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Up
Movie

Up

2009 • Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Woke Score
1.2
out of 10

Plot

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.

Overall Series Review

The movie "Up" is a story of profound grief, the celebration of a life-long marriage, and the redemptive power of new relationships. An elderly widower, Carl Fredricksen, attempts to fulfill a promise to his late wife, Ellie, by flying their house to a South American plateau. He unexpectedly gains a young sidekick, Russell, and their journey focuses on Carl’s transition from a grumpy recluse consumed by the past to a surrogate father embracing a new future. The villain, Charles Muntz, is a study in how selfish ambition and ego can corrupt a man's soul. The film's moral compass is firmly set on the value of human connection and finding adventure in the small, shared moments of life.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The narrative prioritizes the universal emotional journey of Carl, a white male, and his bond with Russell, an Asian-American boy, entirely on the content of their character and their need for connection, not on immutable characteristics or race. The villain, Muntz, is a wealthy white male explorer, but his evil is a result of ego and obsession with his own legacy, not a vilification of 'whiteness' or his culture. The film operates on a clear meritocracy of the soul, where characters are good or bad based on their actions and capacity for love.

Oikophobia1/10

The film functions as a defense of one's home and heritage, as Carl's flying house is a literal and symbolic preservation of his marriage and life with Ellie against faceless modern development. The story celebrates the institution of the committed, lifelong marriage and the memories made within the home. The main villain is a Western explorer whose obsession and pride have led to his moral decline, which serves as a warning against self-centered ambition, not a deconstruction of Western civilization itself. The narrative's conclusion is a celebration of home and community.

Feminism1/10

The core relationship of the movie is the celebrated, lifelong, heterosexual marriage between Carl and Ellie. Ellie is an adventurous, spirited partner who acts as an equal inspiration to Carl. The 'Girl Boss' trope is absent; Ellie's fulfillment is found in her marriage, shared adventure, and the attempt to build a family, and their heartbreak over being unable to have a child is portrayed poignantly. The female bird, Kevin, is a protective mother, which celebrates the maternal instinct. The film champions a vision of family, including the surrogate father-son relationship Carl forms with Russell.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative does not include any alternative sexual ideologies, content, or characters. The central relationship is the traditional male-female marriage of Carl and Ellie, and the emotional focus for the boy Russell is a surrogate father figure. The film's structure is entirely normative and does not deconstruct the nuclear family structure; it celebrates the concept of family, whether blood-related or found.

Anti-Theism1/10

There is no overt religious content, nor is there any hostility toward religion. The movie operates with a clear, transcendent moral framework, where good is defined by selfless love, loyalty, and connection, and evil is defined by Charles Muntz's egocentric, obsessive, and cruel actions. Morality is objective; the villain is punished for his moral failures, and the protagonist is rewarded for his redemption through loving sacrifice and new relationships.