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"Up" is a wonderful film, with characters who are as believable as any characters can be who spend much of their time floating above the rain forests of Venezuela. They have tempers, problems and obsessions. They are cute and goofy, but they aren't cute in the treacly way of little cartoon animals. They're cute in the human way of the animation master Hayao Miyazaki . Two of the three central characters are cranky old men, which is a wonder in this youth-obsessed era. "Up" doesn't think all heroes must be young or sweet, although the third important character is a nervy kid.

This is another masterwork from Pixar, which is leading the charge in modern animation. The movie was directed by Pete Docter , who also directed " Monsters, Inc. ," wrote " Toy Story " and was a co-writer on "WALL-E" before leaving to devote full time to this project. So Docter's one of the leading artists of this latest renaissance of animation.

The movie will be shown in 3-D in some theaters, about which I will say nothing, except to advise you to save the extra money and see it in 2-D. One of the film's qualities that is likely to be diminished by 3-D is its subtle and beautiful color palette. "Up," like " Finding Nemo ," "Toy Story," " Shrek " and " The Lion King ," uses colors in a way particularly suited to its content.

"Up" tells a story as tickling to the imagination as the magical animated films of my childhood, when I naively thought that because their colors were brighter, their character outlines more defined and their plots simpler, they were actually more realistic than regular films.

It begins with a romance as sweet and lovely as any I can recall in feature animation. Two children named Carl and Ellie meet and discover they share the same dream of someday being explorers. In newsreels, they see the exploits of a daring adventurer named Charles Muntz ( Christopher Plummer ), who uses his gigantic airship to explore a lost world on a plateau in Venezuela and then bring back the bones of fantastic creatures previously unknown to man. When his discoveries are accused of being faked, he flies off enraged to South America again, vowing to bring back living creatures to prove his claims.

Nothing is heard from him for years. Ellie and Carl ( Edward Asner ) grow up, have a courtship, marry, buy a ramshackle house and turn it into their dream home, are happy together and grow old. This process is silent, except for music (the elder Ellie doesn't even have a voice credit). It's shown by Docter in a lovely sequence, without dialogue, that deals with the life experience in a way that is almost never found in family animation. The lovebirds save their loose change in a gallon jug intended to finance their trip to the legendary Paradise Falls, but real life gets in the way: flat tires, home repairs, medical bills. Then they make a heartbreaking discovery. This interlude is poetic and touching.

The focus of the film is on Carl's life after Ellie. He becomes a recluse, holds out against the world, keeps his home as a memorial, talks to the absent Ellie. One day he decides to pack up and fly away -- literally. Having worked all his life as a balloon man, he has the equipment on hand to suspend the house from countless helium-filled balloons and fulfill his dream of seeking Paradise Falls. What he wasn't counting on was an inadvertent stowaway, Russell ( Jordan Nagai ), a dutiful Wilderness Explorer Scout, who looks Asian American.

What they find at Paradise Falls and what happens there I will not say. But I will describe Charles Muntz's gigantic airship that is hovering there. It's a triumph of design, and perhaps owes its inspiration, though not its appearance, to Miyazaki's "Castle in the Sky." The exterior is nothing special: a really big zeppelin. But the interior is one of those movie spaces you have the feeling you'll remember.

With vast inside spaces, the airship is outfitted like a great ocean liner from the golden age, with a stately dining room, long corridors, a display space rivaling the Natural History Museum and an attic spacious enough to harbor fighter planes. Muntz, who must be a centenarian by now, is hale, hearty and mean, his solitary life shared only by robotic dogs.

The adventures on the jungle plateau are satisfying in a Mummy/Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones sort of way. But they aren't the whole point of the film. This isn't a movie like " Monsters vs. Aliens ," which is mostly just frenetic action. There are stakes here, and personalities involved, and two old men battling for meaning in their lives. And a kid who, for once, isn't smarter than all the adults. And a loyal dog. And an animal sidekick. And always that house and those balloons.

A longer version is here: http://blogs.suntimes.com/eber...

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Rated PG for some peril and action.

Edward Asner as Carl

Jordan Nagai as Russell

Christopher Plummer as Muntz

Bob Peterson as Dug

Delroy Lindo as Beta

Jerome Raft as Gamma

John Ratzenberger as Tom

• Pete Docter

Co-director

• Bob Peterson

Writer (story by)

• Tom McCarthy

Cinematographer

• Patrick Lin
• Kevin Nolting
• Michael Giacchino

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The Animated Movie “Up” by Carl Fredricksen Essay (Book Review)

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Grief Conceptualization

The 2009 animated movie Up follows the adventures of Carl Fredricksen as he strives to achieve his deceased wife’s and his life-long dream of living near Paradise Falls. However, the story’s primary focus is not only the adventure but the grief with which the main character is dealing. As the movie shows, Carl met the love of his life, Ellie, when he was a young boy. The beginning part of Up shows the progression of their relationship. They grow from friends into a romantic couple, get married, and want to have children; however, they find out that Ellie is infertile. Determined to live their life happily, Carl and Ellie decide to save enough money to move to Paradise Falls but have to spend this money on trivial problems in their adult lives. The couple grows old together, and as Carl finally saves up enough to surprise his wife with tickets to Paradise Falls, Ellie suddenly dies from an illness (Keogh, 2010).

The rest of Up shows Carl’s grieving process and his eventual acceptance of his wife’s death. It is unclear how many months or even years pass where Cark is completely isolated from social interaction. His behavior is indicative of a person who cannot let go and go through a healthy process of grieving. In particular, the largest part of the movie depicts Carl’s inability to let go, which leads to him prioritizing possessions that hold memories of Ellie over his and other people’s lives.

In the scenes following Ellie’s death, Carl is completely different from the happy man who has been just shown to the audience. He is grumpy, unsociable, and rude – he avoids interactions with people, does not express positive emotions, and has a pessimistic outlook on life. It is clear that Carl feels sadness and anger over his wife’s passing. Possibly, Carl also felt numbness following Ellie’s death, as he quickly sequestered himself in his house.

As for cognition related to grief, Carl’s main symptom is preoccupation. While he does not express guilt about Ellie’s death, he believes that he is responsible for not achieving their childhood dream. Thus, he obsessively thinks about Ellie’s ideas and ruminates on what they could have accomplished in their younger years. His behavioral symptoms are defined by social withdrawal and aggressiveness toward people. A particular sign is that Carl carries and surrounds himself with objects that remind him of Ellie. He leaves Ellie’s favorite chair in its old place and does not allow anyone to sit in it. Carl also wears a handmade pin that Ellie gave him. As he decides to lift his house in the air and physically move to Paradise Hills, the whole place becomes a way for him to further distance himself from society and deny moving on with his life.

One of Carl’s limitations is that he does not appear to have any other relatives or friends left in his life. Another problem is his lack of desire to reach out for help or conversation. Nevertheless, Carl continues living and performing daily tasks – his routine of caring about his basic needs is not disturbed. He also does not show any stronger symptoms of depression, such as self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Following Worden’s (1996) description of grief mediators, it becomes apparent that Ellie played an essential role in Carl’s life. Ellie was his life-long partner and wife, and their relationship seemed very strong. Due to them being friends from early childhood, Carl was overly attached to Ellie, and they depended on each other for moral support. The death was natural but somewhat unexpected for Carl, as Ellie’s health declined quickly. Notably, the couple had another type of loss – as the couple could not have children, Ellie mourned the possibility of a family. Carl was supportive, and the two found solace in one another and their ultimate dream.

As for Carl’s personality variables, at the moment of Ellie’s passing, he was an older man who started engaging in avoidant emotional coping. The loss has affected Carl’s ego, as Carl sees his life as less important than completing Ellie’s dream of moving to Paradise Hills. As noted above, Carl did not have any emotional or social support immediately after Ellie’s death. The interaction with Russell, a young Wilderness Explorer, is possibly the longest event of socialization that Carl had for months. Finally, Carl’s concurrent stress is that newly built skyscrapers are occupying his house’s neighborhood, and the building company tries to take away Carl’s land as well. After a fight with the builders, Carl is ordered by the court to leave his home and move into a retirement home – this event motivates him to turn his house into a flying balloon and start his journey.

The movie is unclear about what culture Carl turns to when experiencing grief. The wedding and funeral scenes feature a church of ambiguous denomination, and Carl does not have any other religious items or rituals. Thus, one cannot describe any specific cultural considerations; Carl engages in a formal funeral and preserves mementos reminding him of Ellie. The lack of rituals and socialization may play a role in his inability to finish mourning.

