ⓘ Details

Movie TitleUp

Release DateCannes premiere: May 13, 2009 / U.S. release: May 29, 2009

TaglineAdventure is out there.

Runtime96 minutes / 1 hour 36 minutes

DirectorPete Docter

Screenplay Written ByBob Peterson & Pete Docter

Based OnOriginal story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson & Tom McCarthy

Is It a Remake?No. Up is an original Pixar animated feature.

BudgetApproximately $175 million

Box OfficeApprox. $293.0 million domestic / approx. $731.5–735.1 million worldwide, depending on source

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👥 Main Cast

Ed AsnerCarl Fredricksen

Jordan NagaiRussell

Bob PetersonDug / Alpha

Christopher PlummerCharles Muntz

Delroy LindoBeta

Jerome RanftGamma

John RatzenbergerConstruction Foreman Tom

Elie DocterYoung Ellie

Jeremy LearyYoung Carl

Mickie McGowanPolice Officer Edith

Danny MannConstruction Worker Steve

Donald FulliloveNurse George

Jess HarnellNurse AJ

Josh CooleyOmega

David KayeNewsreel Announcer

Sherry LynnAdditional Voices

Laraine NewmanAdditional Voices

Jan RabsonAdditional Voices

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Animated Feature: Pete Docter

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Picture

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Original Screenplay: Bob Peterson, Pete Docter & Tom McCarthy

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Sound Editing

⭐ Golden Globe Winner — Best Animated Feature Film

⭐ Golden Globe Winner — Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Animated Film

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Music: Michael Giacchino

⭐ AFI named Up one of the top films of 2009.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Carl Fredricksen, a widowed balloon salesman, has spent his life dreaming of visiting Paradise Falls with his late wife Ellie. When developers threaten to take his house, Carl ties thousands of balloons to it and floats away toward South America. Unfortunately, he accidentally brings along Russell, an overeager Wilderness Explorer trying to earn his final badge. Their adventure leads them to a rare bird named Kevin, a talking dog named Dug, and Carl’s childhood hero Charles Muntz — forcing Carl to decide whether he is chasing an old dream or missing the new adventure right in front of him.

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❝ Key Quotes

“Adventure is out there!” — Charles Muntz

“Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one.” — Ellie

“I was hiding under your porch because I love you.” — Dug

“Squirrel!” — Dug

“I do not like the cone of shame.” — Dug

“The wilderness must be explored!” — Russell

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💡 Trivia

Director

Up was directed by Pete Docter, with Bob Peterson credited as co-director.
The screenplay was written by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter, from a story by Docter, Peterson, and Tom McCarthy.
The film was produced by Jonas Rivera for Pixar Animation Studios.
Docter described the movie as both a “coming of age” story and an “unfinished love story,” centered on Carl processing grief and finding purpose again.
The story uses a huge fantasy image — a house lifted by balloons — to tell a very grounded story about loss, regret, friendship, and moving forward.

Cast / Casting

Ed Asner voices Carl Fredricksen, the cranky but deeply wounded widower at the center of the story.
Jordan Nagai voices Russell, the Wilderness Explorer who accidentally becomes Carl’s travel companion.
Bob Peterson voices Dug, the instantly lovable talking dog, and Alpha, the much less lovable talking dog with a voice-collar problem.
Christopher Plummer voices Charles Muntz, Carl’s childhood idol turned obsessed explorer.
Elie Docter, Pete Docter’s daughter, voices young Ellie.
John Ratzenberger continues his Pixar streak as Construction Foreman Tom.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Michael Giacchino.
Giacchino won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Up.
The music also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA for original score / music.
The “Married Life” theme became one of Pixar’s most recognizable emotional cues.
The score carries much of the film’s emotional storytelling, especially during the nearly wordless Carl and Ellie montage.

Location

The story begins in a city neighborhood before flying Carl’s house to the wilds of South America.
Paradise Falls is fictional, but its visual inspiration is often connected to the tepui mountains and Angel Falls region of Venezuela.
Pixar’s South American adventure setting gives the film a pulp-explorer feel while keeping the emotional focus on Carl and Russell.
The house itself functions like a location, character, and memory box — carrying Carl’s past while literally dragging him toward the future.
The contrast between Carl’s boxed-in neighborhood and the vast wilderness visually tracks his emotional journey from isolation to openness.

Behind-The-Scenes

Up was Pixar’s tenth feature film.
The film was the first animated movie to open the Cannes Film Festival.
Pixar artists simplified Carl’s design into square shapes, while Russell’s design uses rounder shapes, visually reinforcing their different personalities.
Charles Muntz was influenced by old adventure icons and larger-than-life explorers.
Box Office Mojo lists the production budget at approximately $175 million.
The film opened domestically with $68,108,790 and went on to gross more than $293 million in North America.

Nostalgia

Up quickly became one of Pixar’s most emotionally famous films.
The Carl and Ellie montage is often cited as one of the most devastating opening sequences in modern animation.
Dug became an instant Pixar fan favorite thanks to his combination of pure loyalty, terrible focus, and perfect dog logic.
The balloon house became one of Pixar’s most recognizable images.
For a movie full of talking dogs, giant birds, and flying houses, its biggest punch is still painfully simple: love, loss, and learning to keep living.

Easter Eggs

John Ratzenberger appears in another Pixar voice role, continuing his long-running Pixar tradition.
The “Adventure is out there” phrase becomes both a childhood slogan and Carl’s emotional challenge late in life.
The “cone of shame” became one of Dug’s most quoted jokes.
Kevin’s name becomes a running gag after Russell assumes the giant bird is male.
Ellie’s adventure book transforms from a symbol of unfinished dreams into a reminder that Carl already lived a meaningful adventure with her.

Misc.

Up is rated PG.
Box Office Mojo classifies the film as adventure, animation, comedy, drama, and family.
The film earned five Academy Award nominations and won two: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.
Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus calls it exciting, funny, poignant, and impeccably crafted.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 185, with Don rating it 3.50, Ken rating it 5.00, Jon rating it 4.75, and an overall rating of 4.42.

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