History WesternAnimation / Up

''Up'' tells the story of a septuagenarian named Carl Fredricksen (Creator/EdwardAsner) who had promised his wife, Ellie, that they would one day have an adventure and move to Paradise Falls in Venezuela like their childhood hero, Charles Muntz (Creator/ChristopherPlummer). However, life got in the way of them doing it -- repeatedly -- and she passed away before they could. Carl, guilt-ridden, shuts himself off from society in the house they built together.

** There's also Carl catching his balloon cart as it almost floats away. This allows the audience's suspension of disbelief to except the universe's {{Balloonacy}}.

** There's also Carl catching his balloon cart as it almost floats away.

* BaitAndSwitch: It's hinted that Russell's DisappearedDad will finally show up at the ceremony if Russell gets his final [[ScoutOut Wilderness Explorer]] badge, [[spoiler:but when Russell is at the ceremony in the second-to-last scene, right when we're all set to see a heartwarming redemption/family bonding scene... his dad still never shows. Carl comes up to do it instead]].

* ChekhovsGun: Tons of them.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode Side effects may include]] [[TearJerker/{{Up}} sobbing uncontrollably for the first ten minutes of use.]] [[note]]'''Front to Back:''' [[CoolOldGuy Carl Fredrickson]], [[TagalongKid Russell]], [[BigFriendlyDog Doug]].[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode Side effects may include]] [[TearJerker/{{Up}} sobbing uncontrollably for the first ten minutes of use.]] [[note]]'''Front to Back:''' [[CoolOldGuy Carl Fredrickson]], [[TagalongKid Russel]], [[BigFriendlyDog Doug]].[[/note]]]]

* ConfirmBeforeReveal: When Russell meets Kevin for the first time, he believes it's the "snipe" that Carl had told him about earlier and asks him to confirm its appearance. When Russel asks Carl, who has his back turned towards them, asks if they like chocolate, Carl is confused with that question and he turns around to see Kevin and is shocked to see it.

* TheDogBitesBack: Dug gets harassed by an aggressive Alpha. Not only does Alpha berate Dug for losing the large bird (Kevin) they’ve been tracking down, but he also has Dug wear the cone of shame. Alpha also tosses Dug for betraying the pack by helping Carl and Russel escape with Kevin. During the climax, when Alpha has Dug cornered behind the steering wheel of the blimp,he gets his head through the steering wheel while trying to attack Dug, Dug grabs a makeshift cone and puts it over Alpha’s head. One of the dogs exclaims “He wears the cone of shame,” and the other dogs laugh at him. Thus, Dug returns Alpha the favor by humiliating him.

* DoubleTake: Carl does one when he spots Russel on the porch after his house is airbourne.

** Russel says he found the "snipe" under Carl's house and remarks that "this snipe had a long tail and looked more like a large mouse". Later, [[spoiler:Dug hides under Carl's porch.]]

* IgnoringBySinging: Carl Fredricksen desperately tries to ignore Russel figuring out how to [[NatureTinkling go potty in the wilderness]] by putting his hands over his ears and singing.

** During a tense scene where Carl and Russel nearly fall off a cliff, we are treated to Carl screaming, which is clearly PlayedForLaughs. Then the next scene is a beautiful shot of Paradise Falls, where the cliff they are on is overlooking.

* NearVillainVictory: Charles Muntz and his dogs capture Kevin and take her in his blimp making Carl and Russel unable to stop them. The only reason Russel was able to catch up with Charles was he used his leaf blower and saying that he would help her even if Carl wouldn't. This prompted Carl to use his house to fly up at rescue him from falling.

* SpellingForEmphasis: When Russel overhears Carl Fredricksen talking to Ellie (who, by that stage, is already dead), he thinks she's an imaginary friend and tries asking her to keep Kevin. He then says, "She said for you to let me", to which Carl says to "Ellie", "But I told him no!", then to Russell, "I ''told'' you no-- N-O!".

* AllThereInTheManual: The credits list the construction worker who Carl strikes with his cane as being named "Steve".

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode Side effects may include]] [[TearJerker/{{Up}} sobbing uncontrollably for the first ten minutes of use.]] [[note]]'''Front to Back:''' Carl Fredrickson, Russel, Doug.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode Side effects may include]] [[TearJerker/{{Up}} sobbing uncontrollably for the first ten minutes of use.]][[note]]Front to Back: Carl Fredrickson, Russel, Doug.[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[VideoGame/DisneyHeroesBattleMode Side effects may include]] [[TearJerker/{{Up}} sobbing uncontrollably for the first ten minutes of use.]]]]

