Believe it or not, Pixar’s greatest movie, Up, is ten years old. For those who haven’t seen it, the story is about a crotchety old balloon salesman who fulfills his lifelong dream of tying a bazillion balloons to his house so he can fly away to the jungles of South America. He never expects to find a little stowaway named Russell nor to make a bunch of new friends along the way, but his most important discovery is that sometimes the best adventures aren’t planned.
Also, if you really haven’t seen it, you’re totally missing out on one of Pixar’s best movies ever. So, find it and watch it…with a big box of tissues because you will start off in tears and end up a big blubbering mess.
So, to celebrate its ten-year anniversary, here are ten uplifting facts about Up, for fans old and new.
1. Each week of production time resulted in 4 seconds of animation.
Photo Credit: Pixar
2. Ellie Docter is the daughter of the film’s director, Pete Docter, and the voice of Young Ellie.
Photo Credit: Pixar
3. In reality(?), it would take 23.5 million balloons to keep the house in the air, but in the movie, the number of balloons drawn was between 10,297 and 20,622 depending on the scene.
Photo Credit: Pixar
4. Almost 70 animators worked on the film as part of a total crew of 375.
Photo Credit: Pixar
5. The villain Charles Muntz was named for Walt Disney’s real life nemesis and Universal Studio head, Charles Mintz.
Photo Credit: Pixar
6. Peter Docter came up with the premise of the film when, after years of working on Monsters, Inc., he came across a picture in the studio of a house floating by being attached to balloons.
Photo Credit: Pixar
7. The characters were based on shapes that reflected their personalities.
Photo Credit: Pixar
8. Ellie and Carl spend their wedding night hammering nails and sawing wood which is another way of saying they were making whoopie.
Photo Credit: Pixar
9. Paradise Falls is based on Venezuela’s famous Angel Falls.
Photo Credit: Pixar
10. Carl goes to court in Room A113, which is actually a classroom at the California Institute of the Arts.
Photo Credit: Pixar
The Easter eggs in Up are countless. If you haven’t seen it or if you haven’t in a long time, check it out. There aren’t that many movies that entertain everyone in the family – this one is a treasure.