There are many ways to assess grief, and most of them are formulated as questionnaires. For example, Neimeyer (2018) lists the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG) and the Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) as two of the most commonly used tools to measure one’s emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to their loss. The ICG contains such statements as, “I find myself thinking about the person who died” and “I can’t help feeling angry about his/her death” (Prigerson et al., 1995, p. 72). Looking at all items listed in this assessment, one may suggest that Carl is likely experiencing complicated grief. The Brief Grief Questionnaire also exposes Carl’s prolonged grief in that Carl has distanced himself from people and still has trouble talking about his wife’s death (Neimeyer, 2018). Nevertheless, it is challenging to assess Carl’s grief, as he does not speak openly about his feelings following Ellie’s death in the movie. Most of the evaluation points are drawn from his behavior before leaving for Paradise Hills and interactions with Russell when they are up in the air.

Theoretical Frameworks

Two theories can be utilized to understand Carl’s situation better. The first one is Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance (Kübler-Ross et al., 1972). As the scholar notes, people can skip some stages, and everyone experiences each step within their own timeframe. Looking at Carl’s social isolation, pessimistic outlook on life, and emotional responses to the world around him, one may conclude that Carl is at the stage of depression. While he does not experience anger about the death, he is angry at people who try to disturb his grieving process. At the same time, he cannot finish mourning and is stuck on a type of grief that brings him pain.

The second theory is Worden’s (1996) tasks of mourning that describe actions that people go through to complete grieving. The four tasks include accepting the loss, processing the pain, adjusting to a world without the deceased person, and starting a new life while finding an enduring connection with the departed (Worden, 1996). Carl seems to have accepted the death of his wife in that he does not deny her passing. He does not have delusions or distortions about Ellie, although he is seen talking to the house as if asking his wife’s opinion. Thus, Carl is between the first and second tasks since he does not adequately process his pain of grief. While he physically leaves the area where the family lived together for years, he does that not to find relief or new meaning of life, but to take away all mementos of Ellie and sequester himself in an area where he would not be bothered by society. Thus, Carl refuses to process his emotions and adjust to the world without Ellie.

Interventions

While Carl’s adventure eventually helps him to move on and leave his house in the movie, in real life, he would benefit from some psychological interventions to process his grief. For example, Johannsen et al. (2019) and Boelen and Smid (2017) suggest using complicated grief treatment, exposure therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Moreover, group therapy is found helpful for grieving adults, as they can share their feelings with people who went through similar experiences (Chow et al., 2019). Overall, all approaches would require Carl to seek and agree to help and open up about his feelings, which may be challenging for him.

Boelen, P. A., & Smid, G. E. (2017). Disturbed grief: Prolonged grief disorder and persistent complex bereavement disorder. BMJ , 357 , j2016.

Chow, A. Y., Caserta, M., Lund, D., Suen, M. H., Xiu, D., Chan, I. K., & Chu, K. S. (2019). Dual-process bereavement group intervention (DPBGI) for widowed older adults. The Gerontologist , 59 (5), 983-994.

Johannsen, M., Damholdt, M. F., Zachariae, R., Lundorff, M., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2019). Psychological interventions for grief in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders , 253 , 69-86.

Keogh, A. (2010). ‘Up’ with grief: Film review . Open to Hope. Web.

Kübler-Ross, E., Wessler, S., & Avioli, L. V. (1972). On death and dying. Jama , 221 (2), 174-179.

Neimeyer, R. A. (2018). Complicated grief: Assessment and intervention. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar-Current Approaches in Psychiatry , 10 (3), 269-279.

Prigerson, H. G., Maciejewski, P. K., Reynolds III, C. F., Bierhals, A. J., Newsom, J. T., Fasiczka, A., Frank, E., Doman, J., & Miller, M. (1995). Inventory of Complicated Grief: A scale to measure maladaptive symptoms of loss. Psychiatry Research , 59 (1-2), 65-79.

Worden, J. W. (1996). Tasks and mediators of mourning: A guideline for the mental health practitioner. In Session: Psychotherapy in Practice: Psychotherapy in Practice , 2 (4), 73-80.

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IvyPanda. (2022, September 27). The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-animated-movie-up-by-carl-fredricksen/

"The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen." IvyPanda , 27 Sept. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/the-animated-movie-up-by-carl-fredricksen/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen'. 27 September.

IvyPanda . 2022. "The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen." September 27, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-animated-movie-up-by-carl-fredricksen/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen." September 27, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-animated-movie-up-by-carl-fredricksen/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Animated Movie "Up" by Carl Fredricksen." September 27, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-animated-movie-up-by-carl-fredricksen/.

Review by Brian Eggert May 29, 2009

The Spirit of Adventure. Pixar Animation Studios has captured it before, but never so precisely as in Up . The themes throughout the picture address life’s immeasurable potential to take a journey or explore the unknown. Through the studio’s gloriously bright and colorful animation, tangible and beautiful and alive all at once, they inhabit an emotional complexity that is conveyed with the utmost ease. There are layers to this picture; however, each is clearly described for children and adults alike, rendering a universal entertainment that wisps the viewer away into an escapist fantasy remarkably devoted to its very real characters.

As a boy, Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner) aspired for adventure with his playmate, and future soul mate, Ellie. The two children dreamed of visiting South America, to a faraway land called Paradise Falls, discovered by daring explorer Charles Muntz (voice of Christopher Plummer), containing unusual creatures never before seen by human eyes. The children kept an “Adventure Book” to log their fanciful wish of someday living in Muntz’s forgotten wonderland. But their dreams, like many of us, were slowly consumed by reality. Carl and Ellie were married, but they could not have children, which made their bond even stronger. Years pass, and in time, Carl, a 78-year-old balloon vendor, finds himself alone. Ellie has passed on and his life of adventure with her. This is all shown in a beautiful, wordless opening sequence that establishes the entire picture’s emotional substance.

Carl has become a cantankerous old man living alone in the rickety home he and Ellie built, a city growing all around him. He speaks to his absent wife, aching for her company. When he finally must resign himself to a retirement home, he instead launches the house from the city with countless helium-filled balloons and takes off for Paradise Falls. Accidentally stowed away on his porch, however, is Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai), the young Wilderness Explorer desperate to earn his “Assist an Elderly Person” badge. Russell’s sweet virtuousness recalls the young Carl, though the grumbling senior doesn’t realize it.

When they arrive at their destination, the world they find is best discovered for yourself. Among the mysteries are misty mountains, a chocolate-loving exotic bird, and a talking dog named Dug (voice of Bob Peterson). The reject of a small army of talking canines, Dug, and those like him, speak via electronic collars. If you’ve ever questioned what dogs would say if they could talk, this film captures it, in all their loving, naïve, desperate-to-please splendor. Who created these collars? Carl doesn’t care. He just wants to set his house down by the falls, as he promised Ellie he would do long ago. But as Carl quickly learns, there’s more at risk than his own desires.

Arguably the funniest of the Pixar films, the laughs are only matched by the thrills. Carl’s crankiness and Russell’s hilarious innocence keep the audience laughing, while dog humor is prevalent and twisted slightly by their ability to speak. Take the hench-pooch, Alpha, a Doberman Pinscher who stands with a threatening glare until his falsetto voice, raised by his broken collar, squeaks as if he was sucking the helium from some of Carl’s balloons. Near-constant humor helps ease some of the film’s later, more gripping suspense that might otherwise frighten youngsters.

As with every Pixar film, the stakes are set from the beginning. But these aren’t mindless conflicts cleared away by equally mindless animated antics. These characters are tangible, the turns of their stories occasionally heartbreaking. Pixar’s animators illustrate the characters through mild stylizations that don’t detach from their humanness. Of course, they’re cartoons, but they have depth and sheen and the faultless illusion of flesh. Cute animals are present not merely to elicit awww reactions from the audience; rather, they have fully conceived personalities, even while remaining true to their nature. Dogs are just dogs. People are just people. How they react in this amazing situation is what’s extraordinary. And the imagery used within the story captures a kind of vintage iconography, employing objects rooted in the simplicity of their design, such as balloons and blimps, bringing to mind an immediate classicism.

