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Walt Disney Pictures and
Pixar Animation Studios bring their latest comedy-fantasy Up,
which is also the first feature from the studio to be released in
Disney Digital 3D, to moviegoers.
{sidebar id=1}Up follows the uplifting tale of 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredericksen (voiced by Ed Asner), who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house nad flies away to the wilds of South America. But, he discovers all too late that an overly optimistic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, named Russell (voiced by newcomer Jordan Nagai), has stowed away on the trip. Their journey to a lost world, where they encounter some strange, exotic and surprising characters, is filled with hilarity, emotion and wildly imaginative adventure.
Directed by Pixar veteran Pete Docter, who joined the studio in 1990, Up is the studios 10th film. Taking inspiration from his own childhood dreams for the story, Pete Docter spoke on a teleconference for the film, about how he feels this is a return to the classic Disney films that everyone grew up with.
Q: In kids films, children usually laugh at one part while adults laugh at another, but it seems like the kids and adults laugh at the same time, in this film. Why do you think that is? Was that something you were trying to achieve?
Pete: Thats cool. Thats good. Its probably because most of the laughs in the movie come out of character. When Russell says, You were talking to a rock!, its not an especially funny gag or anything, its just about knowing the character and the truthfulness of it. Maybe thats why. But, I like that.
Q: How did you and Bob Peterson come up with this story and the adventures? And, while you were writing, do you visually design as you write?
Pete: Actually, the answer to both of those questions are related. We started by talking and making lists and drawing. One of the first key images that came out was this drawing Id done of this super grouchy, hexi-colored and green, sour guy with this really wrinkly expression on his face, holding these happy, fun, colorful balloons. Something about the contrast of those two things made us laugh and feel as though there was some potential there. That was the genesis of the idea. And then, we were also experimenting with a lot of escape ideas, and this floating house was just very poetic, interesting and appealing. So, we put the grouchy guy in the floating house with balloons, and then just answered the questions of where is he going and where he was coming from and why. Thats what led to the story.
Q: Did you have adventurous dreams like that, as a child yourself?
Pete: Yes. I grew up in Minnesota, and there was a creek area, and I remember going back there and pretending I was stomping through the jungle with snakes. I shot a couple of super-eight movies with my friends back there, and pretended it was the wilds of South America.
Q: Was there anything in this movie that you thought was too much, and that it just might not be good for kids to see, so you had to pull back, or was it just natural flowing, all the way?
Pete: Theres kind of no rules to these things. As we go, each movie defines itself and finds what it needs to become. I dont think were talking down to kids, or anything. Were just making movies that we, ourselves, want to see and, hopefully, that will continue. That seems to resonate with what audiences like as well. In this particular case, we knew we got to some really goofy, wacky places with a lot of comedy, a lot of action and a lot of adventure. For me, the films that stick with me are the ones that have a deeper emotional resonance. Were always trying to find those kind of hooks in our movies, even though the film might be about bugs or fish or monsters. Theres some identifiable, relatable thing that we see in our own lives, that these characters on the screen are going through, and thats certainly what we were after with Carl.
Q: The trauma of a miscarriage in Carl and Ellies past was very tastefully handled. Can you talk about including that scene?
Pete: The married life sequence was just showing our characters lives together. We knew the story didnt really start until Carl lifts his house off, so we needed to pack all this full, rich, lived life into as short amount of time as possible. I also wanted it to feel almost like Carls memory of the events in his life, so that was why there was the saturation of color and even the way we shot things, as though were standing back, presenting it, instead of experiencing it. All of that contributed to the emotion of it. Im very proud of that sequence, and I credit Bob Peterson, the writer, and Ronnie del Carmen, who storyboarded that. Its beautiful compositions that he was able to capture.
Q: How did you decide on magenta as Ellies signature color?
