Dark (And Surprisingly Elaborate) Theory Makes Pixar's Up Even Sadder
As if one of Pixar's most iconic animated films was not dark enough.
There is a fan theory on Reddit that may make Up even more heartbreaking than it already was. In fact, it may change the way you see the movie altogether.
The fan theory, shared by Redditor bubonis, has already become somewhat iconic in its own right. According to it, Ellie is not the only character to die at the very beginning. In fact, the theory goes, Carl died as well, and the entire movie is nothing more than a metaphor for his afterlife.
First, the surprisingly elaborate theory explains why the very basis of the movie suggests that nothing that happens is actually real. Because yes, floating a house in balloons is an almost impossible idea, even for a Disney movie, and Carl manages it easily, even in his old age.
Besides, when Carl is told to leave his old house – the only thing he has left after the death of the love of his life, Ellie – he sets himself the goal of flying the house away to a place that is literally called Paradise Falls.
But there are plenty of other aspects that point to the fact that none of what happens to Carl after his "accession " is actually real. Just look at Dug, the dog who started out with Muntz and then switched to Carl's side.
"We know that Dug's "translation collar" is impossible even in the context of the movie's reality so there's another clue that what's happening on screen isn't really happening in the movie's reality," the theory explains. "And through the translation collar Dug bridged the gap between animal and human — in the same way that Dug is helping Carl to bridge the gap between life and afterlife."
Speaking of the main antagonist of the movie, Muntz. The fan theory basically describes him as an embodiment of Hell. Muntz wants to destroy Kevin the bird (who is essentially a metaphor for a higher calling) "just as Lucifer wants to destroy all that is good.
If this fan theory has just changed your view of Pixar's Up forever... we are sorry.