Director Pete Docter, who helmed Monsters, Inc. and conceived Toy Story and WALL•E , works alongside co-director and writer Bob Peterson, himself the writer of Finding Nemo . Together, they create a world where the impossible is just a step passed intention, where adventure arrives by your own making, and where escapism doesn’t necessarily mean escape. Once again, Pixar shows audiences that the potential for animated features is boundless in the right hands. In contrast, competing studios like Dreamworks and Fox prove time and again just the opposite.

How appropriate then that the film speaks with awe about the pure concept of Adventure, about the romantic possibility of unexplored nature and newfound technology colliding in a grand discovery. Pixar finds wondrous ways of touching on this theme on and offscreen, through their story and by way of their breakthrough animation techniques, while also acknowledging that the need for adventure and exploration have tragically become characteristics of the past. And so, Pixar films are contemporary cinema’s abundant fountain where our thirsty imaginations are quenched, as they can realize the most spectacular story, infuse it with the most sincere of human emotions, and render it with the most visionary narrative scope.

Up is the kind of film where even critics find themselves incapable of putting into words just how cheerful and entertaining it is, ever at a loss to explain how everything is just right. Each line of dialogue and the accompanying gestures extract the precise emotion intended. As always, from Toy Story to WALL•E ,  Pixar’s clarity of purpose astounds. Flawlessly evocative, the film’s joys are so very joyful and the saddening moments ever so tender. Miraculously transporting us up and away through means by which only Pixar can, this is Movie Magic at its purest, realized with all the infinite possibilities of the cinema, animated or otherwise.

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• 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen travels to Paradise Falls in his house equipped with balloons, inadvertently taking a young stowaway.
• As a boy, Carl Fredricksen wanted to explore South America and find the forbidden Paradise Falls. About 64 years later he gets to begin his journey along with Boy Scout Russell by lifting his house with thousands of balloons. On their journey, they make many new friends including a talking dog, and figure out that someone has evil plans. Carl soon realizes that this evildoer is his childhood idol.
• 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen is about to fulfill a lifelong dream. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, he flies away to the South American wilderness. But curmudgeonly Carl's worst nightmare comes true when he discovers a stowaway aboard: a Boy Scout named Russell. — Jwelch5742
• Determined to save his home and keep the promise he made to his wife, widower Carl Fredricksen embarks on a journey to the mysterious Paradise Falls in an airship of his own invention. Along the way he meets his childhood hero, forms a bond with a boy who has an absent father, and realizes the preciousness of the life he lived as well as the one he now lives. — David J. Rizzo
• From the revolutionary minds of Pixar Animation Studios and the acclaimed director of Monsters, Inc. comes a hilariously uplifting adventure where the sky is no longer the limit. Carl Fredricksen, a retired balloon salesman is part rascal, part dreamer who is ready for his last chance at high-flying excitement. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl sets off to the lost world of his childhood dreams. Unbeknownst to Carl, Russell, an overeager 8-year old Wilderness Explorer who has never ventured beyond his backyard, is in the wrong place at the wrong time - Carl's front porch. The world's most unlikely duo reaches new heights and meets fantastic friends like Dug, a dog with a special collar that allows him to speak, and Kevin, the rare 13-foot tall flightless bird. Stuck together in the wilds of the jungle, Carl realizes that sometimes life's biggest adventures aren't the ones you set out looking for. Up reaches new heights and it's an adventure that will send your spirits soaring. — Disney
• Young Carl Fredricksen ( Jeremy Leary ), a quiet bespectacled boy wearing an old pilot's cap and goggles, watches a film reel in a theater depicting his hero Charles Muntz ( Christopher Plummer ), a famous explorer. The reporter speaks of Muntz's various accomplishments and discoveries before commenting that he was recently dishonored by scientists who believed his latest find, the large skeleton of a bird, was a hoax. Intent on proving them wrong, Muntz is seen boarding his zeppelin with his team of dogs and promises to return once he has brought back living proof of his find. After the show, Carl runs down the street with his balloon, named after Muntzs zeppelin The Spirit of Adventure. He passes an old, rundown house where he hears someone shout out Muntz's famous slogan: Adventure is out there! Carl goes inside to investigate and meets a young, outgoing tomboy who shares his passion for exploration and admiration of Charles Muntz. Startled by her loud, boyish demeanor at first, Carl loses his balloon in the rafters. The girl, Ellie ( Elie Docter ), helps him retrieve it, though Carl falls from a beam and breaks his arm. Ellie sneaks into his room that night and shows him her adventure book where she expresses a desire to one day move to the top of Paradise Falls in South America, showing him a picture that she 'ripped right out of a library book'. She makes him promise that they will go together someday before leaving. A musical montage shows Carl and Ellie eventually getting married and moving into the old house where they first met. Their marriage is blissful and they get jobs as a balloon salesman and zookeeper, respectively. When they discover that Ellie is unable to have children, they make a pact to save money to travel to Paradise Falls. However, as the years pass, they are forced to dig into their Falls fund for other obligations. One day, an elderly Carl realizes that, despite living happily together, they never fulfilled their old promise and decides to surprise Ellie on a picnic with tickets to South America. However, Ellie's declining health puts her in the hospital and she eventually passes away, leaving Carl alone. Carl remains in his home, a retired and sour recluse, as the city grows around him. He is encouraged to move to a retirement home due to increased construction, but often argues with the foreman ( John Ratzenberger ) and refuses to leave. One day, he meets Russell ( Jordan Nagai ), a young wilderness explorer scout who attempts to assist Carl in order to earn his 'assisting the elderly' badge. Carl tricks Russell into 'assisting' him by telling him to find and get rid of a 'snipe' that invades his yard. When a construction worker accidentally breaks Carl's mailbox, a part of the house and a part of Ellie that Carl cherishes, Carl hits him over the head with his walker. The assault lands him in court where he is forced to move out of his home by the next day. Workers from Shady Oaks retirement home arrive to pick him up the following morning but are shocked to find Carl releasing millions of helium balloons into the air which detach his house from its foundation, lifting it over the city and into the sky. Comfortably away from the city, Carl sets a course for South America and rests in his chair until hes interrupted by a knock at the door. Upon answering, he discovers Russell hanging on to dear life on his porch; apparently, Russell had been snipe searching under Carls porch. Carl lets him in and decides to descend to return Russell home before a severe storm hits. The house is knocked around in the turbulence but Carl manages to tie most of his items down before falling asleep. He's woken the next morning by Russell, who tells him that they're over South America (thanks to a GPS device that he accidentally throws out the window), though the ground is hidden by a dense fog. Carl releases some balloons to descend but they hit ground early and are knocked out of the house. They manage to hold onto it using a hose attached to the porch while the fog lifts to reveal that they are standing on a high plateau opposite Paradise Falls. Unable to climb back into the house, they resolve to walk to the falls before the helium in the balloons lets out. Meanwhile, a chase is progressing in the jungle. Three dogs with red lights on their collars are in hot pursuit of what appears to be a giant bird, but they lose the trail when their sensitive ears pick up the fine tuning of Carl's hearing aid. Russell stops to go to the bathroom and happens upon a giant bird which he lures closer with a chocolate bar. He introduces the colorful creature to Carl and gives it the name Kevin. Kevin follows them as they continue their journey but runs off when they approach the silhouette of a man who calls out to them. However, they see that the man is nothing more than a trick of the eye caused by overlapping stones. They are then approached by a golden retriever with a red light on his collar. Russell tells him to sit and speak and is surprised when the dog answers, using the device on his collar. He tells them his name is Dug ( Bob Peterson ) and that he is a tracker looking for a bird, at which point Kevin tackles him. The foursome continue their journey, Carl begrudging the additional company. At one point, Kevin loudly calls out and is answered by smaller calls. Dug says that Kevin is calling to her babies and Russell realizes that Kevin is a girl. Meanwhile, the three dogs seen chasing the bird earlier have picked up the scent of Carl and Russell, who they nickname the mailman. The leader Alpha ( Bob Peterson ), a doberman pinscher, tells Beta ( Delroy Lindo ), a rottweiler, and Gamma ( Jerome Ranft ), a bulldog, that they must be vigilant and continue their search. His speaking device appears to be damaged, causing him to talk in a high pitch. Using the device on Gamma's collar, Alpha calls to Dug, who they'd sent on a false mission in order to get rid of him, but finds him in the company of the bird they'd been after. They soon track him down and come upon Carl and Russell, but Kevin has already run off. Instead, they choose to take Carl and Russell to their master. Entering a large gorge, Carl and Russell meet a large pack of dogs, all with high-tech collars on, before meeting their master -- who turns out to be none other than an elderly Charles Muntz. Muntz invites them into The Spirit of Adventure as guests, but his behavior soon turns hostile when he finds out that Russell has adopted a new pet bird. Carl is shocked to see that Muntz has spent all the past years hunting for the bird which he was deemed a fraud for and has gone mad as a result. Muntz reveals a table of head mannequins wearing various headgear and grimly knocks each one off with his cane as he describes the stories their wearers told him; claiming that each one was actually after his bird. Carl and Russell run away from the zeppelin just as Muntz discovers the bird calling out from the roof of Carl's home. Riding on Kevin's back and assisted by Dug, who calls Carl his new master, they barely escape capture by Muntz's dogs, though Kevin is injured in the process. Carl agrees to help Kevin get back to her babies safely but, just before Kevin can re-enter her labyrinth home, a net flies out and captures her. Muntz and his dogs have arrived in the zeppelin, led to the spot by a tracking device on Dug's collar. Muntz throws a lantern beneath Carl's home, setting fire to it. Carl ignores Kevin and runs over to extinguish the flames as Muntz takes Kevin on board and leaves. Angry and disheartened, Carl yells at Dug and tells Russell that he's taking his home to Paradise Falls if it kills him. He manages to set his house down on the Falls, but loses Russell's respect for leaving Kevin. Carl goes inside the house and sits down to look at Ellie's adventure book. Saddened that she never got to see the Falls, he is about to close it when he discovers added pictures near the end, documenting their life together. On the last page is a note written by Ellie that says thanks for the adventure, now go have a new one! Enlightened and inspired, Carl goes outside in time to see Russell take off with a few balloons, using a leaf blower as propulsion. Carl empties his home of extra furniture, allowing it to become airborne once again, and follows Russell. He finds Dug on his porch and happily exclaims that Dug is his dog and he is his master. Russell manages to sneak aboard Muntz's zeppelin but is quickly caught and tied to a chair. Muntz sits him on the ships bomb-bay doors and flips the switch for them to open. Carl flies in and manages to rescue Russell in time, setting him inside the house while he goes into the zeppelin with Dug to fetch Kevin. Hes able to distract the guard dogs with a tennis ball from his walker and frees Kevin but is confronted by Muntz. They engage in a sword fight (albeit Carl uses his extended walker) while Russell, freed of his ties, fights off a squadron of dogs in fighter planes. He regains control of the house and returns to help Carl, who has climbed to the top of the zeppelin with Kevin. Dug has, meanwhile, faced off against Alpha and outsmarted him, effectively becoming the new alpha, and runs off to meet the others topside. Kevin, Dug, and Carl run for the house which Russell has landed on the wing of the zeppelin, but Muntz appears with a rifle and shoots at them, causing the house to slip and dangle in the air. Carl struggles to hold onto the house with the hose while Muntz goes in after Kevin. Carl lures Kevin, carrying Dug and Russell, out of the house with chocolate and Muntz attempts to jump out of the window after them. He doesn't make the jump as his foot gets caught in some balloon strings and, weighing too much for the balloons to support him, he falls to his death. As Kevin, Dug, and Russell make it back to the zeppelin, Carl is forced to release his house, which slowly descends into the clouds, a loss which Carl accepts as being for the best. Kevin is returned to her three chicks and Carl takes Russell and Dug home where Russell attends his senior explorer ceremony. When Russell's father fails to present him with his final badge, Carl fulfills the role and gives Russell a grape soda badge that Ellie gave him when they first met, calling it the Ellie badge. Afterwards, they sit on a curb together in front of an ice cream shop, Carl acting as a surrogate grandfather to Russell, The Spirit of Adventure anchored above them. At Paradise Falls, Carl and Ellie's house has landed right at the spot where it was meant to be: on the cliff overlooking the falls.