Pete: We just felt like it represented her. It had a real active feel, yet not so hyper. There was a sense of richness. Its all very subjective, of course, but it just felt very mature, in a way. Just giving a little bit of coolness to it, made it a little more regal, and yet still very vibrant and energetic. And, more than just magenta, we tried to use saturation for her, so that when shes around, we really amp the greens and the reds, and everything. And then, as she passes away, everything de-saturates and it becomes browns and grays. It was just emotionally correct.
Q: How did Dug and Alpha get their voice? What was that process?
Pete: Those are mysterious things. Its almost like they leapt out of the brain of Bob Peterson, who is the head writer and co-director on the film. I think he just conjured up dogs that he had owned, in the past. A lot of us who have pets, end up doing voices for our pets. As we sit and eat dinner, our dog tends to offer to help us eat, quite often. And, in the case of Bob, he just started doing the voice as he was writing it, and it just seemed perfect. I dont know where that stuff comes from. Its just one of those mysteries.
Q: But, they dont speak in the traditional way. You have a really unique way of giving them a voice in the film.
Pete: Yes, and that was a decision that we made early on. We talked about, Should their lips move as well? But, it made more sense, once we came up with the collar, that would be somehow tapping into the dogs brain and translating their thoughts, and the dog would just act like a normal dog. Then, we had the fun of observing real dogs and picking up on little behaviors. I love the scene where Dug sits and then he says, Hello there, and then goes back to panting. Thats just real-life dog behavior that we were able to get in there. That was so much fun to do. And, dogs hate squirrels. Our current dog is named Bailey, and she just cant stand the things. She remembers, from one walk to another, where there was a squirrel, so shes got to stop and do a lot of sniffing.
Q: The Pixar films seem to be getting more and more intellectual and mature, with Ratatouille, Wall-E and now Up. Are you worried, at all, about having these themes go over the heads of children?
Pete: With this film, we feel this is a return to the classic Disney films that we grew up with, like Dumbo or Lady and the Tramp, or films that had a great sense of fun with these wonderful, tender scenes. I think its because of that balance that those movies stay with you, and thats what we were going for, in this film. It seems to be playing pretty universally, to a wide spectrum.
Q: What films inspired Up for you?
Pete: We didnt put in any intentional homage, like with Toy Story, where we had little shots that would echo Indiana Jones. In this film, we tried to just keep it its own thing, but of course, there are a lot of influences, like The Wizard of Oz and The Station Agent. Its pretty much the story of Carl, as this loner, who comes together with a bunch of loners that become an odd-ball family. Casablanca is another influence, with the sort of dead man, who rejoins life and really, truly starts living again. There are influences all over the film. We looked at things like Going in Style, with Art Carney and George Burns, about these three older men, who decide to rob a bank. Its a great movie. Its really fun. And, the way its shot influenced this film quite a lot.
Q: What was your number one influence, in terms of animation, when you were growing up?
Pete: Of course, the Disney films. I think I saw every one, as it was re-released. And, The Muppet Show was a big influence on me, just because of the quirkiness and fun, and the very specific characters that they created. It really transcended puppets. They became very deep characters for me. They have a lot of sides to them, and theyre really amazingly well-defined characters. I also loved Disneyland. I grew up in Minnesota, but my family had relations in Pasadena, so we would drive out, almost every summer. My parents were teachers, and wed all just go to Disneyland. It was those experiences of going on Pirates of the Caribbean and going into another world. You knew, in one part of your brain, that you were still in Anaheim, but you were so willing to just believe that somehow we were in a burning city in the Caribbean. It was really cool. The combination of those things got me into it.
Q: What was your favorite early Disney film?
Pete: For sure, it was Dumbo. I just love the sense of simplicity of it. The thing they did on a lot of those early films was to keep the plot simple enough that it allows time for the characters to just be characters, and have fun with them. Were always trying to find moments like that, in our films. Obviously, you have to keep it moving and surprise people, in terms of whats going to happen next. You have to find the truths so that, even though nothing is furthering the plot, just seeing the way a kid will eat a bowl of cereal or a frog hopping into a pond, these little moments that just capture some real slice of life are really engaging and intriguing.
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