Our lives always have room for a little adventure. But there is something even more important than the adventure itself: It’s who we spend the adventure with. In “Up”, Carl Fredricksen lives his adventure alongside his wife. In the first 10 minutes of the movie, you learn about how happy he is with his wife, and how perfect the are together. Then, you see devastation. Mr. Fredricksen and his wife are crushed, when they can’t have a baby. Then, you see Carl’s devastation when his wife is taken from him. The only thing that keeps him going after his wife’s death, is one final adventure that she had always wanted to embark on: Living in South America. Mr. Fredricksen, out of love for his wife, goes on one final adventure. What he discovers along the way, is something he could never have imagined.

“Up” is both uplifting, and depressing. It can give the viewers a sense of poignancy about all of the lost time. It can also uplift people, to take a bold risk, and go on a new adventure! One of the main themes of the movie, is the ability to start fresh at any given moment.

“Thanks for the adventure. Now go have one of your own”, is Ellie’s final, posthumous message for Carl. She appreciates, and cherishes the time that they spent together. But what she really wants, is for Carl to find a new adventure. To find a new meaning in life, even though the love of his life has passed away. Isn’t this what you would want for your own family members, after you die?

Carl Fredricksen goes on an adventure, just as Ellie asked him. He ties miracle balloons to his house, and floats off to South America. Cheesy and unrealistic? Yes. But the concept is absolutely delightful! Carl sets off on his adventure, and Russell inadvertently comes along.

Russell does have an interesting story, and it is the reason for his social awkwardness. His father is no longer there for him, and it crushes Russell on the inside. His dad is ‘too busy’ to spend time with him, and any of his family members. His entire family life is slowly deteriorating, and he is just an innocent bystander. That is, until he met Carl Fredricksen.

What makes ‘Up” such a great movie, is the clash of character situations. Mr. Fredricksen is old, depressed, and trying to figure out how to live after the death of his wife. Russell is just a young boy, trying to figure out how to live without the support of his father. In a way, they are both the same character, trying to figure things out. In the end, they develop a father-son relationship, that will be remembered for a long time to come.

“Up”, is also a movie about letting go of your attachments. When most of the magical helium balloons have popped, Mr. Fredricksen is faced with a life changing decision. The only way to make the house float again, is to get rid of all of his old possessions. Everything that he and his wife shared together. After much thought and deliberation, Carl utters the most powerful quote of the movie: “It’s just a house!”. And that it is! Material items cannot hold any emotional possessions, unless we allow them to. All of the emotions that we have felt in the past, are still in our heads. A house is just a house. The difference between a house and a home, is the emotional meaning that you attach to your house. Only then, is it called, your home.

By letting go of his house, he let go of his past. Mr. Fredricksen gave himself a clean slate. He was able to do this, because he knew that his wife would approve. The movie concludes with a beautiful moment shared between Russell and Mr. Fredricksen. We see the father-son bond between the 2 characters, and we know that everything will be alright. Is the ending too much like a fairy tale? Possibly. But that doesn’t detract from the powerful message of this extraordinary film: Life begins, and life ends. We will suffer tragic loss, and we will experience incredible wins. What’s most important, is how you will react to your tragic losses. Will you break down? Or will you seek a new adventure, after an old one has passed?

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