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Inciting Event: Shortly after meeting the young boy scout Russell—who will drive the personal side of the plot—grumpy, lonely old man Carl sees a construction worker run over the mailbox he had painted with his deceased wife. Incensed, Carl loses his temper and hits the man over the head with his cane. As a result, he is summoned to court, forced to sell his house, and ordered to move to Shady Oaks Retirement Home the next day.

Two things of note here:

• Because of the lengthy (and wonderful) prologue section showing Carl’s relationship with his wife, the rest of the First Act is slightly crammed, and the timing of the Inciting Event is a little late. It works out fine, but it’s worth noting.
• When we finally “settle” with Carl in the main part of the story, we discover he is literally surrounded by the main conflict: his house is the only one in the construction zone, because he has refused to sell to the faceless businessman. In other words, the conflict is already nicely in medias res . But note how Carl doesn’t actually brush the main conflict, which will drive the story’s plot, until he gives the businessman an opening to engage him. At that point, Carl still doesn’t want anything to do with the conflict; he firmly and adamantly rejects it. But he has no choice after that. He’s being dragged into it against his will.

First Plot Point: Carl unleashes a horde of helium balloons from his chimney and uses them to rip the house from its foundation and go floating out of the city. Shortly after, he discovers Russell clinging to his porch railing. Reluctantly, he allows the boy inside—and now all the pieces are in place for the “adventure world” of the Second Act. They finally land in that world several minutes later when the house crashes on a South American plateau, not far from Carl’s lifelong destination: Paradise Falls.

First Pinch Point: The “pinch” is extremely subtle. The audience is shown a pack of angry dogs, who are searching for a mysterious animal in the jungle around Carl and Russell. The turn in the plot comes when that animal ends up being a huge “snipe” bird, who promptly adopts Russell (and vice versa), despite Carl’s increasingly ineffective protests. Now, Carl is firmly enmeshed with a human antagonist—although he doesn’t yet know it.

Midpoint: In a lovely Moment of Truth, Carl learns about Russell’s “daddy issues.” The next morning, the dogs capture them and take them to their master—who turns out to be Carl’s disgraced childhood hero, explorer Charles Muntz. This is a good Midpoint revelation: it’s surprising (but still well foreshadowed) and completely changes the landscape of the story.

Second Pinch Point: Muntz proves to be insanely jealous of his right to the bird he has been hunting all these years. When he learns the bird is hiding atop Carl’s house, he attacks them. Carl and Russell barely escape. Although we’ve already gotten the sense that there’s something ominous about Muntz, this is a nice example of how to save the actual revelations for the pinch point, where the new clues should be introduced. It’s startling, and it turns the plot—which is what is most important.

Third Plot Point: Muntz and his dogs catch up. They capture the bird—who is trying to return to her babies—and light Carl’s house on fire. Carl has a meltdown and alienates Russell—and Dug the talking dog who “loves” Carl anyway. Carl’s house symbolizes his dead wife, so the threat to it is the perfect low point for this movie. But Carl’s character arc dictates he is moving away from the past (his wife) and onto a new adventure (his relationship with Russell), so in alienating Russell, he also endangers his future.

Climax: After finding a note from his wife, encouraging him to go on new adventures, Carl gets his head on straight (note how the character arc is basically complete just prior to the Climax). He goes after Russell, who had run off to save the bird.

Climactic Moment: After knocking Muntz to his death and gaining control of the dog pack via Dug, Carl saves Russell and the bird.

Resolution: Back home, Carl pins Russell with the “Ellie badge” and buys him ice cream, symbolizing his burgeoning new adventure as a father figure in Russell’s life.

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12 Heart-touching Lessons On Love From The Movie “Up”

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You must have watched the Pixar masterpiece Up, haven’t you (blessed be your soul, if you haven’t)! Up is by far one of my most favourite movies, and no, despite being an “adult,” I do not feel ashamed to say that my most favourite movie is an animation film.

Because this film is like that 3 a.m. way-more-mature-than-you best friend. This movie tells you about love just as it is, in all aspects of life, and yet gives you hope. It makes you love this world a bit more, it makes you love yourself a bit more. Here are 11 things that I learnt from Up, especially about love that upped my life!

1. True love can last a lifetime

Like Carl’s love for Ellie did.

2. No matter how different your backgrounds are, if you love each other nothing else matters

3. To hold each others’ hands through thick and thin is what love is

4. Because love founded on a shared dream is everlasting

Even if the dream doesn’t get fulfilled.

5. To love is to keep promises, no matter how long you take to fulfill them

And love just doesn’t die with a person.

6. People aren’t perfect, but it is our love that makes people perfect

Each for the other.

7. Your love for adventure doesn’t have to be limited by age

Age is just a number after all!