* WhamShot: Once the skeleton of the beast is revealed, Russell is shocked to see that the skeleton has the same exact proportions as Kevin, placing Muntz's motives in a whole new direction.

->This looks like the end of the arti--'''[[AttentionDeficitOohShiny SQUIRREL!]]'''

* WithOrWithoutYou: Not the phrase, but the spirit is there.

** The phrase is said verbatim a while later.
--->[[spoiler:'''Russell:''' I'm going to save Kevin, with or without you!]]

For information about the short ''Partly Cloudy'', which played before the film, as well as the three spinoff shorts ''Dug's Special Mission'',''George & A.J.'', and ''Carl's Date'', see WesternAnimation/PixarShorts. An animated series of shorts about Dug and Carl as they reside in suburbia, called ''WesternAnimation/DugDays'', premiered in 2021 on Creator/DisneyPlus.

For information about the short ''Partly Cloudy'', which played before the film, as well as the two spinoff shorts ''Dug's Special Mission'' and ''George & A.J.'', see WesternAnimation/PixarShorts. An animated series of shorts about Dug and Carl as they reside in suburbia, called ''WesternAnimation/DugDays'', premiered in 2021 on Creator/DisneyPlus. The short ''WesternAnimation/CarlsDate'' will premiere alongside the release of ''WesternAnimation/Elemental2023''.

For information about the short ''Partly Cloudy'', which played before the film, as well as the two spinoff shorts ''Dug's Special Mission'' and ''George & A.J.'', see WesternAnimation/PixarShorts. An animated series of shorts about Dug and Carl as they reside in suburbia, called ''WesternAnimation/DugDays'', premiered in 2021 on Creator/DisneyPlus.

''Up'' tells the story of a septuagenarian named Carl Fredricksen (Creator/EdAsner) who had promised his wife, Ellie, that they would one day have an adventure and move to Paradise Falls in Venezuela like their childhood hero, Charles Muntz (Creator/ChristopherPlummer). However, life got in the way of them doing it -- repeatedly -- and she passed away before they could. Carl, guilt-ridden, shuts himself off from society in the house they built together.

''Up'' tells the story of a septuagenarian named Carl Fredricksen (Creator/EdwardAsner) who had promised his wife, Ellie, that they would one day have an adventure and move to Paradise Falls in Venezuela like their childhood hero, Charles Muntz (Creator/ChristopherPlummer). However, life got in the way of them doing it -- repeatedly -- and she passed away before they could. Carl, guilt-ridden, shuts himself off from society in the house they built together.

->This looks like the end of the arti--'''[[AttentionDefecitOohShiny SQUIRREL!]]'''

->This looks like the end of the arti--'''SQUIRREL!'''

* MoodWhiplash: The scene of Carl and Ellie after her miscarriage in the middle of their [[GoodTimesMontage Happily Married montage]].

* AnAesop: It's alright to grieve your loved ones and the dreams they never got to fulfill, but life is full of adventures: both the mundane and the exciting. After grieving a reasonable amount of time, it's okay to go on a new one and find new dreams. Carl shuts down emotionally after Ellie dies and is plagued with guilt that he never took her to Paradise Falls as he promised. This means he doesn't have any friends in the neighborhood and shoos away one boy who asks for help with a merit badge. It takes [[spoiler:Carl reading Ellie's scrapbook and learning she considered their marriage the greatest adventure to let go of his guilt for not fulfilling the promise, and to pursue a new one with Russell]].

* AnAesop: It's all right to grieve your loved ones and the dreams they never got to fulfill. But life is full of adventures, both the mundane and the exciting. After grieving a reasonable amount of time, it's okay to go on a new one and find new dreams. Carl shuts down emotionally after Ellie dies and is plagued with guilt that he never took her to Paradise Falls as he promised. This means he doesn't have any friends in the neighborhood and shoos away one boy who asks for help with a merit badge. It takes [[spoiler:Carl reading Ellie's scrapbook and learning she considered their marriage the greatest adventure to let go of his guilt for not fulfilling the promise, and to pursue a new one with Russell]].