🎬 Movie📚 Kids · Ages 7–10Animation

Up (2009)

Name: Up
Released: 2009

About This Movie

A seventy-eight-year-old widower ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies to South America to fulfill a promise he made to his late wife, accidentally bringing along an eager, lonely Wilderness Explorer scout named Russell. The opening sequence, a wordless montage of Carl and Ellie's entire life together, is among the most emotionally devastating passages in any film, animated or otherwise. From that foundation of loss, the film builds an adventure full of talking dogs, exotic birds, and a villain who is essentially a dark mirror of Carl himself.

Why It's a Classic

Pete Docter and Bob Peterson structured Up so that every adventure element in the second and third acts echoes something established in the opening montage, which means the film accumulates emotional resonance as it goes rather than spending it early. Carl's house is not just a vehicle; it is a physical manifestation of his marriage, his memories, and his inability to let go, and when he eventually must choose between the house and Russell's safety, the moment works because the audience understands exactly what he is sacrificing. The relationship between Carl and Russell is beautifully calibrated: Russell's chattiness and earnestness gradually crack through Carl's grief without the film ever forcing a sentimental breakthrough scene. Charles Muntz, the fallen explorer villain, works because he represents what Carl could become if he lets obsession consume his remaining years. Michael Giacchino's score, built around a simple waltz theme for Carl and Ellie, does extraordinary emotional work throughout the film, shifting from warmth to melancholy to triumph by varying a single melody. Up won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for Best Picture, one of the rare animated films to receive that recognition.

Fun Fact

The production team calculated that it would take 26.5 million balloons to actually lift Carl's house, though they used approximately 10,000 individually modeled and animated balloons for the launch sequence to create the visual effect. The opening montage was originally longer and included a scene of Carl and Ellie finding out they could not have children through dialogue, but Docter realized the sequence was more powerful with no words at all. Jordan Nagai, who voiced Russell, was not the original choice for the role; the casting team overheard him talking in the waiting room while his brother auditioned and asked him to read instead.

Parent Note

The opening montage deals with themes of aging, miscarriage, and death, and it will make most adults cry openly. Young children may not fully grasp the montage's implications, but sensitive kids may have questions about why Ellie is gone. There are action sequences involving a villain with dogs and aircraft that carry real tension. A dog fight sequence in biplanes is exciting without being graphic. The film is appropriate for kids around five and up, though parents should be prepared to have a conversation about loss and growing old.