8. You can go to great lengths to save your love, even if it’s just a colourful bird

9. To become a family, it is not mandatory to be related by blood

10. there are times when it’s possible to love at first sight, 11. and that sometimes, the highest award that life can bestow on you is the ellie badge, 12. and lastly, true love is hard to find. when you have found it, take good care of it while you still have time.

Kbaaii!! I’m gonna go watch Up for the 26th time.

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SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING:  Friendship; Caring for Animals; Grieving.

MORAL-ETHICAL EMPHASIS:  Caring.

AT A GLANCE:  Ages: 6 – 8; MPAA Rating: PG for some peril and action; Animated; 2009; 96 minutes; Color; Available from Amazon.com .

Note that this movie is adored by people of all ages.

DESCRIPTION

Carl and Ellie fall in love as little kids. Their favorite game is to take imaginary trips exploring far off places. Ellie’s favorite destination is Paradise Falls in the jungles of South America. They grow up and marry but one reason after another keeps Carl and Ellie from taking their trip. Soon they are old and Ellie gets sick. She dies and Carl is plunged into grief. He lives alone in their home with his memories.

Soon after Ellie’s death, Carl is harassed by developers who want to tear down the house and build a skyscraper. The last straw is when Carl is scheduled to move to a retirement community. However, Carl attaches thousands of balloons to his house and flies it away on Ellie’s most cherished dream of adventure, a trip to Paradise Falls. Unbeknownst to Carl, an anxious-to-please Wilderness Explorer Scout named Russell has accidentally come along for the ride. He was under Carl’s porch trying to help Carl and earn a merit badge for assisting the elderly. Initially, Carl has no use for the boy. However, when they get to Paradise Falls, they are caught in the evil clutches of Charles Muntz, an explorer gone mad. Protecting Russell, and the rare bird that Muntz is intent on tracking down, gives Carl a new reason to live.

This movie reprises a loving relationship between Carl and Ellie, and lightly explores Carl’s grief at the loss of his wife. It also shows how Carl gets beyond his grief, the benefits of multi-generational friendship, the thrill of exploration, and the importance of respecting the creatures and environments of remote areas.

The movie’s Paradise Falls and the area around it are modeled after Angel Falls and the tepuis of Venezuela’s Canaima National Park. Children can be introduced to this amazing geological area through the movie.

TALKING FOR VERBAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Conversation starters.

After Ellie died, Carl was grieving. He was just sitting in his house doing nothing but feeling sad. During the movie, Carl was still sad about Ellie but he wasn’t just sitting in his house being unhappy. What was it that helped Carl start to live again after Ellie died? [Two things: taking his house to Paradise Falls and the fact that he had learned to love Russell.]

Why did Carl decide to take his house to Paradise Falls? What did that do for him?

If you could go on an adventure anywhere in the world, where would you go? [Look at a globe and talk about the place and the trip. Find pictures of the location on the Internet and talk some more.]

Always encourage your child to form opinions and to share them. — Open-ended questions will help get a discussion going.

Muntz created a collar that allowed dogs to speak their thoughts. If your family has a pet, ask, “What do you think our pet would say if we gave it a collar like that?”

Encourage your child to invent a special voice for your pet. On walks or when petting the animal, ask your child to think about what the world is like from the animal’s perspective, through the animal’s eyes, ears, and nose. Help your child put that view of the world into words in the animal’s special voice. Every animal has a personality, interests, particular delights, and specific fears. Help your child express them for the animal using the animal’s special voice. This game can give your family endless fun and fond memories. It will also enhance your child’s ability to empathize with others, an essential stage of emotional development.

Who was your favorite character? Which do you think is most similar to you? Which is the most different? Just talking with your child fosters verbal, social and emotional learning. — Exercise memory skills by asking about the story, the characters, and the plot. Keep it light and fun.

DISCUSSIONS BASED ON THEMES IN THE MOVIE

Select questions appropriate for your child.

1. When Carl is arguing with the construction workers outside of his house, he gets very upset and hits one of the men on the head with his cane. Why did Carl lose his temper?

Talking About It

Carl hit the man because he was angry and upset, and felt like he wasn’t being listened to. All of the pent up anger about Ellie’s death and the harassment by the developer boiled over and Carl lost his temper. The men had just damaged his mailbox, a very sentimental item he had painted with his wife. After the answer is discussed Follow up with this question: “Can yo think of a better way for Carl to have handled the situation?” Point out that the construction worker apologized and tried to put the mailbox back up. Carl should have understood why he was so angry and cooled down. Hitting, or using violence, is never the best choice. Carl didn’t think about another way to handle his anger and it landed him in a lot of trouble and the construction worker got hurt. When a parent takes a concept from a movie seriously, a child will start thinking about the lessons of the film. Often, it only takes one comment to start a child’s mind going. — You can talk about a movie at any time: right after it is over, in the car on the way to school, during quiet time, or before bed.

2. Did you know that there is really a place that looks like Paradise Falls?

Paradise Falls was based on real trips that the animators took to South America, to visit the “tepuis” and a magnificent waterfall called “Angel Falls”. You can read more about this area on National Geographic, at Wikipedia, and at The Real World Behind Up’s Paradise Falls. Look at the pictures on these websites and talk about them with your child. Another alternative is to watch and talk about the a bonus feature of the DVD entitled “Adventure is Out There”. For a full scale documentary, go to The Lost World of the Tepuis from PBS. Don’t feel obligated to cover everything in this Guide. One or two questions are all that some children will tolerate. However, if your child watches the movie more than once, on each occasion start a new conversation or pick a new activity. This will enhance verbal development and increase the number of lessons your child takes from the film.

3. At the beginning of the movie, Carl was irritated by Russell and tried to get him to leave. What were Carl’s feelings toward Russell at the end of the story?

As Carl got to know Russell, he realized that he was a sweet, caring boy. Russell’s father was not present in his life, and Russell really missed having a father figure to look up to. By the end of the film, Carl had taken on the responsibility of being the father figure in Russell’s life, supporting him at his Wilderness Explorers ceremony, and taking him for ice cream, just like Russell had imagined doing with his real father. Older people and younger people can definitely be friends, and both can learn a lot from each other. You and your family can volunteer to spend time at a local nursing home or senior community center, offering to read books, play board games, or just come to talk with the residents. Many seniors love chatting with and meeting new people, and most everyone will have some wonderfully entertaining stories to share.

PLAYING FOR GROWTH

Play and activities are important for developing skills and confidence. While you play these games with your child, remember to talk to your child as much as possible.

Wonderful Words

There are a lot of great vocabulary words used in this movie. Make up a few sentences with words your child might not already know. Ask him or her to make up sentences, too. Try to make your sentences use the same meaning of the word that is used in the film. If your child is going to watch the movie repeatedly, as many children do, spend a little time listening to the film and write down a word or two that your child may not know. Use these words the next time you speak with your child. Also, play with the sounds of the words, exaggerating certain sounds, rolling your tongue, hissing your sss, etc.

Here is a list of some of the interesting vocabulary words in the movie:

South America, dirigible, adventure, Grand Canyon, Mt. Everest, explorer, assist, exclusive, hearing aid, elderly, infirm, cumulonimbus, GPS, bus pass, billion, transfers (bus), waterfall, hoist, parade balloon, tracking (an animal or footprints), prisoner, master (as in Dug wanted Carl to be his master), “did the trick”, protect, “cross your heart”, floating, oblige, misunderstanding, collection, jungle, safari, translator, delightful, thieves, bandits, trained, surveyor, botanist, mountaineering, take advantage, hospitality, dog pack, graduate. There are many fun ways to incorporate vocabulary into games. Read the words for your children and have them repeat the words back to you. See who can say a word the silliest, the loudest, the softest, the angriest, etc. Look up the meaning of words together, in a book or online. Once you know what the words mean, draw pictures of the meanings and hold a contest for the best picture. Write stories that incorporate as many words as possible.

Your Own Adventure Book

One of Carl’s most prized possessions was the scrapbook kept by his wife, called “My Adventure Book”. In it, she kept lots of news articles and pictures about Paradise Falls, drawings of her future house, ideas for living next to the Falls, and much more. At the end of the movie, Carl discovers that she had kept the scrapbook going for her whole life, and although she didn’t get to go to South America, she considered her happy life with Carl to be just the adventure she wanted. Buy or assemble a scrapbook for your child. If your child is too young to write, make the entries for him or her. Help your child describe dreams, goals, and hopes for the future. Topics for the scrapbook could include: where your child wants to live, what your child wants to do for a living and what adventures he or she wants to have. Encourage your child to keep the scrapbook up-to-date as goals, aspirations, and interests change.

Tales of Adventure

“Adventure is out there” is repeated frequently in the film. Ask your child to share the greatest real adventure he or she has had, and then come up with the greatest imaginary adventure together. Encourage your child to share details describing the weather, the time of day, what was around, what it smelled like, what people were wearing, etc. Share some adventures that you had as a child. You can also write or type the stories out and illustrate them and then put them in your scrapbook.

Find more games to play at Playing for Growth with Family Movies .

Stories are essential tools for verbal development, social-emotional learning, and character education. Intentional parents can use family movies as a basis for storytelling.

Repeat the story of the movie at bedtime, on a rainy day, or at any quiet time. Let your child correct you if you make a mistake and, better yet, encourage your child to tell you the story. Both of you can invent new adventures for Carl, Russell, and all their friends. Your child’s imaginative and verbal capacities will be enhanced if you invent new characters and create situations that are not in the movie. To learn more about enhancing growth and development through stories told to children, go to How to Tell Bedtime Stories . . . Any Time .

Here is a story to read to your child. If you read it at bedtime and your child falls asleep before you are finished, complete the story some other time.

Goodbye, Grandpa

Lola was a young rabbit who lived in a warren under a big oak tree. Her soft brown fur was speckled with whites and grays, and her dark eyes often glimmered with excitement.

The big oak tree stood tall and strong. It grew in the middle of a field where cows grazed on sweet grass. Under the thickest root of the tree was a small den where Lola lived with her mom, dad and grandpa. Mom had dark gray fur and was plump and cuddly. Dad was long and lean. His fur was pale brown, and could easily blend in with the dirt. Dad’s brown fur had saved his life many times. Usually, it was when he was eating tender shoots of lettuce in a garden and the farmer suddenly appeared. Dad would simply lie down, very still. The farmer could look right at him, but couldn’t tell him from the ground.

Grandpa was gray; “silver” he proudly said. He had a glimmer in his eyes, like Lola, and long, long ears that drooped down to his chest. Sometimes, if he was feeling tired, they dragged on the ground when he hopped. Grandpa used to tell Lola that when he was a little bunny, his ears stood straight up and they would touch the leaves on the trees. Lola was never certain if he was telling the truth. She’d never seen a rabbit’s ears stand up that tall; but then again, Grandpa’s ears were the longest in the warren.

Lola’s den was warm and cozy. Every morning, especially in the winter, Lola was the last to wake up, preferring the warmth of the den over the cold air outside.

When she’d finally wake up, Lola would hop slowly to the entrance of the den. She would rest on her back legs and peek out, ears up, pink nose twitching, looking for any sign of danger. Before she could scan the entire field, Grandpa would pop up a few feet away and say “All’s clear over here, scout!”

“Okay,” she would call back, “I’m just gonna go back inside!” But often she wouldn’t go back inside. Instead, crouching down and crawling on her belly, she would sneak up behind Grandpa. When he was least expecting it, she’d pounce and tickle him behind his long gray ears.

Ever since she was a baby rabbit, Lola and her grandpa had a special connection. After all, they had that same twinkle in their eyes. Lola thought that Grandpa was probably her best friend.

There weren’t enough dens in the warren for all the new rabbit families that wanted homes. And so, when Lola was very young, the Chief Rabbit sent her parents to help dig dens for a new warren several fields away. They were gone for four days and Lola stayed at home with Grandpa. When Mom and Dad came back, the den was filled with white clover flowers and there was almost no place for them to sleep. In their absence, Grandpa had shown Lola the clover patch near a small creek that wound through the field. Lola had tasted the white flowers of the clover and, right away, they were her favorite treat. She and Grandpa had spent the days her parents were away collecting white clover flowers and bringing them to the den for a welcome home feast. As the family nibbled happily on their delicious dinner, little Lola told Mom and Dad that white clover blossoms were called “Grandpa flowers”.

Lola’s love for clover flowers, and for Grandpa, continued to grow as they both got older. Sometimes, if he was feeling strong enough, Grandpa would hop with Lola to the creek. They would explore all the different types of flowers, ferns, grasses and bugs. Grandpa would show Lola the best way to pick a clover flower, firmly and with a quick snap of the teeth, in order to get the juiciest, freshest taste. Lola thought that her grandpa was the smartest rabbit in the world.

As Lola continued to grow, the light of summer evenings allowed the rabbits to stay out later than normal. Lola and Grandpa would spend the day exploring nearby fields. Grandpa told Lola stories about Grandma Lola, Grandpa’s wife. Before Lola was born, Grandma had been caught in a trap and ended up in a rabbit stew. Lola was named after her Grandma.

Grandpa would talk about the plans that he and Grandma Lola had made to explore places that few rabbits had ever visited; places that they heard about when traveling rabbits stopped by the warren on their way to distant fields. The travelers kept the rabbits up all night, telling stories of their adventures.

On lazy summer days, as they rested in the safety of a thicket, Grandpa would tell Lola about the far away fields that he and Grandma had planned to visit. After awhile, Lola’s eyes would begin to close, and grandfather and granddaughter would nap in the warm summer sun until calls of “Looolllaaa!! Grrraaaaannndddppaaa! Dinnnnnnerrr!” drifted over the warm grass.

As time went on, the clovers stopped growing as thick and plentiful as they had when Lola was young. Humans had started to spray the fields and meadows with chemicals to stop the clovers from growing; it wrecked their crops, they said. While the rabbits still found plenty of grass to eat, it was “Grandpa flowers” that Lola really wanted. At first she would cry and whine to anyone who would listen, asking why there were no tasty clover flowers. Eventually she realized that clover was hard to come by, and could only be found after a dangerous journey across the road and into the far away fields six farms over.

It was getting close to Lola’s birthday and one morning after a walk along the stream, Grandpa asked Lola what she wanted for her present.

“If I could have anything in the whole wide world?!” she asked, blinking her dark, shining eyes.

“Anything!” her grandpa replied, his eyes glimmering back.

Lola grinned, and at the same time, both she and her grandpa yelled, “Grandpa flowers!”

When Lola woke up on the morning of her birthday, Mom and Dad were busy at their work. Dad was laying out grass for breakfast, and Mom was digging, enlarging the den. When they heard Lola stir, Mom and Dad stopped what they were doing and tossed wildflowers onto her sleepy face. “Happy birthday!” they sang in unison. Lola giggled as the rainbow of petals showered down.

They had a breakfast of fresh water and sweet grass.

“Where’s Grandpa?” Lola asked. Mom and Dad just smiled and kept eating. Lola asked again. And again. And again. And was just about to ask again, when Dad sighed. Lola knew her dad was giving in.

“Well . . . he wanted it to be a surprise . . . but he went to get you clover flowers for your present,” her dad said.

Lola couldn’t believe it. Fresh clover flowers! It had been so long. She closed her eyes and imagined their sweet taste.

Lola waited all day for Grandpa to return. By nightfall, he still had not come back. Lola began to worry. What if a hawk had snatched him up? Or he had gotten caught in a trap like the one that took Grandma? Or what if the stories were wrong, and there weren’t any clovers at fields six farms over and he wound up wandering forever, like the traveling rabbits who told stories of dangerous adventures in far off places?

Lola could tell that something wasn’t right, because Mom and Dad were talking to each other in hushed voices. They only did this when there was a problem or if something very important was going on.

Lola didn’t sleep much that night. She kept waking up and looking around for Grandpa, but he still wasn’t home. By the time the sun rose the next morning, Dad had left to go look for Grandpa. Lola and Mom snuggled quietly all day.

It was hours and hours before Dad came back, looking sorrowful and tired. Lola hopped out to greet him but something was wrong. “Lola, honey, go wait inside,” her dad said. He seemed so sad she didn’t even think to disobey.

Peeking out from around the opening of their den, Lola could hear Dad and Mom talking behind the oak tree in low voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying. They talked for what felt like ages, before slowly hopping back to the den. Mom had tears in her eyes. They told her that Grandpa loved her very much, and that she meant a lot to him. Lola still wasn’t sure what was going on, but found that she was crying. “I’m scared,” she said between sobs.

Mom and Dad hugged her tight and Dad said, “Honey, Grandpa died. I went to go look for him because we were getting worried, and when I made it to the field over the road and six farms away, some rabbits found me and told me what had happened. He was picking clover flowers when he fell down, and didn’t get back up.”

