More symbolism for "Up"

Recently I went and saw "Up" for the second time, and was trying to figure out the symbolism for each of the characters in relation to the main character, Carl Fredrickson.

In a certain way, Kevin, Russell, and Dug can all stand for increased responsibility for Carl. They are all obstacles in the way of keeping his promise to Ellie to live at Paradise Falls. Carl is determined to drag his house to the right place, but keeps getting sidetracked by these characters he meets along the way. He must make the choice to forget them to live up to his promise, or to do what Ellie really wants him to do, which is have a new adventure with someone after she is gone.

But, do these characters stand for something more? Does Russell stand for family? Does Dug stand for someone (or something) that you must take care of--that depends on you? Does Kevin stand for Nature (with a capital N)?

I honestly could not figure this out, but will think about it some more when I buy the movie.

"A Bug's Life" and "Aesop's Fables"

Aesop's Fables are some of my favorite stories. They are simple, short and clear, very clever and wise.

I really love how "A Bug's Life" is based on "The Ant and the Grasshopper" from Aesop. I am amazed how the screenwriter's could take such a short story and blow it up into a full-length movie.

They are able to create compelling characters and tell a compelling story so well, and that is what I enjoy about Pixar's movies. Simple stories told well.

Monsters, Inc. Theme

One of my favorite themes from Monster's, Inc. is the idea that laughter gives more "energy" to the monsters' world than screaming does.

Positive gives more energy than negative. I would agree with this.

Going along with this theme is the fact that the monsters have to change their entire outlook from negative to positive. The entire basis for Monster's, Inc. has been to parasitically feed off the energy of pain and fear, and now they have to become more positive in their behavior.

Are their any industries in our society that feed off the pain and fear of unknowing people? I will have to think (and write) more on this subject.

Could Pixar be making an inadvertent commentary on various aspects of our society? Very possible.

Food for thought.

One "Nemo" Theme

One theme explored in "Finding Nemo" is the notion of being able to "let go." In the movie, it is directly explored in the character of Marlin not being able to trust others, and not being able to let his son grow and mature.

Marlin is continually given this lesson to learn in this movie, and takes a big step to do so when he and Dory are caught in the huge whale. Dory tells Marlin to let go, and he finally does, to a positive result. He has to let go both "mentally" and "physically."

"Nemo" is one of my favorite Pixar movies, and will be the subject of many different posts on this blog. It is a simple and straightforward story that is expertly told--what more could one ask from a movie?

"Up" Symbol (with spoiler)

One symbol I figured out on the way out of the theater after seeing "Up" was the house attached to the main character, Carl.

When Carl and Russell first land in Paradise Falls, they are not at the correct site, so Carl decides to literally pull the house to where he wants it. However, the longer the house is pulled around, it becomes like an anchor to him. Eventually the anchor turns into a burden, and Carl has to make a choice between the past and the present/future.

First, he gives up his old furniture and pictures and remembrances to lighten the house so he can save both Russell and Kevin (the bird). Eventually, he lets go of the house... the anchor to Ellie--the anchor that keeps him from enjoying his life--the anchor that keeps him in the past, and keeps him from enjoying the present.

A floating house--a brilliant symbol.

Eye Heart Pixar!

This is a stupid name for a blog, but I figured it would be different. So there you go.

Pixar to me is one of the best movie-making companies around because they really pay attention to story--they don't just crank out movies to make money (even though they do make a ton of money on their movies).

In this blog I will take a closer look at the Pixar movies and see if I can think out loud and learn how they write such good stories. In other words answer this question:

What makes Pixar movies so great?