"UP"

           

             In 2009 Disney and Pixar released “Up”, based on a 78-year old Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner) who plans to stay in his house forever.  After the passing of his wife, who had been a childhood friend, Carl became a cranky old man.  The world is changing and they want to purchase his property to build huge buildings and Carl refused to leave the place he lived in his whole life.

            Carl stayed in his house as long as he could.  One day Russell (Jordan Nagai) a Wilderness Explorer goes to Mr.Fredricksen’s house so that he could help him out.  Russell needs to assist the elderly so that he can receive his last badge.  Carl refuses and Russell comes back for the next couple of days.  Carl goes crazy one day when a construction worker messes with the mailbox his beloved wife man, and they force Carl to go to an old person’s home.  Carl decides the next day that he’s going to attach balloons to his house, so that he can finally make it to Paradise Falls; where he and his wife Ellie wanted to go.

            Without knowing Russell makes his way into Carl’s house as the house begins to float away.  As much as Carl did not want Russell around there was no way around getting rid of him.  With many battles ahead of them, Carl and Russell manage to “fly” Carl’s house near Paradise Falls.  They run into some battles, in order to get the house from one side to the other.  Carl is willing to do whatever he has to do to fulfill the dream both him and his wife dreamed of.

            I continue to fall in love with this movie every time I watch it.  The characters are each loveable in their own way.  Adults connect to the story of Carl and his wife Ellie.  It’s that love story that you hear about as a kid, and hits home that Carl is so in love with his wife after all these years.

--Ally Laudage