Lola sobbed and sobbed. She, Mom and Dad sat in their den, crying together. Mom and Dad held her tight, saying “It’s okay, little baby.” Lola couldn’t understand. Grandpa was dead. It wasn’t okay.

Lola couldn’t believe that this was really happening. She wondered if maybe her mom and dad were lying and playing a mean trick. She cried hard, saying “no, no, no, no” over and over again. Eventually, with tears in her eyes, she fell asleep.

During the night, Lola woke up and thought that if she had never asked for clover flowers for her birthday, Grandpa would never have gone away. He died because he took that long journey. It was her fault; she was sure of it. Another idea came to Lola- maybe he was still out there, maybe he wasn’t really dead.

The sad little rabbit got up very quietly, trying to not rouse Mom or Dad. She crept out of the hole and looked at the field. A full moon lit up the sky. Surely, he was still out there. Just as Lola was about to hop away to find her grandpa, she felt a nip on her tail.

“Where do you think you’re going, my love?” said her mother.

“To find Grandpa. It’s my fault he went over there. I was the one who wanted clover flowers. If I hadn’t asked for clover flowers for my birthday, he would still be alive.” Tears came again. “And he would still be here, and I would still have him! It’s all my fault! He must hate me. You and Dad must hate me!” Lola broke into a loud fit of sobbing and buried her face in her mom’s soft fur.

“Lola, look at me” said her mom, holding Lola’s face in her paws. “I love you. Your dad loves you. Grandpa loved you very much, too, and knows that you loved him. It’s absolutely not your fault. Rabbits die when it’s their time to go, and it was Grandpa’s time. It would have happened soon, whether he went to find clover flowers or not. Trust me, Lola; it has nothing to do with you. Grandpa had a long and very happy life.” Lola’s mom pulled her tight and the two rabbits hugged and cried.

What Lola’s mom had said helped the little rabbit, but Lola was still very sad. She spent the next few days absentmindedly hopping around the field. She felt a lot of different things. Sometimes she felt okay, but every now and then, she would see something that reminded her of Grandpa, and Lola would cry all over again. Crying eventually gave way to anger, and Lola started to pounce back and forth, kicking leaves and twigs for no reason. She sent her friends away when they came over to play. She snapped at Mom and Dad whenever they said anything. Mom and Dad tried to talk to her about why she was so grouchy, but Lola was certain they wouldn’t understand. “You just don’t get it!” she would yell at them.

An older rabbit who lived on the other side of the oak tree was watching Lola. This rabbit was named Felicity, and she was the oldest rabbit in the warren. Felicity was a large rabbit, with deep gray, almost blue, fur. One of her eyes was a milky white and never blinked, and she spoke in a shaking, low voice. All of the rabbits in the warren knew that Felicity was a very wise old rabbit.

Lola saw Felicity watching her. The older rabbit sat under a bush, taking shelter from the sun. She motioned for Lola to come over to where she sat. Lola hopped over.

“I heard about your grandpa, Lola. I’m very sorry. You must be hurting.”

Lola nodded. Felicity tried to hug her, but Lola backed away. She wasn’t sure what Felicity wanted, and frankly, Lola was in a sour mood and didn’t feel like being hugged.

“How are you feeling?” Felicity asked, as she picked Lola a thick blade of grass to chew on.

Lola shrugged. “Tired, I guess,” she said. This was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. Lola really wanted to say, “I’m angry, and I’m sad, and I’m lonely, and I feel empty inside, and I feel so confused. Why do I feel sad, and mad, and okay, and broken hearted, all at the same time?”

Felicity smiled. “Well, I grew up with your grandpa. He was a very smart rabbit, a very kind rabbit. He will be missed by all who knew him.”

Since her grandpa’s death, everyone had been telling Lola how wonderful her grandpa was, how nice he was, and how smart he was. Lola started to get angry. “Yeah?” she snapped, “If he was so smart, why did he decide to hop so far when he was so old?” She took a deep breath and yelled, “Why did he die, if he was so smart? Why did he leave me? I hate him!”

After the words had escaped her lips, Lola wished she could take them all back. She couldn’t believe she had said such a horrible thing.

“I know you didn’t mean that, Lola,” Felicity said, as she pulled Lola into a hug, “and I know that you are having a hard time right now. Everything you’re feeling is normal, and it’s okay. It’s okay to feel sad, to feel angry, even to feel happy when you look back at good memories. You’re grieving, Lola.”

Lola had never heard that word before. Grieving. It didn’t sound like it was much fun. It sounded hard. “How long will it last?” she asked quietly.

“For as long as it needs to. You’ve lost someone very important to you. Your heart needs time to heal. Some days will be very hard for you but other days will be better. Eventually all that will be left is your love for your grandpa and your special memories of him.”

“I miss him.” Lola started to cry again.

“I know,” said Felicity, hugging the little rabbit. “I miss him, too.”

As the days and weeks passed, it got a little easier for Lola. She still cried, but not as much. She began to play games with her friends again. At odd moments, memories of Grandpa would come flooding back and Lola would feel tears in her eyes. Sometimes she just wanted to be alone, to be by herself with her thoughts. Sometimes she wanted to be next to Mom or Dad all day long, never leaving their side. Sometimes she would remember a funny joke her grandpa had told and would laugh. And still sometimes she felt hurt and angry and she knew that was okay, too.

Months later, on a crisp fall morning, Lola woke up after having a wonderful dream about Grandpa. She dreamed that he had taken her on a trip collecting clover flowers and they had found clovers as tall as trees. In her dream, Grandpa had lifted up his long, long ears and reached the tops of the giant clover trees. He grinned at Lola and his eyes sparkled.

Thinking of the dream brought a smile to Lola’s face. Lola stretched, top to bottom and bottom to top. She hopped to the opening of her den, and sat back on her hind legs, ears up and nose twitching, looking for any sign of danger. Dewdrops glistened on the grass, while yellow and orange leaves rustled in the breeze. She smiled. “All’s clear over here, scout,” she said to herself, and then hugging herself tight, she said “I love you, Grandpa.”

As swirling leaves swept through the field, Lola was certain that, carried on the wind, she heard her grandpa’s sweet voice whisper, “I love you, too.”

BRIDGES TO READING

Ask your local librarian for suggestions on books about South America, or for books about famous explorers. There are also a few book adaptations of “Up”.

Other Movies — Your child might be interested in the many other Pixar films, or other adventure films like “ The Swiss Family Robinson “.

This web page was written by Lauren Humphrey and James Frieden . It was last published on January 8, 2010.

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The Analysis Of The Movie "Up"

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Important Messages in the Movie

Carl's poignant story in the movie, up.

Significance of Friendship in Up

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Review of The Movie Up Descriptive

I am writing my five paragraph essay on what I like to call, the “World’s Greatest Move”, the 2009 Pixar animated story called Up. If you look deeper into this crowd proclaimed “Kid’s Movie” you will find hidden meanings to the movie. You will find sadnesses that you may not have noticed before, happiness in the characters, and deeper meanings to the locations. In the film Up, although it is a kid’s movie, it is filled with many sad events such as Carl Fredricksen being forced into retiring, Ellie Fredricksen dying, and Russell being fatherless.

The first sadness we encounter in the movie is Ellie Fredricksen, Carl Fredricksen’s lifelong love, dying. In this part of the film you see the lovers going on a picnic just like they used to do when they were young which is all happy and you feel really happy inside. Then she falls, and cannot get to the top of the hill where they are having the picnic.

It then skips to a scene of Ellie dying in the hospital, then it skips again to the funeral which makes you feel really sad. This all happens in a time span of about 10 mins.

Up Movie Review Essay

When I watch this section of the film, it makes me sad because it is like showing you a cute puppy that you’re excited to care about, watch it grow up and be happy, then all of a sudden taking it away from you and all of that short happiness and excitement you had built up towards that thing.

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“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

The second sad part that comes into the film is when you witness Mr. Fredricksen being forced into retirement after becoming too old to work at selling balloons at the local zoo, and then evicted from his home. In this part of the film you see Mr.

Fredricksen working, then a manager silently walking up to him and giving him the news that he should retire because he is getting really sad and old, and when he gets home he sees an urban development being built around him yet he refuses to sell his home. Then, when a worker named Steve accidentally damages his mailbox he injures Steve, where he then gets a visit from the local retirement home and evicted from his home for being a “public menace”. When I watch this section, I see how Mr. Fredricksen is just getting overwhelmed by one thing after another because that’s exactly how I feel at times.

