Up

What's up with Up? 

Up is a 2009 3D computer animated film produced by Pixar. It follows the journey of an old man named Carl who flies his house with balloons, trying to hold onto his late wife by living her dream of adventure. But, he ultimately learns to move on with his life by defeating his childhood hero Charles Muntz and forming a new family with Russell, an energetic wilderness explorer; Dug, a talking dog; and Kevin, a giant bird.

Left to Right: Kevin, Dug, Russell, Carl

The film's director, Pete Docter, began forming the story in 2004 with the thought of escaping life when it becomes too irritating. He chose to make the main character an old man after drawing a juxaposition of a grumpy old man with cheerful balloons. But Docter and co-director Bob Peterson needed a reason for Carl to fly to the sky with a million balloons.

Concept Art of the Flying House

And this is where Ellie, Carl's wife, comes in. The production team knew from the start that their relationship was going to be the crux of the film. Though, how this relationship grew changed throughout the development process.Carl and Ellie in the final film first meet in an abandoned house and shared their same sense of adventure by playing pretend.

Storyboard of Young Carl

Storyboard of Young Ellie

But, originally the film was going to open with Carl trying to trap a bird and Ellie swooping in and punching him to protect it. This was supposed to start a montage of them growing up with a running gag of them punching each other. The production team thought it was hilarious (and so do I)! Test audiences, on the other hand, were confused. So, Peterson wrote the opening into what you can see today, keeping the nontraditional charm and adding more feels. Oh, those feels.

Older Ellie and Carl

Another scene that met the cutting room floor was the explanation for Muntz's age. Charles Muntz looks around the same age as Carl, despite being several years older than him since Muntz was Carl's childhood hero.

Storyboard of Young Carl and Ellie with Muntz Memorabilia

Young Muntz

Docter had the idea of Kevin laying fountain-of-youth eggs to address this. But, this subplot would've distracted the audience, so the idea was dropped. Thankfully, Up had me so immersed that I didn't even realize this age inconsistency. So, you're forgiven, Docter.


In addition to their backstories, the characters' designs were well thought out.
Carl is square shaped since he's rigid to change.

Concept Art of Carl

Ellie is circle shaped since she's dynamic.

Concept Art of Ellie

Russell is egg shaped since he needs to be nurtured.

Concept Art of Russell

As for the setting of South America, Docter was inspired by a video of Tepui mountains in Venezuela
He, along with several Pixar artists, spent days in Monte Roraima, Matawi Tepui, and Angel Falls for research.

Photo of Matawi Tepu

Concept Art of Paradise Falls

Photo of Angel Falls

Concept Art of Paradise Falls

Now that's a business trip!

Up was an unparalleled adventure for the filmmakers and the audience. There's so much more to this movie, but I can only write so much. So, for more, you can see the following sources and watch the movie again! Be sure to bring tissues, though; Up's an emotional adventure!


Sources:
http://www.pixar.com/features_films/UP#Up - Landing Billboard
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(2009_film)#Development
http://solarskistudio.com/blog/design-and-composition-in-pixars-up/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv