Pete Docter has been responsible for some of Pixar’s greatest hits, be it Monster’s Inc. or Inside Out. However, the director also had a hand in Up, which remains one of the most emotionally charged films that Pixar has put out.
The opening of the film has one of most heartbreaking scenes, that sees Carl and Ellie blossom into a friendship at a young age over shared interests, which eventually evolves into a romance, and a life together. However, one scene in this montage was almost cut by Pixar, but Pete Docter fought to keep it in.
Pixar almost cut the scene where Ellie and Carl find out they are never having kids
Ellie and Carl’s montage of life at the beginning of the film has been cited by many as one of the most emotional scenes in all of Pixar canon. However, while Pete Docter realized how important the scene was, the studio failed to realize how integral the scene was to the emotional core of the story. This caused the studio to temporarily remove the scene, to much detriment of the story. Pete Docter, speaking to Yahoo! during the press junket for the first Inside Out film, said:
On Up, for example, some people felt like we were going a little too far…. We got some notes from people in the studio that thought that the moment where they couldn’t have kids was going too far.
You didn’t feel as deeply [without the scene] — not only just [with] that sequence, but through the whole film. Most of the emotional stuff is not just to push on people and make them cry, but it’s for some greater reason to really make you care about the story.
Without the scene about Ellie and Carl finding out that they might never have children, the montage lost some of its touch, making it less emotionally charged. This not only made what came after a little more impactful, but it also drove home the entire conversation about adventures that Ellie never got to have with Carl.
Up is some of the best work Pete Docter has done, despite his storied filmography
Pete Docter has done some great films out of Pixar. Original Stories for Toy Story, and Monster’s Inc came from the writer/director, along with films like Soul, Inside Out and Up. Up remains one of the best films that Docter made, given that the film still ranks among some of the best animated films that Pixar made. While there are films like Inside Out 2 that have grossed a lot more money, fans keep circling back Up, especially for the way it depicts Ellie and Carl’s relationship.
Of course, Carl learning to not only tolerate but also actively look after Russel is an important part of the story, Carl and Ellie’s relationship in the beginning of the film is what set the tempo for the rest of the story. This not only manages to craft a narrative that engages fans, but also perfects Pixar’s formula that focuses on emotional story-telling.
Up can be streamed on Disney+.
