Carl Fredricksen

On the right of the picture is 'Up' character Carl Fredricksen, a perfect example of a grumpy old nostalgic man. In the first half of the film at least, Carl is a cranky character who does not have the patience for anyone or anything, and he is driven only by the desire to see wild South America. He frequently remembers his time with Ellie in a longing way, and is undeniably a nostalgist.

          This picture demonstrates the difference in attitude between the youthful child and Carl himself, an old man who society marginalises. His old age and loss of Ellie have given him a sad and grumpy demeanour.

1) How realistic is it? Is this the only way for this group of people to be?

Firstly, we are dealing with a Pixar film. Based on that information alone, we know we will be presented with an array of familiar stereotypes. Carl Fredricksen is portrayed EXTREMELY stereotypically in this film. There is not one feature associated with old age that Carl is not displaying. He has grey hair, wrinkled skin, spectacles, a grumpy countenance, dull formal clothing and a walking stick (albeit a strange one). In reality, not all old men are like this. Certainly not all old men bear grumpy expressions all the time either. You don't catch Jack Nicholson staring down the paparazzi all the time, and he's 75.

         Once again, not all elderly men are myopic, crippled, old fashioned and miserable, as this stereotype aims to convince us. Pictured above is the late David Kelly as Grandpa Joe Bucket in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' While he may fit the first three criteria, he hardly fits the fourth. Grandpa Joe is anything but miserable - his body may be ancient but his spirit is youthful and he is not the bitter, grumpy old man that the media would usually throw at us.

2) What are the implications or issues around what they are choosing to highlight or ignore?

Like 'The Simpsons,' animated movies like 'Up' have a huge child following. If people are sponges who absorb messages that are being given to them, children are the super absorbant variety. If you tell a child that old men are decrepit and cranky, they will believe it. It is in the nature of children to believe and potentially apply what they are told and shown. There is therefore always the chance that a viewer will take the message too seriously and start bullying and speaking negatively of old men. The implications aren't likely to be overly serious but this is dependent on the reasoning and education of the viewer concerned.

3) How effective are the features (techniques) in creating the representation?

The advanced animation used in 'Up' makes the character of Carl look quite realistic. Pixar has everything from his posture to his clothing to his facial expression down to a fine art and thus creates a skilful old man stereotype. Integral to Carl's grumpy look of course is the eyes and mouth. The eyes are drawn and flat while the mouth is shaped to form an obvious frown. A general feeling of impatience is given by Carl in the image, a feeling which gives rise to grumpiness itself. This is an effective picture in creating the 'grumpy old man' representation.