The third sadness we come across in this film is when we start to put the pieces together about how Russell, the earnest young Wilderness Explorer, does not have a father anymore, and how he lives with his mother and her boyfriend in an apartment. In this scene little Russell explains that he doesn’t have a dad to do activities with, how he is not allowed to have dogs in his apartment, and that he doesn’t call his mom’s boyfriend dad. When I see this part, I get really sad and think that little innocent deserves so much better than the life he has.

You learn to love that fat little kid. All in all, the movie has many sad moments that are overlooked by the fact that it’s a kid’s movie. In this film you can also easily see the happiness in this movie such as Russell, Mr. and Mrs. Fredricksen falling in love, and Doug The Dog. First, just when you think that the movie couldn’t get any more bizarre, a chubby 8-year-old wilderness explorer named Russell hitches a ride on Carl’s house, and the two unlikely heroes go on an exotic adventure to the wild jungles of South America.

Russell the wilderness explorer is endearingly innocent. Russell makes me feel really happy inside because they made him cute and fat. He also talks really innocently so that just adds to the fun. Secondly, Ellie first met Carl as a child when he wandered into her clubhouse. The two became close friends after realizing they shared a similar admiration for explorer Charles Muntz. Ellie made promises with Carl by saying “Cross your heart? “. Eventually, Carl and Ellie were married, but were unable to have children.

They constantly tried to arrange a trip to Paradise Falls, but every time something always happened to prevent it. After Carl finally managed to acquire a ticket, Ellie died of old age. This part in the movie makes me feel really happy, and a little sad because of the way they fell in love was really cute and funny. The third happiness we come across is Dug the dog. Along their trek toward the falls, Carl and Russell find a strange and very large bird, whom Russell dubs “Kevin,” and a talking dog named Dug who is hunting the bird.

Russell wants to keep them, but Carl does not want any extra tag-a-longs. When a pack of mean dogs sent by Dug’s master show up to get the bird, Carl’s trip takes a whole new turn. As it turns out, the dogs belong to Charles Muntz, the adventurous explorer who inspired Carl and Ellie’s dreams of Paradise Falls. Dug is very funny and adds comic relief. Dug makes me laugh and feel happy about the movie, he does his job as a comic well. All in all, the movie Up

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Developmental Theories in Docter’s “Up” Movie

Introduction.

Development and growth, including not only physical but also cognitive and socio-emotional progress, is an inseparable part of human life. In movies, which are supposed to artistically reflect the challenges that individuals experience at certain points in their lives, the portrayal of certain developmental stages and the progress made is not only necessary but inevitable. The specified characteristic is particularly true for movies such as “Up,” where the protagonists’ struggles, as well as one of the major character arcs, are tied very closely to their age and the relevant challenges that it implies.

Theories: Review

In order to approach the movie and analyze the development of its characters properly, several developmental theories will be required. Specifically, the framework offered by Piaget allows identifying the main stages of childhood development, namely, the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational ones (Young, 2019). The described stages signify the transfer to a new mode of perceiving and exploring the environment in which an individual lives, as well as the people with which one interacts (Young, 2019).

According to Piaget, the sensorimotor stage suggests cognizing the world based on the five key senses and the informational input that they provide. In turn, the preoperational stage begins at the point when a child starts gaining language skills, whereas the concrete operational stage suggests the use of logical thinking. Finally, the transition to the formal operational stage implies gaining the ability to think in abstract concepts (Young, 2019). Applying the specified theoretical framework allows understanding the motivations and needs of a child.

In turn, the theory offered by Erikson provides a glimpse at the psychosocial development of an individual throughout the course of his or her life. Specifically, the theory offered by Erikson suggests that an individual undergoes a psychosocial crisis each time when a particular age is reached. These include Trust vs. Mistrust (infant – 1.5 years), Autonomy vs. Doubt (1.5-3 years), Initiative vs. Guilt (3-5), Industry vs. Inferiority (5-13), Identity vs. Role Confusion (13-21), Intimacy vs. Isolation (23-39), Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65), and Integrity vs. Despair (65 and older). As a result of the specified struggles, one is expected to develop a respective virtue (hope, will, purpose, competency, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom, accordingly) (Young, 2019).

The described approach allows placing the process of development into a sociocultural context, which, in turn, points to the opportunity to assist one in overcoming key age-related challenges.

Movie Analysis

Physical development.

In the movie under analysis, two protagonists of different ages are featured, which allows integrating two theories into the assessment. Carl Fredricksen is a senior citizen, supposedly in his late 70s, whereas Russell is a nine-year-old boy. Therefore, in their physical development, the characters are strikingly different, yet both are portrayed in a very realistic way as far as their physical progress is concerned. Namely, Carl is shown as having difficulty moving, primarily, by showing him using a walker and making each pace with slight difficulty. In turn, Russell represents the exact opposite physical state, being quite bouncy, often running, and being overall very lively.

The described portrayal is quite realistic as it pertains to the observed developmental stages, namely, those of Piaget’s concrete operational stage (Russell) and Erikson’s “Integrity vs. Despair” one (Carl). Likewise, the brain development of the two is depicted in a very accurate manner, Carl being quite forgetful and slow, and Russell showing high levels of inquisitiveness and focusing on the outside world and its exploration. In fact, Russell features complete absence of egocentric attitudes, which could technically align with the concrete operational stage, yet seems to be a characteristic of a more mature person, which slightly reduces the credibility of Russell’s portrayal.

Cognitive Development

In turn, the cognitive development of the leading characters is represented in a rather basic yet quite convincing way. Carl has issues with his memory and the ability to process information, which can be seen in his struggle to grasp specific situations, such as the emergence of Dug and the revelation of Muntz’s secret. In turn, Russell with his curiosity and quick thinking also reflects the appropriate stage of cognitive development, when the transition toward abstract thinking is observed in children: “Adventure is out there!” (Rivera & Doctor, 2009).

Socio-Emotive Development

Finally, the socio-emotive development of Russell and Carl is demonstrated quite well in the movie. Namely, Carl’s willingness to alienate himself from the rest of the community indicates his inclination toward despair in his socio-emotive progress, as Erikson’s taxonomy suggests: “You don’t talk very much” (Rivera & Doctor, 2009). In turn, Russell also meets the criteria of the Industry vs. Inferiority stage, even though his progress might seem slightly less obvious. Namely, Russell’s need for a father figure in his life, specifically, a father, who would be proud of him, implies a struggle of Industry vs. Inferiority and the willingness to achieve Competency. In turn, the latter is represented by an approval and support of a parental figure, which Russell finally gets at the end of the movie as Carl attends his scout ceremony.

Portraying both the concrete operational and the Integrity vs. Despair developmental stages as crucial points in its protagonists’ lives, “Up” helps to understand the struggles of both aging people and young children. Moreover, even though the setting in which both characters are placed is barely realistic, the struggles that they face are connected to their age and, therefore, make both of them very relatable. As a result, young audiences watching it can learn both to appreciate the needs and character specifics of aging people, while also developing a proper understanding of their own emotional progress. Despite the presence of several minor inaccuracies concerning the portrayal of aging people, “Up” does a perfect job at representing the related stages of development from physical, cognitive, and socio-emotive aspects.

Rivera, J., & Doctor, P. (2009). Up. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Young, G. (2019). Causality and development: Neo-Eriksonian perspectives . Springer.

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Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms

By Vivek H. Murthy

Dr. Murthy is the surgeon general.

One of the most important lessons I learned in medical school was that in an emergency, you don’t have the luxury to wait for perfect information. You assess the available facts, you use your best judgment, and you act quickly.

The mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, and the average daily use in this age group, as of the summer of 2023, was 4.8 hours . Additionally, nearly half of adolescents say social media makes them feel worse about their bodies.

It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe. Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behavior. When asked if a warning from the surgeon general would prompt them to limit or monitor their children’s social media use, 76 percent of people in one recent survey of Latino parents said yes.

To be clear, a warning label would not, on its own, make social media safe for young people. The advisory I issued a year ago about social media and young people’s mental health included specific recommendations for policymakers, platforms and the public to make social media safer for kids. Such measures, which already have strong bipartisan support, remain the priority.

Legislation from Congress should shield young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content that too often appears in algorithm-driven feeds. The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use.

Additionally, companies must be required to share all of their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public — currently they do not — and allow independent safety audits. While the platforms claim they are making their products safer, Americans need more than words. We need proof.

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