Posted: February 21st, 2023

Response M

Give a summary of the movie
The Movie UP is about the life of Carl. The movie shows us the best and worst moments of Carl’s life from childhood to his elder years. From getting married to the love of his life Ellie, to her death. Present day Carl is lonely and miserable working as a balloon’s vendor. He receives offers for Shady Oaks retirement homes and refuses to sell his house to a construction company that is updating the neighborhood. One day Carl plots to tie balloons to his house with the intention to fly to South America and live his late wife’s dream to go to Paradise Falls. Russell, a boy scout puts a turn in his plans when he accidently sneaks into Carl’s house as the house takes flight. They encounter a storm, and this is where the adventure takes place when they land in Tepui.
Once they land in Tepui, Carl and Russell befriend Kevin a bird and Doug a talking dog. They are being chased by a pack of evil talking dogs. They encounter an old man their master, who ends up being Carl and Ellie’s idol explorer Charles Mundst. He ends up inviting them to join. Carl finds out he is trying to hunt Kevin and soon him and Russell discover Charles’ true intentions. They chase Kevin, Russell and Carl, where Kevin ends up injured and try to help her get to her babies.
Carl loses his home when he saves his friends and realizes the importance of moving forward. That he isn’t alone after losing his wife and learns to create new memories with his new loved ones.

How was the older person and aging portrayed?
In the movie the older person was portrayed in a positive light instead of a negative light like other movies dealing with aging. In the beginning Carl was seen as a grumpy old man who was stuck in his ways and still mourned the death of his wife, but that later changed when Russell came along. Russell showed Carl that he could have a happy life, have a sense of belonging and he was made for adventure. In the beginning of the movie Carl had a walking device that he used frequently (inside and outside the house); however, Carl soon discovered that he could not only walk without it but run. This depiction was nice to see because so many older people become dependent on their devices.

Would you want the life that the movie projected of the older adult?
I enjoyed the life that was portrayed while Carl was married to Ellie. They did a lot of activities together and seemed very happy. It was enjoyable to see them still wanting to plan their trip to Paradise Falls, even as they got older. Even though he was sad after his wife died, it was a very realistic portrayal of what people go through when they are older. This is something that many people experience and it is possible that I may go through something similar later on in life. It also showed how happiness can be found again, which was nice to see.

What were your overall feelings after watching the movie?
It’s a mixed reaction. The initial character of elderly and widowed Carl was cliché and ageist. The cranky old man telling others to get off their lawn, or in Carl’s case, out of his neighborhood wanting to mope being alone was nothing new. Carl wasn’t the only senior portrayed in the film. There was Charles F. Muntz, who was surrounded by companions and remained driven with purpose into his older age. Similar to Carl, Charles was also a cranky old man. Ageist and clichéd views of elders formed the foundation of the film’s story.
The story’s progression that somehow Carl suddenly had more to live for after bonding with lonely, fatherless figure, boy scout Russell was also a recycled storyline. It closed a neat juncture for Up’s two main protagonists forming a mentor-mentee relationship.

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