Pixar Era Analysis – Up
As mentioned in a previous blog post, I’ll be writing analysis content on all 27 of Pixar’s animated feature films and their film making eras.
The second era is the Merger Era, which ran from 2006 to 2010 and started with Cars. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Merger Era is known as the first Era after Disney purchased Pixar in early-to-mid 2006. The Merger Era is known for films that continued to tell imaginative and original stories (with the exception of Toy Story 3), showing further development of computer generated animation, and focusing on more mature and darker themes, as well as realism.
So how did Up measure up to the above features of the Merger Era?
Continuing to tell imaginative and original stories (with the exception of Toy Story 3):
According to the film’s Wikipedia page, the film’s writer and director, Pete Docter, based the plot for the film on fantasies of escaping from life when it became too irritating.
In terms of the characters, Carl, an elderly man, was selected as a protagonist as the crew thought the experiences of an old man would be a rich source of humour and children would be able to relate to him the same way they would relate to their grandparents. Dug, a talking dog, was created as part of another project but was used in Up as Docter thought it would be refreshing to show what a dog thinks. Carl’s relationship with Russell reflects how he’s not really ready for kids, especially as Carl and Ellie tried to have children but couldn’t. Muntz was also written as a representation and even mirror of Carl, especially if Carl never met Dug or Russell.
In terms of the signature feature, a house floating in the air by balloons, was the result of an earlier concept featuring a floating city on an alien planet, with the city floating via magic. The colourful balloons also provided a humorous contrast to Carl, the grumpy, old man.
Showing further development of computer generated animation:
The animators were able to create the film’s setting, Venezuela, based on multiple research trips they went on.
The animators made the choice to design the characters based on shapes – Carl has a squarish-design to represent how boxed in he was in life and in his home, and Russell is round, like a balloon.
Much like Ratatouille and WALL-E, Up features muted colour palettes at specific points, specifically after Ellie passes away and when Carl enters his house after finally making it to Paradise Falls. The colour palette brightens again, symbolising Carl’s reinvigoration after discovering that Ellie filled her adventure book with photos of their life together and her loving note encouraging him to find a new adventure.
Focusing on more mature and darker themes, as well as realism:
There are multiple mature and darker themes present throughout Up, including but not limited to: loss, grief, miscarriage/infertility (whether Ellie was infertile or had a miscarriage was never made clear), neighbourhood redevelopment, ageing and ageism, divorce, insanity and obsession.
The realism present throughout the film included Carl and Ellie’s happy but imperfect marriage, the affects of grief and loss on Carl after Ellie passes away, and the insanity that Muntz succumbs to after trying to clear his name by finding Kevin for several decades.
My overall thoughts:
Full disclosure, I’ve seen Up a few times before, including when it was released in theatres in 2009. I enjoyed it back then and even got emotional at the end of the married life sequence and when Carl re-opens the adventure book.
I enjoyed it again this time around and found myself comparing it to the previous films of the Merger Era. Up matches well with its predecessors through its mature and dark themes, Carl wanting to fulfill his shared promise and dream with Ellie by going to Paradise Falls, its shifting tone from dark to comedic, and its alternating bright and muted colour palette.
The next part of the Pixar Era Analysis series to be released will focus on Toy Story 3.
Fun Facts and Trivia:
- According to the film’s IMDb page, even in storyboard form, the married life sequence brought members of the production team to tears.
- When Carl and Ellie are children, only Ellie speaks at length. When Carl and Ellie are adults, only Carl speaks.
- Russell is Pixar’s first Japanese/Asian-American character voiced by an Asian-American actor, Jordan Nagai.
- This is the first Pixar film in 3D.
- In the film, Kevin likes chocolate. In real life, birds get food poisoning from eating chocolate.
- Carl is the oldest human character to be the protagonist of a Disney-Pixar animated film.
- The word “up” is spoken only eleven times throughout the film.
- This film is the first Pixar film to hint at divorce, when Russell talks about his father and Phyllis, his implied stepmother.
- If you pay attention during the married life sequence, there are crafting supplies on Ellie’s bedside table when she is in the hospital, hinting that she has been working on her adventure book.
- This film is a rare instance of Disney/Pixar showing graphic violence when Carl hits a construction worker with his cane, with the blood from the wound shown, and Muntz falling to his death.
- This is the second Pixar film where a protagonist breaks the law, the first being Cars, where Lightning McQueen did so by speeding.
References:
Loveday Writing 