Carl and Ellie – A Love Story

“Up” is a 2009 American computer-animated comedy-adventure film produced by Pixar, distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and presented in Disney Digital 3-D. The film premiered on May 29, 2009 in North America and opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film to do so. The film was director Pete Docter’s second film, the first being 2001’s “Monsters, Inc.”, and features the voices of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, and Jordan Nagai. It is Pixar’s tenth feature film and the studio’s first to be presented in Disney Digital 3-D.

Young Carl Fredricksen is a shy, quiet boy who idolizes renowned explorer Charles F. Muntz. He is saddened to learn, however, that Muntz has been accused of fabricating the skeleton of a giant bird he had claimed to have discovered in Paradise Falls, Venezuela, South America, and the organization fires him. Muntz needed a plan to clear his name. So he vows to return to Paradise Falls to capture the bird alive, and he will not return until he does. One day, Carl befriends an energetic and somewhat eccentric tomboy named Ellie, who is also a Muntz fan. She confides to Carl her desire to move her “clubhouse”—an abandoned house in the neighborhood—to a cliff overlooking Paradise Falls, making him promise to help her.

Carl and Ellie eventually get married and grow old together in the restored house, working as a toy balloon vendor and a zookeeper, respectively. When they are told by a doctor that they are unable to have children together, they repeatedly pool their savings for a trip to Paradise Falls, but end up spending it on more pressing needs. An elderly Carl finally arranges for the trip, but Ellie suddenly becomes ill and dies, leaving him alone.

Some time later, Carl still lives in the house, now surrounded by urban development, but he refuses to sell. He ends up injuring a construction worker over his damaged mailbox. He therefore is evicted from the house by court order due to them deeming him a “public menace”, and is ordered to move to a retirement home. However, Carl comes up with a scheme to keep his promise to Ellie: he turns his house into a makeshift airship, using thousands of helium balloons to lift it off its foundation. A young member of the “Wilderness Explorers” (a fictional youth organization analogous to the Boy Scouts of America) named Russell becomes an accidental passenger, having pestered Carl earlier in an attempt to earn his final merit badge, “Assisting the Elderly”. Source: Wikipedia.

See Carl & Ellie A Love Story Video, from “Up” on YouTube and know one of 1001 reasons why we love Pixar Animations Studios. Enjoy and drop a tear if you wish. Or click here to see another video version on YouTube.