Story flaws in Up

Besides its pro-colonization message, Up has several other flaws that reduced my enjoyment of it.

[**spoiler alert**]

Balloon physics

A Wikipedia note claims it would take 23 million helium balloons, not 10,000, to lift Carl Fredricksen's house.

The thin ropes would snap from the strain, or the fireplace grill they're tied to would break loose. And the house would fall apart from its own weight. (Hint: The ground supports a lot of a structure's weight.)

Using two sheets as sails wouldn't be enough to steer the house. It would float west to east with the prevailing winds, not north to south.

Once the house began its downward descent, it wouldn't level off just above the ground. It would smash into the ground at the same speed it was going.

Carl's pulling the house by himself is absolutely ridiculous. Ever hear of inertia, Pixar? The balloons provide vertical lift, not horizontal propulsion. The house still weighs 60 tons (the typical weight of an average American home). Pulling it through the air would be roughly like pulling it on the ground if it had wheels. Or pulling a whale of the same size through water. I.e., impossible for a single person.

The same applies to yanking the house to a stop. Once it was in motion, it would keep moving until someone or something applied 60 tons of force in the opposite direction. That's roughly the weight of an Army tank, so it would take a tank to anchor the house.

And of course the rubber hose tethering it would snap. To hold it, you'd need a cable and connectors able to withstand 60 tons of force.

Other problems

What exactly was Carl's plan when he set down near Paradise Falls? With no food, running water, or electricity, was he planning to commit suicide? Because he would've died in a few day from hunger or hypothermia.

Muntz the explorer has invented collars that not only let dogs speak, but increase their intelligence to near-human levels. If 100 million dog owners each paid $100 for such a collar, Muntz would earn $10 billion and become the most famous inventor of all time.

Yet he's spent 70 years alone, away from human contact, to capture a giant bird and restore his reputation? If he succeeds, he may have a year or two of fame before he dies of old age. The collars would do much more to rehabilitate his reputation than the bird would.

Muntz is somewhere between 90 and 110 years old, yet he looks as "young" as Carl, who must be at least 20 years younger. Worse, this near-centenarian is as quick and agile as a well-trained athlete.

Conclusion

Up has a Looney Tunes sense of science and logic. Yet it offers a serious message about dealing with grief and getting on with your life. Having Bugs Bunny grieve over his lost bunny mate wouldn't work in a cartoon format, and this doesn't quite work either.

Up isn't in the same league as animated masterpieces such as Finding Nemo or The Incredibles. But it's enjoyable in a cartoony sort of way. Rob's rating: 7.5 of 10.

For more on the subject, see Pro-Colonization Propaganda in Up and Up's Native Sources.