purpose of the film, and it reflects perfectly upon the development and change of Carl’s character.

Bibliography

Bazaldua, B. (2010). Pixarpedia. London: Dorling Kindersley.

For this essay I am planning on focusing on the social and moral purpose question. I have chosen this one because I think it is something I naturally think about when watching a movie, and I feel like I could write about it quite well. However, I think it will also be a bit of a challenge at the same time, and I might struggle to reach 1500 words. I have a number of films in mind to potentially write about. The movies I have thought of so far are:

-Up

-Fantastic Mr. Fox

-Spirited Away

-Coraline

Out of these possibilities I am leaning towards Up the most, mainly because I know this movie more than the rest and I like it. Also I think it has a lot of interesting topics that I could write about.